Ranking the 10 Best Aces in Baseball Entering 2020

Jacob deGrom’s last two years have been nothing short of incredible. Since the start of 2018, deGrom, 31, has a 2.05 ERA, 524 strikeouts, and 0.941 WHIP. In 2019, the back-to-back NL Cy Young winner finished inside the top seven percent in Exit Velocity (85.8mph), xSLG (.327), and xwOBA (.253). In his six seasons with the Mets, deGrom has never had an ERA higher than 3.53.

Gerrit Cole’s 2019 was like playing MLB The Show on Rookie difficulty with the sliders all the way up. Cole, 29, led the majors with 326 strikeouts and an ERA+ of 185 in addition to also having the highest strikeouts per 9 IP in the history of the sport with a 13.8 ratio. The highest paid pitcher ever had a platform year that featured an xBA of .184, a .317 xSLG, and a .238 xwOBA in 2019 to help lead Houston to a few outs from a World Series and a victory over NYY in the ALCS.

It really is remarkable how great of a signing Scherzer has been for the Nats. Since joining the Nats in 2015, Scherzer, 35, has a 2.74 ERA, a 0.94 WHIP, and a K/9 of 11.7. In 2019, even though he missed some time due to a couple of bizarre injuries, he still produced and finished third in the NL Cy Young voting and ranking inside the top-10 in K% (35.1), BB% (4.8), xSLG (.338), xwOBA (.254), proving his effectiveness across the board.

Future hall of famer Justin Verlander is aging like fine wine. Winning his second career Cy Young in 2019, Verlander has shown no signs of slowing down. Verlander is behind only deGrom and Max Scherzer with a 14.0 fWAR since arriving in Houston late 2017. Last season, Verlander led the majors in starts (34), in WHIP (0.803), and in hits per 9 (5.5). Additionally, the 37-year old still possesses one of the best fastballs in the game, ranking in the 98^th percentile with a 2577 rpm fastball spin rate.

 Jack Flaherty broke out in 2019 and had an unbelievable second half. Since July 16, Flaherty, 24, had a 0.91 ERA and held opponents to a microscopic .217 SLG. Flaherty not only established himself as the best pitcher in the NL Central, he also established himself as one of the best pitchers in the world. The Cardinals’ right-hander also had a 30.3 Hard Hit %, and an 86.1 mph Exit Velocity in the top nine percent in the majors.

 There’s a changing of the guard going on in Los Angeles with Clayton Kershaw no longer being the Dodgers’ best arm. Walker Buehler burst onto the scene in 2018 when he joined the rotation and quickly integrated himself as one of the best young starters in the game. Since joining the Dodgers’ starting rotation in 2018, Buehler has a 2.98 ERA, a 10.6 K/9, and an All-Star appearance already before turning 25 years old.

Chris Sale had a down year in 2019, finishing with a 4.40 ERA in less than 150 innings pitched, but still found a way to rack up 218 strikeouts. When Sale, 30, is healthy there’s no doubt that he is one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball. Since he arrived in Boston in 2017, Sale has pitched to a 3.08 ERA while striking out 763 in the process, good for a 13.2 K/9. Despite his struggles last season, Sale still managed to finish in the 80^thpercentile in xBA (.217) and xwOBA (.294).

Before his injury-plagued 2019, Corey Kluber was a top-five pitcher in baseball, with a 147 ERA+ and 1266 strikeouts since 2014. With the exception of 2019, the “Klubot” has finished in the top-10 in the AL Cy Young voting since he first won it in 2014. The two-time Cy Young winner joins a Rangers rotation in deep need of a veteran ace, and Kluber is nothing short of that. In 2018, Kluber was in the top two percent with a 4.0 BB%, in addition to limiting hitters to a .377 xSLG and an 86 mph Exit Velocity. Kluber’s Cy Young track record speaks louder than an injury-riddled 2019 campaign in this 2020 aces rankings.

It really says a lot about the quality of the Rays’ pitching staff when the 2018 Cy Young winner Blake Snell is not the staff’s ace. Charlie Morton arrived in St. Petersburg in 2019 and continued the good fortune he found in Houston. In the tough AL East division, Morton had a 3.05 ERA and 240 Ks to land a top-3 Cy Young finish. Since 2017, Morton has a 3.24 ERA and 604 strikeouts. He’s one of the most underrated aces in the game.

When thinking of aces, Mike Clevinger is not a name that pops into the mind immediately and it’s mainly due to the fact that the Cleveland Indians have had Kluber, Carlos Carrasco, and Trevor Bauer. But over the last three years, Clevinger is beginning to establish himself as the best of them by pitching to a phenomenal 2.96 ERA over the 448 IP since his rookie year. In 2019, the 29-year old ranked inside the top-10 in wOBA (.261), K% (33.9), and Exit Velocity (86.1 mph).

*Clevinger is expected to miss 6-8 weeks after undergoing left knee surgery*

Jacob deGrom’s last two years have been nothing short of incredible. Since the start of 2018, deGrom, 31, has a 2.05 ERA, 524 strikeouts, and 0.941 WHIP. In 2019, the back-to-back NL Cy Young winner finished inside the top seven percent in Exit Velocity (85.8mph), xSLG (.327), and xwOBA (.253). In his six seasons with the Mets, deGrom has never had an ERA higher than 3.53.

Gerrit Cole’s 2019 was like playing MLB The Show on Rookie difficulty with the sliders all the way up. Cole, 29, led the majors with 326 strikeouts and an ERA+ of 185 in addition to also having the highest strikeouts per 9 IP in the history of the sport with a 13.8 ratio. The highest paid pitcher ever had a platform year that featured an xBA of .184, a .317 xSLG, and a .238 xwOBA in 2019 to help lead Houston to a few outs from a World Series and a victory over NYY in the ALCS.

Future hall of famer Justin Verlander is aging like fine wine. Winning his second career Cy Young in 2019, Verlander has shown no signs of slowing down. Verlander is behind only deGrom and Max Scherzer with a 14.0 fWAR since arriving in Houston late 2017. Last season, Verlander led the majors in starts (34), in WHIP (0.803), and in hits per 9 (5.5). Additionally, the 37-year old still possesses one of the best fastballs in the game, ranking in the 98^th percentile with a 2577 rpm fastball spin rate.

It really is remarkable how great of a signing Scherzer has been for the Nats. Since joining the Nats in 2015, Scherzer, 35, has a 2.74 ERA, a 0.94 WHIP, and a K/9 of 11.7. In 2019, even though he missed some time due to a couple of bizarre injuries, he still produced and finished third in the NL Cy Young voting and ranking inside the top-10 in K% (35.1), BB% (4.8), xSLG (.338), xwOBA (.254), proving his effectiveness across the board.

Chris Sale had a down year in 2019, finishing with a 4.40 ERA in less than 150 innings pitched, but still found a way to rack up 218 strikeouts. When Sale, 30, is healthy there’s no doubt that he is one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball. Since he arrived in Boston in 2017, Sale has pitched to a 3.08 ERA while striking out 763 in the process, good for a 13.2 K/9. Despite his struggles last season, Sale still managed to finish in the 80^thpercentile in xBA (.217) and xwOBA (.294).

 Jack Flaherty broke out in 2019 and had an unbelievable second half. Since July 16, Flaherty, 24, had a 0.91 ERA and held opponents to a microscopic .217 SLG. Flaherty not only established himself as the best pitcher in the NL Central, he also established himself as one of the best pitchers in the world. The Cardinals’ right-hander also had a 30.3 Hard Hit %, and an 86.1 mph Exit Velocity in the top nine percent in the majors.

 There’s a changing of the guard going on in Los Angeles with Clayton Kershaw no longer being the Dodgers’ best arm. Walker Buehler burst onto the scene in 2018 when he joined the rotation and quickly integrated himself as one of the best young starters in the game. Since joining the Dodgers’ starting rotation in 2018, Buehler has a 2.98 ERA, a 10.6 K/9, and an All-Star appearance already before turning 25 years old.

Before his injury-plagued 2019, Corey Kluber was a top-five pitcher in baseball, with a 147 ERA+ and 1266 strikeouts since 2014. With the exception of 2019, the “Klubot” has finished in the top-10 in the AL Cy Young voting since he first won it in 2014. The two-time Cy Young winner joins a Rangers rotation in deep need of a veteran ace, and Kluber is nothing short of that. In 2018, Kluber was in the top two percent with a 4.0 BB%, in addition to limiting hitters to a .377 xSLG and an 86 mph Exit Velocity. Kluber’s Cy Young track record speaks louder than an injury-riddled 2019 campaign in this 2020 aces rankings.

It really says a lot about the quality of the Rays’ pitching staff when the 2018 Cy Young winner Blake Snell is not the staff’s ace. Charlie Morton arrived in St. Petersburg in 2019 and continued the good fortune he found in Houston. In the tough AL East division, Morton had a 3.05 ERA and 240 Ks to land a top-3 Cy Young finish. Since 2017, Morton has a 3.24 ERA and 604 strikeouts. He’s one of the most underrated aces in the game.

When thinking of aces, Mike Clevinger is not a name that pops into the mind immediately and it’s mainly due to the fact that the Cleveland Indians have had Kluber, Carlos Carrasco, and Trevor Bauer. But over the last three years, Clevinger is beginning to establish himself as the best of them by pitching to a phenomenal 2.96 ERA over the 448 IP since his rookie year. In 2019, the 29-year old ranked inside the top-10 in wOBA (.261), K% (33.9), and Exit Velocity (86.1 mph).

*Clevinger is expected to miss 6-8 weeks after undergoing left knee surgery*