The pitching landscape is changing as it simply has to when seven of last year’s Top-20 starters won’t be on the field to start the 2024 campaign, including three Top-10 SP. The elite level has thinned, and the supporting cast in the mid-tier is seemingly generating as many questions as answers. The young guns are starting to dominate the landscape and moving quickly. The likes of George Kirby, Bobby Miller, Tanner Bibee, and Kyle Bradish, to name but a few, have emerged and are poised to make the cast at the top stronger. Grab an ace and fill in the gaps. The search for the 200-strikeout pitcher could prove to be a rather elusive one if one waits too long. Leaving the draft light on strikeouts is anything but a recipe for success.

1. Gerrit Cole, NYY – Not only does Cole produce outstanding ratios year after year, but since 2017, he has bested the 200 IP mark five times. He has bested 200 strikeouts five times in the past six years. He has proven to be the best pitcher in the game and, at 33 years of age, still has several peak years left in the tank.
2. Spencer Strider, ATL – Yes, Strider could be the best starter in the game someday. Just not today.
3. Kevin Gausman, TOR – Gausman finished second to only Spencer Strider in strikeouts last year with 237, his third consecutive season with 200+ K’s. His ERA has been 2.81, 3.35, and 3.16 over the past three seasons. He’s come a long way since those early years in Baltimore.
4. Corbin Burnes, BAL – There I was, sitting back, getting ready to mention that the Wins might be tough to come by in Milwaukee this year, and Burnes is off the O’s. Those wins will be much easier to come by in Baltimore. The Angelos sale is already paying dividends.
5. George Kirby, SEA – 22 walks in 130 IP in 2022 as a rookie. Last year, he further upped his game, allowing only 19 free passes in 190 2/3 IP, along with a strikeout per inning in the second half. The young Mariner has the potential to be a Cy Young Award candidate for many years to come.
6. Pablo Lopez, MIN – Lopez tied for third in all of baseball with 234 punchouts. He kept the ball in the park and worked his second-in-a-row 180+ inning season. That’s a lot to like.
7. Zack Wheeler, PHI – After the trials and tribulations Wheeler suffered early in his career in New York, every success and plenty should bring a smile from the Fantasy community.
8. Zac Gallen, ARZ – Gallen worked 184 IP in 2022, following it up with 210 strong innings last year. He’s proving to be a workhorse and a very effective one at that.
9. Luis Castillo, SEA – A strikeout+-per-inning plus low-3 ERA makes Castillo a Top-10 starter. The last time Castillo posted an ERA of more than four was in 2018.
10. Framber Valdez, HOU – Over the past two seasons, Valdez has worked a pinch shy of 400 total innings. He might walk a few too many, but the low hit rates and a barrage of off-speed stuff keep opposing hitters constantly off balance.
11. Kodai Senga, NYM – After a slow start, we saw the “ghost-fork” set up by the mid-90s heater at its best. It’s as close as you’ll find to being an unhittable pitch.
12. Yoshinobu Yamamoto, LAD – The Japanese phenom brings an impressive resume to MLB. A smooth and successful transition will go a long way in determining the Dodgers’ fate in 2024.
13. Eury Perez, MIA – The gloves should come off in 2024, and there is potential for some spectacular results. The potential to finish 2024 as a Top-5 SP is at hand.
14. Logan Webb, SFG – Webb upped his game again in 2023. He allowed a “Kirbyesque” 31 walks in 216 IP last year, the most innings pitched in MLB in 2023. The outstanding results speak for themselves.
15. Tanner Bibee, CLE – Bibee wrapped up a solid rookie campaign by finishing second to Gunnar Henderson in the AL Roy vote. The odds of an AL Cy Young Award in his future are very high.
16. Max Fried, ATL – Fried was limited to only 14 starts last year while dealing with a strained left forearm. Upon his return, we witnessed the form (2.55 ERA in ’23) that produced an ERA from 2020-thru-2022 of 2.25, 3.04, and 2.48. When healthy, Max Fried is one of the best in the business.
17. Tarik Skubal, DET – It was an amazing second half last year, and hopefully, it will lead into a full season in 2024 with the same great numbers. The concern, as always, was the workload (80 1/3 IP). We need to see more, and hopefully, this will be the year when he finally bests the 150-inning mark.
18. Zach Eflin, TBR – Eflin spent seven seasons in Philly, and his best season produced a 3.97 ERA and 1.27 WHIP. It was the only season in Philly he had a sub-4 ERA. Last year, his first in Tampa Bay, he posted a 3.50 ERA and a 1.02 WHIP and chipped in 186 strikeouts in 177 2/3 IP. If anyone can challenge George Kirby for the lowest walk rates in the game, it could prove to be Zach Eflin.
19. Bobby Miller, LAD – The fact that he didn’t receive any support for NL Roy was more a testament to the strength of the class and not his rookie numbers. He posted a 3.76 ERA and 1.10 WHIP in 22 starts and finished up a pinch shy of a strikeout per inning with 119 in 124 1/3 IP. He’s poised to take the next step onward and upwards in a journey that could see him as an elite SP option.
20. Aaron Nola, PHI – If one chooses to believe in trends, specifically the every-other-year trend, Aaron Nola is poised to have an outstanding 2024. For those who choose not to believe, you can still count on Nola for his customary 200+ strikeouts, a mark he hasn’t missed in a full season since 2017.
21. Kyle Bradish, BAL – He kept the walks down and the ball in the park and proceeded to post a stellar 2.83 ERA. I liked Bradish a lot before the Burnes trade. I want him even more after.
22. Justin Steele, CHC – Justin Steel’s workload went from 119 IP to 173 1/3 IP. His ERA fell from 3.18 to 3.06. He struck out a pinch better than a batter-per-inning while keeping both the long ball and walks in check. Very quietly, Justin Steele is emerging as a solid #2 type starter.
23. Blake Snell, SDP – Blake Snell walked 99 batters in 180 IP while posting a 2.25 ERA and winning the NL Cy Young Award. Can he repeat that performance? Of course, will you bet on it and pay for it on draft day?
24. Freddy Peralta, MIL – There is no doubting the strikeout potential from Peralta. He struck out 210 batters last year in 165 2/3 IP. Hence the problem. It was only the second time he had bested the 100-inning mark in a career that commenced in 2018. Count every inning above 150 as a bonus.
25. Jesus Luzardo, MIA – The one thing missing on Jesus Luzardo’s resume was health, and finally, in 2023, he added health to his resume, and with that health came 208 strikeouts in 178 IP.
26. Tyler Glasnow, LAD – Tyler Glasnow has some of the best pure stuff in the game, but how do you pay for it knowing that he’ll be turning 31 years old this summer and his high-water mark is 120 innings pitched?
27. Logan Gilbert, SEA – Gilbert has made 32 starts in the past two seasons. He is poised to cross the 200-strikeout threshold. That makes for a very palatable option as a #3 starter in the M’s talented rotation.
28. Justin Verlander, HOU – Heading into his age-41 season, Verlander continues to defy “Father Time” and is still a formidable option. Scale back the workload expectations and expect another low-to-mid 3 ERA campaign.
29. Dylan Cease, CWS – A bounce-back campaign could very well be in order. Just don’t pay for it. With last year’s 4.58 ERA and 1.42 WHIP production, you shouldn’t have to.
30. Jordan Montgomery, FA – Montgomery has averaged 174 IP, a 3.45 ERA, and 166 strikeouts over the past three seasons. Now, if he’d just find a place to call home, we’d all breathe a bit easier.
31. Sonny Gray, STL
32. Joe Musgrove, SDP
33. Chris Bassitt, TOR
34. Joe Ryan, MIN
35. Hunter Greene, CIN
36. Cole Ragans, KCR
37. Bailey Ober, MIN
38. Merrill Kelly, ARZ
39. Grayson Rodriguez, BAL
40. Nathan Eovaldi, TEX
41. Gavin Williams, CLE
42. Jose Berrios, TOR
43. Braxton Garrett, MIA
44. Michael King, SDP
45. Eduardo Rodriguez, ARZ
46. Chris Sale, ATL
47. Hunter Brown, HOU
48. Michael Wacha, KCR
49. Walker Buehler, LAD
50. Bryce Miller, SEA
51. Shane Bieber, CLE
52. Carlos Rodon, NYY
53. Shota Imanaga, CHC
54. Triston McKenzie, CLE
55. Yu Darvish, SDP
56. Aaron Civale, TBR
57. Brayan Bello, BOS
58. Ryan Pepiot, TBR
59. Mitch Keller, PIT
60. Bryan Woo, SEA
61. Lucas Giolito, BOS
62. Brandon Pfaadt, ARZ
63. Kyle Harrison, SFG
64. Yusei Kikuchi, TOR
65. MacKenzie Gore, WAS
66. Cristian Javier, HOU
67. Nick Pivetta, BOS
68. John Means, BAL
69. Reid Detmers, LAA
70. Andrew Abbott, CIN
71. Seth Lugo, KCR
72. Cristopher Sanchez, PHI
73. Charlie Morton, ATL
74. Ranger Suarez, PHI
75. Marcus Stroman, NYY
76. Shane Baz, TBR
77. Max Scherzer, TEX
78. Kutter Crawford, BOS
79. Taj Bradley, TBR
80. Luis Severino, NYM
81. Andrew Heaney, TEX
82. Nestor Cortes, NYY
83. Erick Fedde, CWS
84. Dave Dunning, TEX
85. Nick Martinez, CIN
86. Kenta Maeda, DET
87. Josiah Gray, WAS
88. Tyler Wells, BAL
89. Frankie Montas, CIN
90. Mike Clevinger, CWS
91. Jose Quintana, NYM
92. Edward Cabrera, MIA
93. Reese Olson, DET
94. Patrick Sandoval, LAA
95. Jon Gray, TEX
96. Logan Allen, CLE
97. Taijuan Walker, PHI
98. Louie Varland, MIN
99. Griffin Canning, LAA
100. Emmet Sheehan, LAD
101. Clarke Schmidt, NYY
102. Keaton Winn, SFG
103. Lance Lynn, STL
104. Alek Manoah, TOR
105. Miles Mikolas, STL
106. Matt Manning, DET
107. Jack Flaherty, DET
108. Ricky Tiedemann, TOR
109. Chase Silseth, LAA
110. Sean Manaea, NYM
111. Jameson Taillon, CHC
112. Casey Mize, DET
113. Sawyer Gipson-Long, DET
114. Graham Ashcraft, CIN
115. Jordan Wicks, CHC
116. Hyun-jin Ryu, FA
117. P. France, HOU
118. Zach Littell, TBR
119. Steven Matz, STL
120. AJ Smith-Shawver, ATL
121. Nick Lodolo, CIN
122. Jose Urquidy, HOU
123. Trevor Rogers, MIA
124. Brandon Williamson, CIN
125. Brady Singer, KCR
126. Ross Stripling, OAK
127. Javier Assad, CHC
128. Paul Skenes, PIT
129. Ryne Nelson, ARZ
130. Garrett Crochet, CWS
131. J. Puk, MIA
132. Jordan Hicks, SFG
133. Dean Kremer, BAL
134. James Paxton, LAD
135. Pedro Avila, SDP
136. Cade Horton, CHC
137. Drew Thorpe, SDP
138. Will Warren, NYY
139. Gavin Stone, LAD
140. JP Sears, OAK
141. Kyle Gibson, STL
142. Joe Boyle, OAK
143. DL Hall, MIL
144. Wade Miley, MIL
145. Jacob deGrom, TEX
146. Tyler Mahle, TEX
147. Michael Lorenzen, FA
148. Kyle Hendricks, CHC
149. Cade Cavalli, WAS
150. Drew Smyly, CHC
151. Randy Vasquez, SDP
152. Robert Gasser, MIL
153. Yariel Rodriguez, TOR
154. Chris Paddack, MIN
155. Tanner Houck, BOS
156. Jordan Lyles, KCR
157. Clayton Kershaw, FA
158. Jeffrey Springs, TBR
159. Drew Rasmussen, TBR
160. Jacob Misiorowski, MIL
161. Max Meyer, MIA
162. Mick Abel, PHI
163. Dustin May, LAD
164. Colin Rea, MIL
165. David Peterson, NYM
166. Robbie Ray, SFG
167. Joey Cantillo, CLE
168. Robby Snelling, SDP
169. Cal Quantrill, COL
170. Quinn Priester, PIT
171. Michael Kopech, CWS
172. Bryce Elder, ATL
173. Alex Cobb, SFG
174. Julio Urias, LAD
175. David Festa, MIN
176. Emerson Hancock, SEA
177. Connor Phillips, CIN
178. Martin Perez, PIT
179. Slade Cecconi, ARZ
180. Ben Brown, CHC
181. Anthony DeSclafani, MIN
182. Luis Ortiz, PIT
183. Adrian Houser, NYM
184. Michael Soroka, CWS
185. Marco Gonzales, PIT
186. Jake Eder, CWS
187. Jake Irvin, WAS
188. Roansy Contreras, PIT
189. Tyler Anderson, LAA
190. Cody Bradford, TEX
191. Paul Blackburn, OAK
192. Joe Ross, MIL
193. Matthew Liberatore, STL
194. Chris Flexen, CWS
195. Cole Winn, TEX
196. Zach Plesac, LAA
197. Kyle Wright, KCR
198. Aaron Ashby, MIL
199. Sixto Sanchez, MIA