7th starting pitcher power rankings of 2024

There’s been a flip-flop at the top of the newest Starting Pitcher Power Rankings.

Ranger Suárez, in the middle of a career year for the Phillies, has leapfrogged Tigers ace Tarik Skubal for the No. 1 spot this week.

Suárez and Skubal have emerged as Cy Young frontrunners in each league in the first half, so it’s no surprise they’re jockeying at 1-2 here. Skubal claimed the top spot for the first time in the last edition of these power rankings, and now Suárez is the new leader.

Here are this week’s Starting Pitcher Power Rankings.

Suárez continues to lead the way for the first-place Phillies, who have the best record in the National League. After another strong start on Wednesday, the left-hander is 10-1 with a 1.75 ERA and 95 strikeouts this season. Suárez leads the Majors in wins — he was the first to 10 in 2024 — and ranks second in ERA (the Braves’ Reynaldo López just took the lead in the ERA race on Wednesday). This is the third time a Phillies pitcher has topped our Starting Pitcher Power Rankings, but the first time it’s been Suárez — Zack Wheeler was No. 1 in two of our earlier polls.

Skubal had a tough start against the Braves on Wednesday, but he’s still having a monster year for Detroit. The power-pitching lefty is 8-3 with a 2.50 ERA and 105 strikeouts, fourth-most in the Majors and second-most in the American League. Skubal and Suárez both look like they’ll be first-time All-Stars soon enough.

Gerrit Cole is finally back for the Yankees, but Gil did an incredible job holding down the fort in the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner’s absence. Gil has done his best Cole impression all year: The 26-year-old is 9-1 with a 2.03 ERA and 96 strikeouts, and is leading the American League ERA race in his breakout season.

The Orioles’ ace is on a roll. Burnes is 5-0 with a 1.40 ERA and 42 strikeouts over his last seven starts, bringing his season stats to an 8-2 record, 2.14 ERA and 89 K’s. He trails only Gil in the AL ERA race and is in good shape to make his fourth consecutive All-Star team — but first as an AL pitcher after his three with the Brewers from 2021-23.

Imanaga is back in the top five after falling from No. 1 to No. 9 in the last power rankings. That’s because after allowing 12 runs in two starts vs. the Brewers and White Sox, the lefty bounced back to beat the Reds and Cardinals in his last two starts while allowing only three runs in 13 2/3 innings. Imanaga is now 7-1 with a 1.89 ERA and 78 strikeouts in his rookie season, making him one of three qualified starters with an ERA under two along with López and Suárez.

Wheeler drops a few spots after allowing a season-high eight runs in his last start, but the Phillies’ ace has been dominant aside from that one blip. In his previous five outings, Wheeler was 4-0 with a 1.57 ERA and 30 strikeouts. He, Suárez and Aaron Nola have given Philadelphia one of the best rotation trios in baseball.

Skenes is starting to overpower every team he’s facing. The Pirates’ electric rookie is now 4-0 with a 2.29 ERA and 53 strikeouts in 39 1/3 innings through his first seven big league starts. That’s 12.1 K’s per nine innings. Skenes’ triple-digit heat and wipeout splitter and slider make him a must-watch every time he takes the mound.

Crochet is leading the AL with 116 strikeouts entering his start Wednesday night against the Astros, and that’s earned him a spot in the top 10 of this week’s power rankings. The 24-year-old southpaw has recorded back-to-back double-digit-strikeout performances and has four games with 10 or more K’s in his last seven starts. And over his last nine starts, Crochet is 5-1 with a 1.36 ERA and 76 K’s in 53 innings.

The Dodgers flamethrower is at the top of the MLB strikeout leaderboard, with 125 K’s. Glasnow’s five games with double-digit strikeouts are the most of any National League pitcher, and tied with Crochet for the Major League lead. His 12.1 K/9 is also the best in the NL and second to only Crochet (12.6) in the Majors.

Houck has been a quality start machine this season. He’s pitched at least six innings and held his opponent to three earned runs or fewer in 12 of his 15 starts, tied with Burnes, Logan Webb and Logan Gilbert for the most quality starts in the Majors. The right-hander is tied with Burnes for the second-lowest ERA in the AL at 2.14.

Others receiving votes: Seth Lugo (Royals), Chris Sale (Braves), Ronel Blanco (Astros), Cole Ragans (Royals), Matt Waldron (Padres)

Voters: David Adler, Brett Blueweiss, Scott Chiusano, Doug Gausepohl, Thomas Harrigan, Bryan Horowitz, Brent Maguire, Whitney McIntosh, Ricardo Montes de Oca, Arturo Pardavila, Manny Randhawa, Andrew Simon, Zac Vierra