The player movement in the offseason is always fascinating to watch, and in advance of the 2023 Major League Baseball season, there were plenty of pitchers who switched organizations for various reasons.
The best pitchers in MLB 2023 are going to be the ones who stay healthy the longest. Unfortunately, some of the top arms were limited in innings last season. That includes arguably the best pitcher of all time in Jacob deGrom, who signed with the Texas Rangers in free agency.
DeGrom, who is 34 years old, has won two Cy Young awards in his career, with those coming in the consecutive year in 2018 and 2019. Since then, though, he has made 38 starts in three seasons, with injuries becoming an issue the past two years in which he has 156.1 combined innings pitched.
Still, he has a career 2.52 ERA with 1,607 strikeouts, which included 102 in 64.1 innings last season. The Rangers hope deGrom is someone who can lead them back to the playoffs and make a deep run.
Bouncing Back
Some of the best MLB pitchers are in need of a bounce-back like deGrom. One of those arms is New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole, who posted a 3.50 ERA in his age-31 season. That was his highest ERA since 2017, his final season with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Cole has a career ERA of 3.23 and a FIP of 3.13, which was lowered by a 3.47 mark last season. The righty has one of the top arms in baseball, with a pair of runner-up finishes for the Cy Young award. He figures to be one of the best pitchers in MLB 2023.
Another top arm for the Los Angeles Dodgers is Walker Buehler. Considered the ace of a talented staff by some, Buehler was hampered by injuries and only threw 65 innings a season ago.
Arms To Watch
MLB player stats from a season ago showed some starters who made great strides or continued greatness. Clayton Kershaw has found a way to continually be crafty at getting hitters out and pitching deeper into games. Merrill Kelly made great strides last season and seemed to be an improved arm.
The Seattle Mariners have a blossoming rotation after acquiring Luis Castillo from the Cincinnati Reds. Castillo is the ace, but the Mariners also have a great top three with Logan Gilbert and southpaw Robbie Ray. They should have improved MLB team stats as a result.
A player who has struggled with consistency in a full season but is one of the top arms when he is on is San Diego Padres southpaw Blake Snell. He has electric stuff and is fiery. Zack Wheeler is in a similar boat with the Philadelphia Phillies.
Then how about Adam Wainwright? At 41 years old, he returned to anchor a St. Louis Cardinals pitching staff with plenty of great young arms.
Who To Watch
Here are the best pitchers in MLB 2023 to watch according to the MLB odds:
American League
Jacob DeGrom: DeGrom is a slight favorite at +500 over Cole (+550) to win the Cy Young award in the American League. But again, both players are needing bounce-back seasons against emerging talent.
Alek Manoah and Dylan Cease: That includes the fiery Alek Manoah (+800) of the Toronto Blue Jays and Dylan Cease (+850) of the Chicago White Sox. Both showed their dominance at times during the 2022 season.
Shane Bieber: Veteran righty Shane Bieber (+1000) is a pitcher who has a Cy Young to his name already in the shortened 2020 season. He remains one of the elite arms in the game. He has the same odds as veteran lefty Carlos Rodon, who is with the New York Yankees.
Shohei Ohtani and Shane McClanahan: Two-way star Shohei Ohtani (+1200) and emerging southpaw Shane McClanahan (+1200), who finished sixth last season, will also be popular among MLB picks.
Rounding out the top odds include Ray, Kevin Gausman, and Framber Valdez, all at +1400, and then Castillo, Gilbert, and Christian Javier, all at +1800.
National League
Sandy Alcantara: Sandy Alcantara is the favorite to defend his Cy Young award in the National League at +450.
Corbin Burnes: There is a tighter group up top with Corbin Burnes of the Milwaukee Brewers at +500. Of course, Burnes will be motivated after he opened up about hurtful comments the organization made during his arbitration hearing. Yet Burnes has been one of the best pitchers in baseball and won the Cy Young award in 2021.
Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer: Also among the favorites are new teammates with the New York Mets, Justin Verlander (+600) and Max Scherzer (+800). They each have three Cy Young award to their name.
Following them is a core of emerging pitchers and savvy veterans. Max Fried is at +1000, Wheeler and Phillies teammate Aaron Nola are at +1200, and the Braves promising arm Spencer Strider is at +1400.
Zac Gallen and Joe Musgrove: Zac Gallen and Joe Musgrove who seemingly finds ways to throw no-hitters, are each at +1800. Then there is not as steep a drop-off as there is in the American League.
Needing Relief
Those who play fantasy baseball are often looking for the best bullpen arms. With starters throwing fewer innings these days, the bullpens are becoming more and more important, even to the point that relievers are coming up in Cy Young conversations.
There are certainly tiers to the best pitchers in MLB 2023 out of the bullpen. At the top of the list is Edwin Diaz (Mets), Emmanuel Clase (Guardians), Josh Hader (Padres), Devin Williams (Brewers), and Ryan Pressly (Astros).
These guys all have their own variations of strengths. All but Williams throw exceptionally hard, with Williams being known for his devastating changeups. Hader had some issues after being traded but said he is in a better place entering this season.
A Promising Pitcher Caught Between the First and Second Tear
Jordan Romano came on strong for the Toronto Blue Jays a season ago. He is probably caught in the middle between the first and second tear. If he is consistent, he will elevate himself.
In that second tier is Ryan Helsley (Cardinals), who had a dominant stretch but fizzled off at times. Felix Bautista (Orioles) was one of the lesser-known players. Kenley Jansen has moved to the Red Sox to give them an elite arm on the back end. Veteran Raisel Iglesias has shown he still has good stretches, while youngsters in experience like Camilo Doval and David Bednar came on strong.
The final tier includes:
- Clay Holmes
- Jhoan Duran
- Daniel Bard
- Alexis Diaz
- Paul Sewald
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