Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
MLB Network continued their series of Top Ten Right Now on Wednesday night by ranking the top ten best-starting pitchers in MLB.
On the list were Mets of the past and present, filling four total spots. Jacob deGrom was ranked ninth on the list despite starting 26 games in the last two seasons and posting a 3.08 ERA in 2022. Zack Wheeler was ranked after deGrom as the eighth-best starting pitcher in MLB. Wheeler had another dominant year in Philadelphia in 2022, posting a 2.82 ERA and 144 ERA+ in 26 starts.
The first actual Met to appear on the list was Max Scherzer, ranked as the fourth-best starter in MLB. While Scherzer dealt with injury throughout 2022, he still started 23 games, recording a 2.29 ERA, 169 ERA+, and 10.7 SO/9. His dominant statistics can be credited to his amazing control, and at age 38, Scherzer was in the 96th percentile for BB% and 83rd percentile for Whiff%.
Ahead of Scherzer was the newly acquired Justin Verlander, ranked as the second-best starter in MLB. Verlander had the best season of his career at age 39, leading MLB with a 1.75 ERA, 220 ERA+, 0.829 WHIP, and .818 winning percentage, while also leading the AL with 18 wins and 6 hits per nine. Like Scherzer, Verlander displayed elite control of the zone, recording 1.5 BB/9 and landing in the 94th percentile for BB%.
Here is the rest of the top ten starting pitchers list made by MLB Network:
- Corbin Burnes
- Justin Verlander
- Carlos Rodón
- Max Scherzer
- Sandy Alcantara
- Shohei Ohtani
- Max Fried
- Zack Wheeler
- Jacob deGrom
- Julio Urías
The 2023 year will be exciting to watch as Verlander and Scherzer will be in the same rotation again since 2014. The two of them are still dominating MLB in their late 30s and hope to lead the Mets to a World Series championship.
