Emerging ace takes over latest Starting Pitcher Power Rankings
There’s a new No. 1 in the latest Starting Pitcher Power Rankings, and it’s not one of the usual suspects — it’s a breakout ace who’s making the leap to Cy Young level this season.
That’s a big difference from the last edition of our rankings, when reigning Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal was in the top spot.
As always, the rankings are based on a formula constructed by MLB.com’s data team, one that considers performance over the past 365 days but places greater weight on season-long and recent performance.
Here are the newest Starting Pitcher Power Rankings. (All rankings and stats are based on results through Tuesday’s games unless otherwise stated.)
1. Hunter Brown, Astros (Previously: 2)
Brown is emerging as a Cy Young contender before our eyes. After a breakout 2024 season, he’s been incredible in 2025. The Astros’ young flamethrower is tied for the American League lead with six wins and has a 2.04 ERA and 71 strikeouts in 61 2/3 innings after his start on Wednesday against the Rays. He’s allowing the fewest hits per nine innings (5.2) of any qualified starter.
2. Tarik Skubal, Tigers (1)
The reigning AL Cy Young Award winner continues to dominate. Skubal leads the AL with 79 strikeouts this season after leading the Majors with 228 a year ago. That’s over 300 K’s for Skubal since the start of 2024, just ahead of Zack Wheeler for the most of any pitcher.
3. Max Fried, Yankees (5)
Fried has been every bit the ace the Yankees were expecting when they signed him to a $218 million contract. The southpaw is a perfect 6-0 and leads the Majors with a 1.29 ERA through his first 10 starts as a Yankee. He hasn’t allowed more than two earned runs in a game this year.
4. Zack Wheeler, Phillies (8)
Wheeler somehow doesn’t have a Cy Young Award yet despite being one of the most dominant aces in baseball since he joined the Phillies in 2020. Maybe this will be the year. Wheeler is a top contender again, with a 5-1 record, 2.67 ERA, 80 strikeouts and an NL-leading 0.891 WHIP. Always a workhorse, Wheeler is also second in the Majors with 64 innings pitched.
5. Nathan Eovaldi, Rangers (9)
Eovaldi has been old reliable for Texas. And in his third season with the Rangers, the veteran right-hander is off to his best start yet. Eovaldi is 4-2 with a 1.61 ERA and 65 strikeouts in 61 1/3 innings, and he hasn’t allowed more than one run in each of his last five starts.
10. Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Dodgers (3)
Yamamoto was brilliant again on Tuesday, taking a no-hitter into the seventh inning against the D-backs and finishing with seven innings of one-hit, nine-strikeout scoreless baseball. In his second season in the Majors, Yamamoto looks Cy Young-worthy, with a 1.86 ERA and 68 strikeouts in 58 innings in his 10 starts.
