MLB Network reveals top-10 starting pitchers in today’s game ahead of the 2022 regular season. New York Mets’ ace Jacob deGrom heads the list with No.1 rank for a third straight year.
Since the 2018 season deGrom ranked No.1 in ERA(1.94), FIP(2.14), OPP OPS(0.530), RA9-WAR(24.6), and ranked 2nd in K% (34.7). But he missed most of the 2021 season with injuries. So it will be interesting to see how the 2022 season will play out for the Mets ace.
New York Yankees’ ace Gerrit Cole takes the second spot in the rankings. While deGrom’s new teammate Max Scherzer sits in third place ahead of Dodger’s Walker Buehler in fourth.
Milwaukee Brewers’ Brandon Woodruff takes the fifth spot in the ranking after a successful 2021 season. He is aiming for consistency in the upcoming 2022 season.
“For me, it’s always the consistency of everything. I’ve already had conversations will ‘Hookie’ [pitching coach Chris Hook] kind of breaking down what can I do better, and we’re supposed to soon get into more of those meetings. I know what I do well. It’s all about really tightening that up, getting super consistent with that. That’s what it comes down to. Because at the end of the day, there’s no secrets of what hitters and pitchers are trying to do. It’s just being consistent, not getting predictable.
“The slider, for me, is always the pitch that I try to really, really fine-tune. Everything else kind of comes a little bit more naturally. The curveball has evolved. I didn’t even throw it in ’19, in ’20 I threw it a little bit and last year, I think, it turned into one of my most-used secondary pitches. But getting consistent with it is the thing — for everything. Being super consistent. At the end of the day, you’ve got to the ball where you want to, and good things happen.”
Phillies’ ace Zack Wheeler ranked 6th in the top-10. He missed three days of camp this week because of the flu. Wheeler said Saturday morning at BayCare Ballpark that he is scheduled to throw a bullpen session on Sunday. He also said he can still pitch the first week of the season.
Chicago White Sox’s Lance Lynn placed in the 7th spot by MLB Network after finishing third in the 2021 American League Cy Young race. Lynn received 11 third-place votes, five fourth-place votes, and five fifth-place votes.
Cleveland’s ace Shane Bieber ranked 8th ahead of 2021 National League Cy Young award winner Corbin Burnes in 9th. Bieber is expected to be healthy and available for the 2022 season.
“It was big for me,” Bieber said. “I would have liked to be able to throw more, but to get back out there, feel the game, feel the mound, face an opponent, guys that I know, guys that know me, it just felt like a hump to get over.”
His shoulder issues are in the past as Bieber said he’s been feeling much better for a while, and he’s focused on how well he was throwing before the pain became unbearable.
through his first 13 starts, he pitched to a 2.96 ERA with 122 strikeouts and 31 walks in 85 innings. After his 14th outing against the Mariners, he realized that his shoulder needed a break. What the team hoped would be a few weeks on the injured list turned into a three-month stint, sidelining him until Sept. 24.
Brewers’ Burnes is focusing on mental strength ahead of the new season.
“I still have a lot I want to accomplish. For me, last year was a good continuation of what I did in 2020, but I still have a lot of things that I think I want to work on mentally, as far as preparedness and going into starts. I only made 28 stars last year, so obviously getting the full season this year and 30-plus starts is a goal of mine. And staying healthy is always the key goal. But, yeah, [mental preparedness] is something that’s becoming more and more prominent in sports. …
“So I’ve got a few tweaks I’m going to do this year to feel better prepared for situations that might come up. The first thing that comes to mind is throwing the first inning of the postseason last year. That’s one of the things that I had never done before, I’ve never come across that in the past, so, obviously, that’s a huge confidence-builder going into this year and into future postseasons. There are just little things like that that I think I can be better prepared for — that I will be better prepared for this year — to make those outings go that much smoother.”
Another White Sox pitcher Lucas Giolito completes the MLB Network’s top-10 ranking for the 2022 season.
Lucas Giolito, the team’s Opening Day starting pitcher in each of the previous two seasons, added 20 pounds during this extended offseason.
“Kind of bolstered up my weightlifting routine, put on some mass,” Giolito said following Tuesday’s workout at Camelback Ranch. “For me, it kind of puts me in a position where, I’m already very tall, but now I have more stability, more strength.
“Especially with the last couple years having those minor [health issues], the hamstrings. Just having that strength and stability surrounding it so that I can feel strong and at the end of the day, pitch to the best of my ability and maintain health throughout the season.”
