Through the years, there have been some awesome pitchers in baseball. As we consider the 2022 season, let’s think about the 2021 season and think about the MLB spreads.
We are basing our 2022 season pitchers based off of how the 2021 season went and the top dogs of that season, so here we have a few favorites for the next season.
The Best Starting Pitchers In Major League Baseball
Here we have some of our favored pitchers for the upcoming season. Don’t worry, we have actually left out some pitchers who may be excluded for injury, so we are not forgetting about people.
We just want you to make sure that when you are placing your bets, you have the best knowledge of the best pitchers out there that you could ask for!
#1. Jacob deGrom
First up we have deGrom, if it wasn’t for his injury then his last season would be nested into the record books as one of the best of all time. His first 12 starts, with 72 innings, allowed only 4 solid runs. He had 117 at bats, and walked only 10.
Quite some epic stats there if we do say so ourselves.
Now, while he is a beast at the game, there are some concerns, his right elbow is a bit stodgy right now… or, his whole body really. He has had so many injuries and problems over the last 2 years, and it has held him back quite a lot.
Someone get the man a magic masseuse!
That being said he does have a strikeout rate of 45.1%, over the 92 innings he had before his injury, and last season he was pretty dominant, not to mention how riddled the season was with foreign substances, and his praise of being clean.
#2. Corbin Burnes
In his 2020 season, he really cemented himself as probably the 2nd greatest pitcher in baseball. However, the most amazing facts about this man are that his 2021 season could have been better.
Finishing his year with a 2.34 ERA, his FIP was probably the second lowest since 1920.
Nonetheless, his last 2 seasons have amassed a huge 322 strikeouts throughout 226.2 innings. He has limited any hard contact at a 4th lowest rate in the MLB.
But what is expected is a turnaround where he repeats as a Cy Young and will lead the Brewers to the playoffs once more.
Here’s hoping!
#3. Gerrit Cole
For a man who has faced a huge amount of scrutiny and had so many questions about his… cleanliness over his previous season, he was on a tear.
He was firmly solidified in the Cy Young race, however, things went a bit sour in June when they announced they were putting measures in place against the use of foreign substances.
So, umpires would check the pitchers gloves and hats, not even leaving out belts after every single inning. They would also monitor spin rate increases and decreases.
Of course, in 2021, this has a bit of a… your show for Gerrit Cole. His Spin rate sat at over 2550 RPM in April 2021, but in July 2021 it plummeted to below 2350, although it did rise again by September.
Something changed for him with the crackdown, as his rate dropped a good 200 RPM.
He did okay after this, and did recover slightly, but he was no longer the flashy pitcher we knew before.
Yet, he did rank 5th in strikeout minus walk, so he wasn’t totally lost without his ‘sticky stuff’ . Hopefully the off season has helped him back to his game.
#4. Zack Wheeler
Wheeler had surgery after ‘14 seasons, and he ended up back on the Mets in ‘17, however, he ended up with arm issues mid-season. Some of us thought he would never come back, but he did.
Since 2018 now, he has thrown the 3rd highest rate of innings in baseball, in 2021, he even hit an average of 6.66 innings! He is healthy again, so we know to see good things.
His 2020 was a bit bizarre as his strikeout rate dropped, but he was effective nonetheless. In 2021, he did increase slider use.
He attacks the batters with five very useful pitches and keeps them off their balance, which makes them settle for a weaker contact.
We know we will see more awesome stuff from Wheeler in this season and the seasons that follow.
