Anthony Castrovince released a ranking of the top 10 pitching staffs in Major League Baseball on Mar. 21, following the announcement of all teams’ Opening Day starters. The list evaluates both starting rotations and bullpens, taking into account projected innings and recent performance, while acknowledging the unpredictability of pitching due to injuries and other factors.
The Dodgers lead the rankings, featuring high-profile starters such as Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Shohei Ohtani, Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, and Emmet Sheehan. Their bullpen is anchored by Edwin Díaz. Castrovince notes that despite past challenges with rotation and bullpen depth during their World Series runs in 2024 and 2025, “there’s certainly enough talent here to have both (and, yes, win yet another World Series). But will health cooperate?”
The Mariners are ranked second. Their rotation includes Bryan Woo, Luis Castillo, George Kirby, Logan Gilbert, and Bryce Miller. The bullpen features Andrés Muñoz as closer. Castrovince highlights Seattle’s pitcher-friendly home ballpark and consistent bullpen construction: “Seattle’s staff is undoubtedly, annually aided by the most pitcher-friendly home ballpark in baseball.” He also points out that Woo was among the most consistent starters before an injury last season.
Other teams rounding out the top five are the Phillies (third), Red Sox (fourth), and Tigers (fifth). Each team has its own strengths and questions regarding health or depth. For example, Philadelphia’s ranking depends on Zack Wheeler’s recovery from surgery: “Because his specific type of TOS comes with a greater predictability of outcome… we’ll go with the notion that Wheeler can return to form rather quickly.” Boston’s improvements focus on new additions to their rotation and bullpen.
The rest of the top ten includes the Pirates (sixth), Yankees (seventh), Brewers (eighth), Blue Jays (ninth), and Mets (tenth). Honorable mentions go to teams like the Rangers—if key pitchers remain healthy—the Royals for their ability to assemble quality staffs, as well as potential bouncebacks from teams like the Braves.
Castrovince concludes that many teams could be considered for honorable mention depending on health outcomes: “Honestly, there are probably 10 teams you could put in ‘honorable mentions’ that are all kind of grouped together… So don’t be offended if yours isn’t mentioned!”
