2021 MLB Opening Day starting pitcher rankings originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
As 2021 MLB Opening Day rapidly approaches, every team has announced their starter for that all-important season opener.
Usually, these teams go with their best pitcher for the first game, which makes the matchups all that more intriguing. This year there's Jacob deGrom vs. Max Scherzer, Aaron Nola vs. Max Fried and Jack Flaherty vs. Luis Castillo, just to name a few.
But who are the best of the best? Of the premier pitchers in the game making their first start on Opening Day, which hurler would have the edge over everyone else?
MLB Opening Day starter rankings
30. Chad Kuhl, Pirates
Kuhl may be the least proven commodity on this list, but he's certainly a good story heading into Opening Day. He's been in the Pirates organization for eight years and after undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2018, Kuhl is about to make his first Opening Day start. He posted a 4.27 ERA in nine starts last season for the Pirates.
29. Kyle Gibson, Rangers
The Rangers' revolving door of Opening Day starters continues as Gibson will get the ball against the Royals. The last time Texas had a pitcher toss consecutive Opening Days was Kevin Millwood from 2006-09.
28. Matthew Boyd, Tigers
Boyd may have gotten the nod for Opening Day by default, judging by the Tigers' rotation this season.
27. Nathan Eovaldi, Red Sox
With Eduardo Rodriguez out with an injury right before Opening Day, Eovaldi will take his place and begin what should be another rocky season for the Red Sox after trading Mookie Betts in a salary dump.
26. Brad Keller, Royals
Keller has become Kansas City's best pitcher just three years into his career and the Royals have to feel good about him going into the 2021 season.
25. Madison Bumgarner, Diamondbacks
Bumgarner doesn't have the same juice he used to on the mound, but he has plenty of experience going in to his seventh Opening Day start in 2021. Bumgarner struggled in his first season in Arizona with a 6.48 ERA in nine starts. The shortened season did not agree with him.
24. Dylan Bundy, Angels
The former Oriole will make his first Opening Day start with the Angels and second overall, after taking the bump for Baltimore in 2018. Bundy had a solid first season with the Angels in 2020, appearing in 11 starts and striking out 72 batters to pair with a 3.29 ERA.
23. John Means, Orioles
Means had a disappointing season following an All-Star campaign as a rookie. Making his second-straight Opening Day start, he'll look to bounce back as the clear leader of the Orioles' rotation.
22. German Marquez, Rockies
Marquez faced one of the highest workloads in the league during last season's shortened campaign, but he’ll make a second consecutive start on Opening Day for the Rockies as they go up against the defending World Series champs.
21. Marco Gonzales, Mariners
Felix Hernandez was a mainstay as the Mariners Opening Day starter, and now Gonzales has worked up a nice little streak of three-straight starts in his team's first game. He posted a career-best 3.10 ERA in 2020 and went 7-2 in 11 starts.
20. Chris Bassitt, Athletics
Bassitt will look to build on a strong 2020 campaign -- one in which he finished eighth in AL Cy Young voting -- as he takes the mound on Opening Day against the Astros. Bassitt went 5-2 with a 2.29 ERA in 2020 over the course of 11 starts.
19. Sandy Alcantara, Marlins
Alcantara has been dominant in Spring Training and will get the call in his second straight Opening Day start. It won't be an easy outing, however, as the Marlins will take on the reigning American League champions in the Rays.
18. Kevin Gausman, Giants
Gausman earned the No. 1 job over Johnny Cueto after a strong 2020 campaign and will take over as the Opening Day starter for the Giants for 2021. He'll have to pitch well again this season to move into the top tier of pitchers.
17. Zack Greinke, Astros
With Justin Verlander out and Gerrit Cole more than a year removed from his exit from Houston, Greinke will take the mound as the Opening Day starter for the Astros. He may be late in his career, but Greinke is still a reliable starting pitcher in this league.
16. Max Fried, Braves
Fried was dominant last season for a Braves team that was one win away from a World Series trip. Now, he'll take the mound against Aaron Nola on Opening Day in hopes of getting his team over the hump in 2021.
15. Kyle Hendricks, Cubs
Hendricks is the unquestioned No. 1 in Chicago and, after posting a 2.88 ERA in 2020, proved to be one of the top hurlers in the game.
14. Hyun-Jin Ryu, Blue Jays
After signing a four-year contract in with the Blue Jays in the 2019 offseason, Ryu will make his second-straight opening day start in 2021. Ryu impressed in his first season in Toronto, posting a 2.69 ERA to go along with 72 strikeouts in 67 innings (12 starts).
13. Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers
At this point in his career, Kershaw is probably the third-best pitcher on his team behind Walker Buehler and Trevor Bauer, but he'll get the nod to make his ninth Opening Day start in 11 years.
12. Kenta Maeda, Twins
Maeda hit another level after the Dodgers traded him to the Twins last season. He went 6-1 in 11 starts last year and posted a 2.70 ERA. Look for Maeda to build off that momentum in Minnesota in 2021.
11. Tyler Glasnow, Rays
Glasnow is one of the most promising young pitchers in the league and has the best chance to rocket up this list this time next year. With Blake Snell in San Diego, he's the man in Tamp Bay's rotation.
10. Luis Castillo, Reds
After starting for the Reds on Opening Day in 2019 and missing out last season, Castillo will take the mound yet again for the 2021 opener. He threw 70 innings last season and posted a 3.21 ERA.
9. Yu Darvish, Padres
With Darvish and Blake Snell leading the rotation, San Diego is poised to be one of the best teams in baseball this season. Darvish was terrific in 2020 with the Cubs, posting a 2.01 ERA in 12 starts while leading the National League in wins (8).
8. Jack Flaherty, Cardinals
Despite a down season in 2020, Flaherty is still one of the most talented pitchers in baseball. He has electric stuff and showed enough in 2018 and 2019 to prove that last season was most likely a fluke.
7. Brandon Woodruff, Brewers
Woodruff had a career-year in 2020 despite the shortened season and will start another Opening Day for the Brewers this season. He posted a 3.05 ERA and 0.99 WHIP in 13 starts last year.
6. Aaron Nola, Phillies
Making his fourth-straight Opening Day start, Nola has been a model of consistency for a Phillies team that's struggled to pull together a productive pitching staff over the last 10 years. You know what you're getting from Nola, it's just a matter of what the other four starters and bullpen arms can do day-to-day.
5. Max Scherzer, Nationals
Scherzer kicks off his seventh year in Washington and remains atop the league as one of the best pitchers in baseball. It's rare a seven-year contract for a pitcher in his 30s works out for the entirety of the deal, but the Nats found one in Scherzer, who's still going strong at 36 years old.
4. Lucas Giolito, White Sox
The former Nats prospect will get his second Opening Day start in a row with the White Sox. Giolito will look to build on a successful 2020 campaign and become a bonafide ace in the American League.
3. Shane Bieber, Cleveland
The reigning AL Cy Young award winner will take the hill for the second straight year for Cleveland to build off a dominant 2020 season. Bieber posted an absurd 1.63 ERA in last year's shortened campaign.
2. Gerrit Cole, Yankees
Cole continued to dominate on the mound in his first year with the Yankees and has plenty of motivation to get out to a great start after falling to the Rays last year in the ALDS.
1. Jacob deGrom, Mets
deGrom is the best hurler in the game and has been a legitimate Cy Young contender over the last four years. His matchup with Max Scherzer on Opening Day should be an instant classic.
