The 2024 MLB common season is upon us. Annually, Opening Day offers us 15 high-quality pitching matchups because the 30 groups give the ball to whoever they think about their finest obtainable pitcher within the first recreation of the brand new season. It’s the finest day of the season for premium pitching matchups. You’ll be able to’t beat it.
On condition that, it is time to compile our annual Opening Day pitching matchup rankings. The rankings are primarily based on three components:
- Pitcher High quality. The higher the pitchers the higher the matchup, proper? Proper.
- Storylines. Is somebody making their first begin with a brand new staff? Dealing with his former staff? And many others.
- Watchability. Essentially the most subjective issue. How enjoyable is it to look at these guys pitch?
Neither reigning Cy Younger winner will begin Opening Day for the primary time since 2005. Gerrit Cole damage his elbow and Blake Snell signed simply final week, and does not have sufficient time to organize for an Opening Day begin. In 2005, Johan Santana began Recreation 2 for the Twins behind Brad Radke whereas Roger Clemens began Recreation 3 for the Astros behind Roy Oswalt and Andy Pettitte.
This was the primary uninterrupted spring coaching since 2019 (no pandemic restrictions, no lockout, no World Baseball Traditional, and so forth.), which hopefully means no tight pitch counts shortening our Opening Day matchups. With that in thoughts, right here are our rankings. With Cole damage and Snell not lined up, there are solely two Cy Younger winners amongst this yr’s Opening Day starters.
(Schedule be aware: Braves vs. Phillies and Brewers vs. Mets have been each rained out and moved to Friday, so there’ll solely be 13 video games on Thursday.)
3:05 p.m. ET at Residents Financial institution Park on Friday
The clear-cut No. 1 Opening Day pitching matchup this yr. A really sturdy case may be made Wheeler and Strider are the 2 finest beginning pitchers in baseball coming into 2024, and for each of them, this can be their first profession Opening Day begin. And imagine it or not, Wheeler and Strider have by no means confronted one another head-to-head. Not as soon as within the common season or postseason. Two top-of-the-sport pitchers dealing with one another for the primary time and a fierce division rivalry? That is nearly as good as pitching matchups get on Opening Day. Wheeler vs. Strider is appointment viewing.
4:10 p.m. ET at Kauffman Stadium
Kansas Metropolis landed Ragans within the Aroldis Chapman commerce with Texas finally yr’s deadline and he was a revelation the ultimate two months, bullying hitters with upper-90s gasoline and a wipeout slider. He is continued to look wonderful this spring and is well-positioned to ascertain himself as one of many recreation’s prime left-handers in 2024. If Ragans remains to be flying beneath the radar, he will not be for much longer. López was terrific a season in the past, his first in Minnesota after coming over within the Luis Arraez commerce. A brand new sweeper elevated him from superb to ace-like. This recreation is the very best likelihood at two starters with double-digit strikeouts on Opening Day, I would say.
4:10 p.m. ET at Petco Park
Enjoyable matchup, stylistically. Darvish at his finest is so entertaining along with his kitchen sink method (he threw seven pitches at the least 7% of the time in 2023), particularly since there may be some energy behind it. He isn’t a junkballer dwelling within the mid-80s. Webb’s factor is weak floor balls at a time when the game is obsessive about strikeouts. It is a delicate dominance. Webb is the grasp of the eight-pitch 1-2-3 inning with three routine grounders. Very contrasting but very efficient kinds.
4:10 p.m. ET at loanDepot Park
Luzardo had his long-awaited breakout season a yr in the past. He lastly stayed wholesome and confirmed he may be the top-tier bat-misser his energy arsenal recommended he could possibly be earlier in his profession. Keller’s breakout hit a velocity bump within the second half final season, which may perhaps be attributed to fatigue. Nonetheless, he is an above-average starter, one who started to determine issues out in the course of 2022. Opening Day in Miami will characteristic two up-and-coming starters who might solely be scratching the floor of their capability.
7:35 p.m. ET at Globe Life Discipline
The Rangers will elevate their World Sequence banner previous to this pitching matchup. With all due respect to Jordan Montgomery, Eovaldi was the membership’s ace final October (2.95 ERA in six begins), and he’ll fittingly get the ball on Opening Day with Jacob deGrom (Tommy John surgical procedure) and Max Scherzer (again surgical procedure) nonetheless sidelined. Steele broke out for Chicago two years in the past and continued it into 2023. He firmly ranks among the many recreation’s prime beginning pitchers now. It wasn’t a fluke.
3:05 p.m. ET at Camden Yards
Apart from Globe Life Discipline, the place the World Sequence banner goes up, and I can not think about any stadium can be extra electrical on Opening Day than Camden Yards. The O’s are coming off a breakout 101-win season and can debut their new ace. Sandoval isn’t any pushover — he is been fairly good the previous couple of years — and he has an opportunity to play spoiler in Baltimore. Camden Yards is without doubt one of the finest ballparks within the recreation, perhaps the finest, and there isn’t any place prefer it when the Orioles are good. Going to be an important environment on Opening Day.
10:10 p.m. ET at T-Cell Park
The Mariners had two different superb Opening Day starter candidates in George Kirby and Logan Gilbert. The Pink Sox … didn’t. Bello will get the nod and he can be Boston’s first homegrown Opening Day starter since Clay Buchholz in 2015. Castillo is great. We’re projecting a bit on what Bello may be transferring ahead with these rankings slightly than basing them on what he is been up to now, and hey, is not that what Opening Day is all about? It is a new season and we’re all forecasting the very best for everybody.
Dodgers 5, Padres 2 in Seoul, South Korea
Technically, the 2024 common season is already underway. The Padres and Dodgers break up the two-game Seoul Sequence in South Korea final week, and the beginning pitching matchup was solely so-so. Darvish allowed one unearned run, however wanted 72 pitches to get 11 outs. Glasnow had 4 walks and three strikeouts in 5 innings of two-run ball. On paper, this pitching matchup would have ranked up there, maybe as excessive as No. 3. Understanding what we all know now: meh.
4:10 p.m. ET at Assured Charge Discipline
The pitching nerd’s matchup. Properly, no, that is most likely Ragans vs. López, however Crochet vs. Skubal is alongside those self same traces. After all, this was speculated to be Dylan Stop vs. Skubal till Chicago traded Stop to San Diego earlier this month, and Stop vs. Skubal would have been a lot increased in these rankings. Anyway, Skubal was one of many best pitchers in baseball after getting back from flexor surgical procedure final July. Crochet missed a lot of the final two seasons with Tommy John surgical procedure, however he has an opportunity to be a dynamic flame-throwing starter. Opening Day can be his first profession begin, placing him in an unique membership:
4:10 p.m. ET at Minute Maid Park
Accidents robbed us of a Justin Verlander vs. Gerrit Cole matchup. Verlander reported to camp with an achy shoulder and has been increase slowly. Cole got here down with an elbow concern earlier this month. Valdez vs. Cortes would be the matchup as an alternative, and hey, that is not too dangerous. Valdez has been among the finest pitchers within the recreation the previous couple of years and Cortes was an All-Star as not too long ago as 2022. When he is on, few pitchers within the recreation are extra entertaining than Nasty Nestor, who’s liable to interrupt out a cool windup on any given pitch.
4:10 p.m. ET at Tropicana Discipline
One other Opening Day pitching matchup that might’ve been extra entertaining if not for accidents. Tampa can be with out Shane McClanahan this yr as he rehabs from Tommy John surgical procedure, and Kevin Gausman has been slowed by a shoulder concern this spring. No offense to Eflin vs. Berríos, but it surely’s not McClanahan vs. Gausman. Eflin bought the Rays glow-up final season and turned in the very best yr of his profession. Berríos rebounded from a subpar first season in Toronto and bought again to being an innings-munching workhorse. When these two are your Plan Bs for Opening Day, you are in good condition.
4:10 p.m. ET at Dodger Stadium
This was going to be Glasnow vs. AL Cy Younger runner-up Sonny Grey till Grey’s hamstring started to behave up a couple of weeks in the past, so Mikolas will sub in because the Opening Day starter, and yeah, that is a downgrade. That is technically Recreation 3 of the common season for the Dodgers, and the scheduling quirk of the Seoul Sequence permits them to convey again their Recreation 1 starter with loads of relaxation for Recreation 3. Glasnow (and in addition Yu Darvish) would be the first pitcher to begin two of his staff’s first three video games since Marco Gonzales and Mike Fiers in 2019. Seattle and Oakland opened that season in Tokyo, so that they introduced their Recreation 1 starters again in Recreation 3 every week later.
10:10 p.m. ET at Chase Discipline
This matchup could possibly be sneaky good. Gallen is Gallen, among the finest pitchers within the recreation, and Freeland’s velocity was up practically 4 mph this spring. Maybe that enables him to get again to his 2018 kind, when he threw 202 1/3 innings with a 2.85 ERA, and had perhaps the nice pitching season in Rockies historical past. This can be a extra entertaining matchup than it will seem at first look if Freeland’s velocity spike sticks (velocity spikes normally do, at the least within the short-term).
1:40 p.m. ET at Citi Discipline on Friday
As not too long ago as Feb. 1, it seemed like it will be Kodai Senga vs. Corbin Burnes on Opening Day. Then Burnes bought traded to the O’s and Senga damage his shoulder in spring coaching, so we get Quintana vs. Peralta as an alternative. Fastball Freddy struck out 210 batters in solely 165 2/3 innings final season and this yr can be his likelihood to step out from behind Burnes and Brandon Woodruff, and present he is a reputable prime of the rotation starter. Quintana, with all due respect, is a gentle innings man greater than a standout.
4:10 p.m. ET at Nice American Ball Park
Montas missed nearly the whole 2023 season with shoulder surgical procedure, returning solely to throw 1 1/3 innings in Recreation 161 for the Yankees after they’d already been eradicated from the postseason. Poor numbers apart, he is seemed good this spring, with a fastball once more touching the upper-90s and a knockout splitter. Grey was an All-Star final season and a deserving one, and somebody the Nationals must take one other step ahead this season as they attempt to transition out of the rebuild and again into rivalry.
10:07 p.m. ET at RingCentral Coliseum
It feels fallacious to have a Cy Younger winner — Bieber and Corbin Burnes are the one two who meet that benchmark beginning this Opening Day — on the backside of those rankings, however Bieber is not the pitcher he was a couple of years in the past (though he is nonetheless superb!). Wooden falls into the “effectively, somebody has to begin Opening Day” class. No offense, Alex. Add in wretched John Fisher-induced vibes surrounding the A’s proper now, and yeah, cannot blame followers of the opposite 28 groups for skipping this one.
