MLB Power Rankings: Listing the top 5 starting pitchers as Week 6 end approaches
The end of the sixth week of the MLB regular season is almost here, and there are quite a few starting pitchers who have been nothing short of excellent. They have led their team to wins and cemented themselves as aces in this league. So far, here are the players who have showed out the most.
MLB's best starting pitchers after Week 6
5) Kutter Crawford
Kutter Crawford has been nothing short of a revelation. He's not striking everyone out, but he does have a 1.56 ERA and a 2.53 FIP. He's been a little lucky (2.90 xERA and 3.89 xFIP), but the results are there right now. Crawford has also been limiting home runs, only giving up 0.22 per nine innings.
4) George Kirby
A 3.76 ERA doesn't suggest one of MLB's best starting pitchers, but George Kirby has been. His 1.4 fWAR proves that. Furthermore, his 2.08 FIP and 2.84 xERA show that he's been a little unlucky this year. He boasts a 0.94 BB/9 rate and a 0.47 HR/9 rate, so it's going to be hard to continue scoring on the Seattle Mariners star.
3) Zack Wheeler
Zack Wheeler's reign atop this list came to an end, but he's still pitched like an absolute ace. The Philadelphia Phillies star has been worth 1.4 fWAR and has an 11.06 K/9 rate. A 1.91 ERA is a number that very few pitchers have topped this year, and his other metrics align pretty closely with that. He's been excellent thus far.
2) Tyler Glasnow
This is who the Los Angeles Dodgers traded for. Tyler Glasnow has a 1.5 fWAR and a 2.70 ERA. His expected ERA, FIP, and expected FIP are all in line with that, so he hasn't been getting lucky or bailed out by the defense. He's just been that good, with an 11.34 K/9 rate to boot. He's also hardly allowing any home runs, either.
1) Tanner Houck
After all these weeks in the MLB regular season, Tanner Houck's start for the Boston Red Sox can't be considered a fluke. The pitcher has a league-high 1.6 fWAR. He also has a 2.18 ERA, 1.39 BB/9 rate, and a 0.20 HR/9 rate. He doesn't walk people or give up home runs, and he's been phenomenal thus far.
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