Top 5 MLB Opening Day starters: Shohei Ohtani, Yu Darvish & more

With the MLB Opening Day right around the corner, teams have begun to announce who will get the ball to open their 2022 season. For some starters, it will be a shot at redemption after a 2021 MLB season that did not go according to plan. For others, it will be a continuation of the magic they treated us to last season.

Let's take a look at the best of the best who will throw out the 2022 MLB season.

The top 5 aces to keep your eyes on this MLB Opening Day

5 Yu Darvish - San Diego Padres

The San Diego Padres pitcher will be looking to bounce back stronger than his previous showing with the SoCal ball club. The 2021 season was his first with the Padres after being involved in a trade with the Chicago Cubs that sent pitcher Zach Davies the other way.

Much like the Padres themselves, he started off strong last season, earning his fifth All-Star appearance. Darvish eventually finished the season with a 8-11 record and an ERA of 4.22. Although this is well below what we all know Darvish is capable of, he is undoubtedly looking to improve those numbers when he starts against the World Series defending Atlanta Braves on April 14.

4 Robbie Ray - Seattle Mariners

The Seattle Mariners have not made the playoffs since 2001, making it the longest drought of any team in North American professional sports. With this is mind, Mariners GM Jerry Dipoto went out and got himself the 2021 Cy Young winner, Robbie Ray.

Last year with the Toronto Blue Jays, Ray posted a league-best ERA of 2.84 in 32 starts. He also struck out 248 batters, leading him to an All-Star distinction as well as the Cy Young Award. The Mariners starting rotation had an ERA of well over 4.00 last year. Ray hopes to be a catalyst of change when he starts against the Astros in Houston on April 15.

Defending Cy Young winner Robbie Ray in 2021 as a member of the Toronto Blue Jays

3 Zack Greinke - Kansas City Royals

Zack Greinke will be excited to start for the Kansas City Royals, the team he was drafted by all the way back in 2002. Since then, Greinke has established himself in the league, winning a Cy Young Award as well as multiple All-Star designations.

The Royals flopped in 2021, finishing fourth in their division, 19 games behind the White Sox. This is a big year for Greinke, as it might well be his last. He signed a one-year contract with the Royals this past MLB offseason.

Bringing a 22-10 record and a 3.55 ERA in the last three seasons with the Houston Astros, he may be what the Royals need on the mound, as well as in the clubhouse, providing guidance to a younger generation of Royals pitchers.

The legend of Zack Greinke lives on 😂

https://t.co/BllAwa2lCI

"The legend of Zack Greinke lives on" - @ Ben Verlander

2. Walker Buehler - LA Dodgers

The LA Dodgers have their sights set on big things in the 2022 MLB season. Manager Dave Roberts has already stated that we can expect his team to win the World Series this year. Despite losing Max Scherzer, Walker Buehler and others will happily pick up the slack.

Topping out what is arguably the best pitching rotation in the MLB, Buehler has a career ERA of just 2.90. Dodgers fans hope that his performance thus year will be as strong as it was in the 2020 World Series, when he struck out 10 Tampa Bay Rays over six innings. Buehler, 27, is in his prime. We can expect a lot from this budding legend this season.

1 Shohei Ohtani - LA Angels

The defending American League MVP is as worthy of being on a top 5 list as a hitter as he is as a pitcher. In addition to hitting 46 home runs and 100 RBIs last season, Ohtani amassed a 3.18 ERA and a win-loss record of 9-2.

For the LA Angels, finishing fourth in their division last year did not do justice to the raw skill of this young man. It is safe to say LA Angels manager Joe Maddon wishes he could use Ohtani every day of the 2022 MLB season.

Can Shohei Ohtani add a Cy Young after his MVP season?

@andybehrens, @daltondeldon and @scott_pianowski discuss their favorite Cy Young bets ➡️ yhoo.it/3qOmuHl https://t.co/XVxzR6ayca

"Can Shohei Ohtani add a Cy Young after his MVP season?" - @Yahoo Fantasy Sports

This is our list of the best pitchers who are due to kick off this year's MLB season. Think we missed anyone? Let us know below.