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Tim Kelly: Cristopher Sánchez, Philadelphia Phillies
Hunter Greene and Tanner Houck certainly would be strong picks here. But Sánchez parlayed a solid second half in 2023 into being an All-Star in 2024. On the season, he posted a 3.32 ERA, 3.00 FIP, and a minuscule 0.5 HR/9 while tossing two complete games and logging 181.2 innings. You can make the argument that he was one of the 10 best starting pitchers in baseball this past season. A Phillies team that already had one of the better starting rotations in baseball got even deeper in 2024 with Sánchez emerging as a frontline starter.
Kerry Miller: Hunter Brown, Houston Astros
Brown did make 11 quality starts in 2023, but he fell to pieces over the final two months and was still in shambles through his first nine appearances of this season. In late May, though, he honed it in, giving Houston a 2.31 ERA over his final 22 starts, blossoming into the bona fide ace that Justin Verlander used to be for the Astros.
Joel Reuter: Luke Weaver, New York Yankees
In 2022 and 2023, Weaver suited up for five different teams and was shelled to the tune of a 6.44 ERA in 159.1 innings while serving up a .309 opponents’ batting average. The Yankees signed him to a one-year, $2 million deal last offseason to serve as rotation depth and a long relief option, but he ended up pitching his way into the closer’s role by the playoffs. All told, he posted a 2.89 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 11.0 K/9 in 62 appearances, and at 31 years old his career has new life.
Zach Rymer: Hunter Greene, Cincinnati Reds