With so few games left to play in the MLB season, we have a good sense of the best players of the year. Including, of course, which starting pitchers are owning 2024.

There's only one thing to do, which is to rank each team's best starter in relation to his peers.

The selection process was easy for the most part, though there were cases when it involved making a judgment call between a consistent performer (i.e. Logan Webb) and a hot hand (i.e. Blake Snell).

It helped to frame the question of who would be a better choice to start a do-or-die playoff game right now. As such, it's best to think of these rankings as a sort of fantasy draft.

In any case, how each pitcher has performed throughout the season is only part of the equation. How they're trending also matters, with the ideal ace being one who was already warm and is now sizzling as the season nears its end.

We'll count 'em off two at a time.

30-29: Edward Cabrera and Cal Quantrill

30. RHP Edward Cabrera, Miami Marlins

Age: 26

2024 Stats: 13 GS, 59.1 IP, 54 H (11 HR), 70 K, 35 BB, 5.76 ERA

What has befallen the Marlins' starting pitching is just plain sad. Whereas they had one of baseball's best rotations in 2022 and 2023, their 5.18 ERA is now one of the worst of 2024.

To this end, Cabrera is part of the problem and Miami's best starter only in an ostensible sense.

The hard-throwing righty has had his usual injury and control issues, and even average velocity of 96.1 mph isn't saving his fastball. Opposing batters are hitting .375 and slugging .625 against it.

29. RHP Cal Quantrill, Colorado Rockies

Age: 29

2024 Stats: 24 GS, 127.1 IP, 130 H (19 HR), 97 K, 50 BB, 4.59 ERA

Quantrill has the opposite splits you'd expect for a Rockies pitcher, as his ERA at Coors Field (4.06) is meaningfully lower than his ERA on the road (5.10).

Nonetheless, he offers an uncomfortable viewing experience. He's not a great strike-thrower, after all, and all those hits and walks amount to a ton of traffic on the bases.

Good work in Denver notwithstanding, Quantrill is also cold. His last 10 starts have yielded a 6.70 ERA.

28-27: JP Sears and Jake Irvin

28. LHP JP Sears, Oakland Athletics

Age: 28

2024 Stats: 25 GS, 141.0 IP, 129 H (19 HR), 110 K, 37 BB, 4.15 ERA

One thing to know about Sears is that he leaves his share of bruises. He led MLB in hit-by-pitches in 2023 and is on track to lead the American League this year.

There's otherwise not much that stands out about the 28-year-old. His style is an unspectacular one, mostly consisting of throwing the ball over the plate and hoping that all the fly balls he gives up stay in the yard.

Sears is nonetheless on a nice four-start run, giving up only five runs in 28.2 innings. His fastball, which typically registers in the low 90s, is suddenly unhittable.

27. RHP Jake Irvin, Washington Nationals

Age: 27

2024 Stats: 26 GS, 151.0 IP, 138 H (24 HR), 127 K, 35 BB, 3.81 ERA

Irvin has been an island of reliability in the tumultuous sea that is Washington's rotation, which otherwise doesn't feature a healthy pitcher with an ERA below 4.00.

Like Sears, though, he doesn't bring much to the table apart from an ability to put the ball in the strike zone. He doesn't miss many bats, nor does he specialize in stifling hard contact.

And whereas Sears at least has a hot streak going for him, Irvin has gone icy. In eight starts since July 9, he's been rocked for a 6.20 ERA over 45 innings.

26-25: Garrett Crochet and Andrew Abbott

26. LHP Garrett Crochet, Chicago White Sox

Age: 25

2024 Stats: 25 GS, 124.2 IP, 103 H (16 HR), 176 K, 30 BB, 3.61 ERA

On numbers alone, Crochet should rank a lot higher on this list.

His rate of 12.7 strikeouts per nine innings is the best among pitchers with at least 120 innings, and it's a big part of the reason he's also in the top five for Fielding Independent Pitching.

Yet the catch here is obvious. Crochet has already done the bulk of his work and is now in the middle of a team-mandated winding down. He hasn't gone longer than four innings in any of his last seven starts.

25. LHP Andrew Abbott, Cincinnati Reds

Age: 25

2024 Stats: 25 GS, 138.0 IP, 127 H (25 HR), 114 K, 52 BB, 3.72 ERA

Hunter Greene had been making a run at the NL Cy Young Award, but it's now on pause after the fire-balling righty went on the IL on Saturday.

At least for now, it means less time in Greene's shadow for Abbott. He's following a solid rookie year with a solid sophomore effort, with his 84th-percentile hard-hit rate underscoring how tough he is to square up.

Yet there are also those 25 homers, which lead the NL. And until he gets some separation between his strikeout and walk rates, Abbott is likely to remain more of a mid-rotation type than an ace.

24-23: Taj Bradley and Gavin Stone

24. RHP Taj Bradley, Tampa Bay Rays

Age: 23

2024 Stats: 18 GS, 101.1 IP, 81 H (15 HR), 114 K, 36 BB, 3.55 ERA

Bradley arrived in 2023 as one of the best pitching prospects in baseball, and the Rays recently got a sustained glimpse of how nasty he can be.

In nine starts between June 8 and July 25, the righty racked up a 0.82 ERA and fanned 65 batters in 55 innings. All four of his pitches held batters to an average in the .100s.

Alas, Bradley's last four starts have seen him hit a wall by way of 18 earned runs in 20 innings. In this span, only his little-used curveball isn't serving up an average above .280.

23. RHP Gavin Stone, Los Angeles Dodgers

Age: 25

2024 Stats: 23 GS, 128.1 IP, 125 H (15 HR), 105 K, 35 BB, 3.44 ERA

Tyler Glasnow and Yoshinobu Yamamoto are on the IL. Neither Clayton Kershaw nor Walker Buehler is an ace anymore. And Jack Flaherty is off to an up-and-down start as a Dodger.

This is to say that Stone was basically a default pick to represent the Dodgers, and even he's lacking in top-of-the-rotation hype right now.

After starting out with a 2.73 ERA through the end of June, his ERA is at 5.03 ERA since the start of July. Some of this is his lack of swing-and-miss coming back to haunt him. He's struck out only 35 of the 174 batters he's faced, against 50 hits.

22-21: Freddy Peralta and José Berríos

22. RHP Freddy Peralta, Milwaukee Brewers

Age: 28

2024 Stats: 25 GS, 137.1 IP, 115 H (22 HR), 162 K, 51 BB, 4.00 ERA

Though Peralta deserves this spot on account of his All-Star pedigree, it was temping to pick Colin Rea as Milwaukee's best pitcher.

While Rea has mostly been consistent, Peralta's ERA has been hugging 4.00 for the better part of the year. The long ball has been an issue, especially lately. He's served up at least one homer in eight of his last nine starts.

His stuff still plays, though, and even more so than his strikeouts hint at. His strikeout rate is in the 85th percentile, while his whiff rate is in the 89th.

21. RHP José Berríos, Toronto Blue Jays

Age: 30

2024 Stats: 25 GS, 149.2 IP, 132 H (27 HR), 116 K, 44 BB, 3.85 ERA

Berríos exited April with a sub-2.00 ERA, but that will happen when a pitcher is stranding 96.6 percent of the runners he's putting on.

The righty's strand rate has come down quite a bit since then, though that is only one reason to doubt his ace credentials amid what's also been a tough year for Kevin Gausman. At 7.0 per nine innings, Berríos' strikeout rate is a career low.

Yet he'll always have his wonderful breaking ball, if nothing else. Berríos has also righted the ship of late, posting a 3.23 ERA over his last five outings.

20-19: Pablo López and Sean Manaea

20. RHP Pablo López, Minnesota Twins

Age: 28

2024 Stats: 25 GS, 141.0 IP, 132 H (22 HR), 152 K, 32 BB, 4.47 ERA

With Joe Ryan on the IL, the designation of the Twins' best starter defaults more so to López than to Bailey Ober.

It's a nice year Ober is having, but López pitched like a top-of-the-rotation type in 2022 and 2023 and has lately been doing so again in 2024. His last seven starts have resulted in a 2.79 ERA.

The righty is nonetheless still searching for a consistent secondary pitch to complement his fastball. It's among the game's best, whereas each of his other pitches has been a liability.

19. LHP Sean Manaea, New York Mets

Age: 32

2024 Stats: 24 GS, 130.0 IP, 105 H (13 HR), 129 K, 52 BB, 3.46 ERA

Manaea has had a couple of stinkers this year, but he's been by far the most consistent presence in the Mets' rotation.

After largely abandoning it in 2022 and 2023, the lefty has brought his sinker back in 2024 and been rewarded for doing so. It's been one of the most valuable in the business, notably holding hitters to a solid .226 average.

Don't look now, but Manaea has also been on something of a heater for the last two months. His 12 starts since June 14 have seen him post a 2.73 ERA.

18-17: Tyler Anderson and Shōta Imanaga

18. LHP Tyler Anderson, Los Angeles Angels

Age: 34

2024 Stats: 24 GS, 147.1 IP, 117 H (19 HR), 117 K, 56 BB, 3.30 ERA

Only two pitchers outrank Anderson on the rWAR leaderboard for the American League, and one of them isn't even in the AL anymore.

More so than most pitchers of his ilk, it's easy to downplay Anderson's low strikeout rate. Missing bats has never been his thing, and he can get away with it because he limits hard contact. So it goes in 2024, where his exit velocity is in the 87th percentile.

The changeup-happy lefty did have a 5.43 ERA just last year, though, and he's lately been trending back in that direction with a 4.75 ERA over his last nine starts.

17. LHP Shōta Imanaga, Chicago Cubs

Age: 30

2024 Stats: 23 GS, 133.1 IP, 123 H (20 HR), 137 K, 20 BB, 3.11 ERA

Imanaga (3.11) and Justin Steele (3.10) have nearly identical ERAs, but the former gets the nod here because he's made three more starts and pitched 17.1 more innings.

Imanaga has taken his lumps since posting a sub-1.00 ERA through his first nine starts, with more than a few of them coming courtesy of the long ball. He's served up 17 home runs in his last 14 starts, for which he has a 4.63 ERA.

The lefty has nonetheless stabilized more recently, and it's no small comfort that he's never going to beat himself. His rate of 1.4 walks per nine innings is the best of any NL hurler.

16-15: Sonny Gray and Zac Gallen

16. RHP Sonny Gray, St. Louis Cardinals

Age: 34

2024 Stats: 23 GS, 135.2 IP, 117 H (18 HR), 168 K, 34 BB, 3.91 ERA

It's perfectly fine that Gray did not win the 2023 AL Cy Young Award over Gerrit Cole, but the two ended up with basically the same fWAR.

Gray hasn't quite lived up to that performance in his first year with St. Louis, though there are areas where he's gotten better. Notably, his strikeout and walk rates are both improvements relative to 2023.

He has already served up 10 more homers than he did in 2023, however, and the struggle over his last nine starts has been real. He's been hit hard to the tune of a 5.68 ERA.

15. RHP Zac Gallen, Arizona Diamondbacks

Age: 29

2024 Stats: 21 GS, 110.0 IP, 108 H (8 HR), 102 K, 37 BB, 3.85 ERA

Gallen got Cy Young Award votes in three out of four seasons between 2020 and 2023, and he's mostly pitched like a top-of-the-rotation starter again in 2024.

The "mostly" is necessary, though, because he has been just a little off. His strikeout and walk rates have taken a turn for the worse relative to last season, and he's simply been unable to beat hitters with his fastball like he did in 2023.

Gallen has also had a hard time establishing his footing since coming back from a hamstring strain on June 29, posting a 4.64 ERA in 10 starts. If not for his reputation, he'd rank lower.

14-13: Tanner Houck and Nathan Eovaldi

14. RHP Tanner Houck, Boston Red Sox

Age: 28

2024 Stats: 25 GS, 152.2 IP, 136 H (9 HR), 135 K, 40 BB, 3.01 ERA

Houck was firmly in the race for the AL Cy Young Award through the first half of 2024, when he had a 2.18 ERA through 16 starts.

It's been more of a struggle for him since then, in part because the ability to throw strikes that was so on point earlier took a break in July. Other forms of regression have also hit, including balls going over the fence and other batted balls simply eluding leather.

Houck has been better his last three times out, and it bears noting that he's still keeping his platoon split at bay. But since he's already 46.2 innings beyond his previous MLB high, the question of how much he has left in the tank still looms.

13. RHP Nathan Eovaldi, Texas Rangers

Age: 34

2024 Stats: 22 GS, 127.0 IP, 109 H (18 HR), 123 K, 29 BB, 3.76 ERA

It's been Eovaldi's job to carry the Rangers' rotation as Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer have racked up a huge bill for their days on the injured list. Unsurprisingly, he's crushed it.

This is the fifth year in a row that his ERA has been in the high 3.00s, and that trademark fastball of his just refuses to die. Quite the opposite, in fact. This is the most valuable it's ever been in a season.

The veteran has hit a wall with a 6.00 ERA in his last six assignments, in which he's given up eight homers. And that fastball? Its velocity hit a low point his last time out on Saturday.

12-11: Tanner Bibee and Seth Lugo

12. RHP Tanner Bibee, Cleveland Guardians

Age: 25

2024 Stats: 24 GS, 132.1 IP, 111 H (16 HR), 144 K, 32 BB, 3.33 ERA

What was once an asset for Bibee is now a handicap, as his fastball has essentially gone from the penthouse to the outhouse from 2023 to 2024.

The sophomore righty is nonetheless doing a fine job of replicating his promising performance a rookie, and especially lately. He has a 2.64 ERA in 16 starts dating back to May 13, with 100 strikeouts against only 19 walks.

Bibee's slider is still playing just fine, though one caveat is that it's only helping him so much against lefties. Their OPS against him is up 209 points from 2023.

11. RHP Seth Lugo, Kansas City Royals

Age: 34

2024 Stats: 26 GS, 166.2 IP, 139 H (14 HR), 143 K, 42 BB, 3.02 ERA

Cole Ragans, Brady Singer and Michael Wacha are also having fine years in Kansas City's rotation, but nobody has done as much carrying as Lugo.

He's faced more batters and pitched more innings than any other pitcher in MLB. He's a workhorse, plain and simple, and you just have to love a guy who has eight different pitches in his pocket.

It would be even easier to love Lugo if he wasn't slumping right now, but them's the breaks. Suffice it to say his ERA is 81 points higher than it was on July 6.

10-9: Gerrit Cole and Blake Snell

10. RHP Gerrit Cole, New York Yankees

Age: 33

2024 Stats: 10 GS, 52.0 IP, 55 H (9 HR), 60 K, 16 BB, 4.15 ERA

Even if Cole has only been back in the Yankees' rotation since June 19, he's certainly the team's de facto No. 1 starter and his numbers are, frankly, misleading.

Of the 24 earned runs he's given up, half came in 9.2 innings against the Mets. The other half have come in 42.1 innings against everyone else. The reigning AL Cy Young Award winner has also been pitching well in August, allowing three earned runs in 17 innings.

Still, let's not go full "nothing to see here." Cole's fastball velocity is on a downward creep, and his still-solid strikeout rate obscures how his whiff rate has descended into merely average territory over the last two seasons.

9. LHP Blake Snell, San Francisco Giants

Age: 31

2024 Stats: 14 GS, 76.0 IP, 52 H (6 HR), 101 K, 30 BB, 3.67 ERA

This is with no disrespect to Logan Webb, who hasn't lost a step after finishing second in the NL Cy Young Award voting in 2023. He boasts a 3.17 ERA over 164.2 innings.

Snell, who indeed beat Webb in the 2023 Cy Young race, is just that hot right now. Since coming back from his second IL stint of the year on July 9, he's tossed a no-hitter and otherwise amassed a 1.03 ERA and struck out 70 of the 187 batters he's faced.

It's further proof that the two-time Cy Young Award winner is as good as anyone when he's hot. And right now, "hot" barely describes his temperature.

8-7: Framber Valdez and Dylan Cease

8. LHP Framber Valdez, Houston Astros

Age: 30

2024 Stats: 22 GS, 137.2 IP, 1114 H (11 HR), 131 K, 43 BB, 3.20 ERA

Valdez had a bit of a slump in the second half of 2023, and it carried over to the early portions of this season.

But that was a while ago. The lefty has ripped off a 2.72 ERA in 15 starts since May 27. Of course, he needed just one more out on August 6 to secure his second no-hitter before Corey Seager crashed the party.

Other pitchers have higher ceilings, but few have floors as high as Valdez's. Between his tendencies to limit walks and to get both strikeouts and ground balls, he has many protections against calamity.

7. RHP Dylan Cease, San Diego Padres

Age: 28

2024 Stats: 26 GS, 148.1 IP, 102 H (17 HR), 186 K, 50 BB, 3.46 ERA

Let's not overlook the year Michael King is having, as he has a 3.19 ERA and is whiffing 10.7 batters per nine innings. Yet Cease is more established and just so hot right now.

Cease's 10 starts since June 26 have seen him pitch to a 2.37 ERA with 70 strikeouts in 57 innings. The no-hitter he tossed on July 25 was part of a three-start run in which he allowed a total of two knocks in 22 innings.

Then again, that Cease is overpowering is old news. What's really different this year is how he's avoiding ball four, as his 3.0 walks per nine innings are easily a career best.

6-5: Corbin Burnes and Paul Skenes

6. RHP Corbin Burnes, Baltimore Orioles

Age: 29

2024 Stats: 25 GS, 153.2 IP, 132 H (18 HR), 144 K, 38 BB, 3.10 ERA

Burnes got shelled on Friday, giving up eight runs on 10 hits and three walks in just four innings. But don't worry. He's mostly fine.

It's all there on his Baseball Savant, where his key performance indicators are almost entirely red (i.e., above average). He's especially hard to hit hard. At 31.4 percent, his hard-hit rate is in the 92nd percentile.

Yet Burnes is operating with a reduced strikeout rate at 8.4 batters per nine innings. Not enough to doubt his ace status, perhaps, but it is a notable difference between the Burnes of today and the Burnes who won the NL Cy Young Award in 2021.

5. RHP Paul Skenes, Pittsburgh Pirates

Age: 22

2024 Stats: 16 GS, 98.0 IP, 71 H (10 HR), 121 K, 24 BB, 2.30 ERA

Though the Pirates have recently played their way out of the NL wild-card race, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported there are no plans to shut Skenes down.

If so, the good times have permission to keep rolling. Skenes leads all MLB pitchers in ERA since his debut on May 11. He's also in the top 10 for strikeout-to-walk ratio in this span, so he should at least have the NL Rookie of the Year sewn up.

The cracks are there, though. Skenes frontloaded his best velocity in his early starts, and his control has been wobbling. He's walked at least three batters in three of his last four starts.

4-3: Logan Gilbert and Zack Wheeler

4. RHP Logan Gilbert, Seattle Mariners

Age: 27

2024 Stats: 25 GS, 161.0 IP, 113 H (18 HR), 155 K, 29 BB, 2.96 ERA

That Gilbert leads AL pitchers in innings is very much on-brand. Since 2022, he edges Valdez by one out for the overall AL lead in innings.

What really distinguishes this year is the extent to which Gilbert has taken his dominance. His 0.882 WHIP is the lowest among qualified hurlers. Him not walking guys is nothing new, and he's otherwise earned his reduction in hits.

Gilbert has otherwise been remarkably steady. The highest his ERA has gone all year was when it was at 3.55 after his second start of the year on April 5.

3. RHP Zack Wheeler, Philadelphia Phillies

Age: 34

2024 Stats: 24 GS, 148.2 IP, 103 H (16 HR), 162 K, 43 BB, 2.72 ERA

Honestly, what do you need to hear about Wheeler at this point?

Since joining the Phillies in 2020, he's been the most valuable pitcher in baseball by a margin of 4.5 rWAR. The 2.72 ERA he has this year puts him on track for a personal best, topping the 2.78 ERA he had when he, arguably, should have won the NL Cy Award in 2021.

This is where the "Yeah, but..." would go, but there's no need. Wheeler has had bad starts this season, but nothing resembling a cold stretch. His ERA hasn't gone higher than 3.00 all year.

2-1: Chris Sale and Tarik Skubal

2. LHP Chris Sale, Atlanta

Age: 35

2024 Stats: 23 GS, 140.2 IP, 108 H (8 HR), 187 K, 32 BB, 2.62 ERA

It's already been a huge season for Sale, who leads the NL in ERA and all pitchers in both wins (14) and winning percentage (.824). And it's only getting better.

In 12 starts since an eight-run dud back on June 1, the lefty has pitched to a 2.22 ERA and struck out 105 of the 287 batters he's faced. And unlike Skenes, he's backloading his best velocity.

Barring injury, Sale has the inside track to his first Cy Young Award. Given just how finished he seemed to be as an ace between 2019 and 2023, that would be some story.

1. LHP Tarik Skubal, Detroit Tigers

Age: 27

2024 Stats: 25 GS, 155.1 IP, 112 H (13 HR), 185 K, 33 BB, 2.49 ERA

Skubal has now made exactly 40 starts since he came off the IL on July 4, 2023. In these, he has a 2.60 ERA and a 6.11 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

This speaks to how good he was down the stretch of 2023, but certainly more so to how indefatigable his dominance has been. His ERA has been under 3.00 all year, and no higher than 2.57 after all but one of his starts.

Skubal is also getting stronger as the year goes along, dialing up his velocity and keeping more and more hits off the board. He's surrendered just three in each of his last three starts.

Best pitcher in baseball? Best pitcher in baseball.

Stats courtesy of Baseball Reference, FanGraphs and Baseball Savant.