MLB: Ranking the 30 Opening Day Starters

With opening day here, MLB teams have announced who’ll start on the mound for their respective clubs. Here’s a ranking of all 30 MLB opening day starters.

Usually if one is the starting pitcher on opening day, that means that pitcher is the team’s ace. Occasionally, some teams will start a different pitcher on opening day because of matchups.

For the most part, though, the ace gets the ball to start the season. It’s an honor for a pitcher to start on opening day.

The first pitcher to get the ball in the 2017 season is Tampa Bay Rays’ ace Chris Archer as the Yankees and Rays square off against each in the 2017 MLB season opener on April 2. Yankees’ ace Masahiro Tanaka takes the bump for the Yankees and is the first home starter of the season.

Some teams have a guaranteed pitcher that starts the season opener (unless unhealthy). Like the Dodgers and their ace Clayton Kershaw, who is starting his seventh straight opening day game for the team. Or the Mariners and Felix Hernandez with his ninth opening day start in 2017.

For other teams, their choice for opening day starter isn’t as simple. For instance, the Cincinnati Reds and their choice to start Scott Feldman. On some teams, Feldman might not even crack the rotation, but on the Reds, he’s their No. 1.

But where does each pitcher rank amongst one another? Here are the opening day starters for each team, ranked from No. 30 to No. 1.