15. Eduardo Rodriguez, Boston Red Sox, $12.606 million value; $4.3 million salary
His 203.1 inning workload, the MLB’s 11th best, is the factor driving Rodriguez’s top 15 position. He fanned 213 batters, good for 20th, and compiled a 126 ERA+, the MLB’s 17th best.
14. Luis Castillo, Cincinnati Reds, $12.702 million value, $558,000 salary
Castillo’s rank of 14th is fixed on his consistency, with all three of the rating components between 17th and 22nd. He ranks 22nd in innings pitched with 190.2, 17th in strikeouts with 226 and 21st in ERA+ with 133.
13. Mike Minor, Texas Rangers, $13/23 million value; $9.833 million salary
The Rangers are one of three teams with at least two pitchers in the top 15, and the only one that didn’t play in the World Series. With a 208.1 inning workload, Minor ranked eighth. His 200 strikeouts stood only 24th, but he did have a 144 ERA+ that was good for 13th.
12. Max Scherzer, Washington Nationals, $13.344 million value; $42.1423 million salary
Unless you count Zack Greinke as fully a Houstonian in 2019, the world champs are the only team with three pitchers among the top dozen. His 243 strikeouts and 157 ERA+ both ranked eighth in all of baseball. He fails to make the top 10 almost entirely due to his workload. His relatively light 172.1 innings of work stood just 47th among the 89 starters.
11. Hyun-Jin Ryu, Los Angeles Dodgers, $13.378 million value; $17.9 million salary
Ryu is the living manifestation of the Dodgers’ reliance on pitching depth to create quality. He delivered only 89.2 innings, just 30th among starters, and struck out just 163, the 39th best total. He ranks 11th due to his 179 ERA+, third best behind Houston’s two aces. Quality over quantity.