MLB Projections: Top 10 pitchers for the 2020 season
9. Walker Buehler, Los Angeles Dodgers
In just three seasons, 53 GS, Walker Buehler has established himself as a top 10 pitcher in MLB. Some may even argue that the nine-spot is a bit of an insult to the 24-year-old righty.
He officially established himself during the 2018 postseason, earning a standing ovation from one of the greatest pitchers of all time, Sandy Koufax, during a gritty World Series outing versus the Boston Red Sox.
Sandy Koufax approves of Walker Buehler’s performance. pic.twitter.com/0aA28VsM5c
— Fabian Ardaya (@FabianArdaya) October 27, 2018
This season figures to be one in which Buehler officially places himself ahead of teammate Clayton Kershaw as the surefire ace of the Los Angeles Dodgers staff. The STEAMER projects Buehler to post a 14-9 record with a 3.33 ERA and 225 strikeouts.
Between us, I’d say those numbers are a touch conservative. Expect Walker to finish the season as a top 5 MLB starter.
8. Patrick Corbin, Washington Nationals
When Patrick Corbin signed his $140M deal with the Nats last offseason, there were plenty of doubters. Prior to the 2018 MLB season, Corbin was nothing short of average, posting a 45-47 record with a 4.12 ERA. The same, however, was said of Max Scherzer prior to signing with the same Nationals team and look what he turned out to be.
In 2019, Corbin established that his 2018 MLB season was no fluke and helped his team to obtain a World Series title against arguably the best team in baseball in the Houston Astros.
The STEAMER system projects Corbin to plateau a touch by posting a 13-10 record, 3.47 ERA, and 217 strikeouts. I’d say that’s about right.
7. Shane Bieber, Cleveland Indians
In his second big-league season, Bieber established himself as the linchpin of the Cleveland Indians rotation. In fact, the team has placed so much faith in him that they traded away arguably their best starters in Trevor Bauer and Corey Kluber, essentially giving him and Mike Clevinger the keys to the organization.
The STEAMER MLB projections system expects Bieber to continue to build upon his 2019 Cy Young-caliber season by posting a 14-9 record with a 3.57 ERA and 218 strikeouts. I expect Bieber, like Walker Buehler, will officially by proclaimed one of the preeminent starters in the league.