The Cleveland Indians Have the Best Starting Rotation

PITTSBURGH, PA - AUGUST 20: Shane Bieber #57 of the Cleveland Indians pitches in the first inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on August 20, 2020 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA - AUGUST 20: Shane Bieber #57 of the Cleveland Indians pitches in the first inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on August 20, 2020 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) /
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Starting pitcher Shane Bieber of the Cleveland Indians (Photo by Ron Schwane/Getty Images)
Starting pitcher Shane Bieber of the Cleveland Indians (Photo by Ron Schwane/Getty Images) /

Cleveland Indians ace Shane Bieber makes us all want to sing.

“Like Baby, Baby, Baby Oh,” -Justin Bieber

Yes, I quoted a Justin Bieber lyric. And Shane Bieber could be the new face of the MLB, just like Justin Bieber’s takeover of mainstream music.

Bieber is just 25-years old and drafted in the fourth round of the 2016 draft out of UC Santa Barbara.

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In his rookie season in 2018, he started 19 games, with an 11-5 record. An ERA of 4.55, K/9 of 9.3. As a young rookie, I think he performed very well and the K/9 stands out. It says a lot about his good command of the fastball and his filthy curveball.

In his sophomore season, he was excellent. Bieber made a huge leap and earned a spot on the All-Star team posting a 3.28 ERA. He also threw 2 shutouts, an additional complete game, a 15-8 record, 10.9 K/9.

The other glaring stat he improved in what his WHIP. He brought it down from 1.33 to 1.05 which is a big difference as a starting pitcher in one year.

Bieber was expected to be a big part of the Indians this season, but many did not expect what he is doing in his current form. I thought he made a big jump from 2018 to 2019, but the 2019-2020 jump could only be done by a superhero.

He has started eight games and holds a 1.20 ERA. If you think that is impressive, just wait.

Bieber is also 6-0, 0.82 WHIP, and a 14.4 K/9. Holy guacamole.

If Bieber does not win the AL Cy Young Award this year, I may quit watching baseball. He is outdoing every expectation, and he has a great supporting cast of starting pitchers around him.

Bieber is leading a deadly pack of wolves in the MLB, striking out batters left and right. But he is a big reason for being my top starting rotation in all of baseball right now.