8. Jacob deGrom, New York Mets
Let’s start this one off by saying that if deGrom didn’t have injury concerns entering 2022, he’d be #1 on this list, and he has a chance to reclaim that spot with a healthy, deGrominant year.
In 15 starts before being shut down, deGrom pitched 92 innings and allowed just 40 hits, 11 earned runs and walks, and struck out 146 batters. His K/BB was over 13-1! His ERA was 1.08, his FIP was 1.24, his WHIP was 0.55, and his ERA+ was a ridiculous 373. He finished 9th in the Cy Young voting, even though he didn’t have the innings to qualify.
deGrom’s Savant page is a thing of beauty. He finished in the 100th percentile in six categories (xwOBA, xERA, xBA, K%, chase rate, and fastball velocity) and in the 99th percentile in three more (xSLG, BB%, and whiff%). Hopefully deGrom is good to go, because he’s got another big fantasy baseball season in store if he’s healthy.
7. Max Scherzer, New York Mets
Mad Max joins the best pitcher in baseball in Queens for his age 37 season after showing no signs of age during his age 36 season split between Washington and LA. Scherzer made 30 starts and pitched 179.1 innings. He allowed just 119 hits, 49 earned runs, 36 walks, and struck out 236 batters for a K/BB of 6.5-1. His ERA was 2.46, his FIP was 2.97, his WHIP was 0.86, and his ERA+ was 166. He excels at limiting hits (6.0 H/9) and walks (1.8 BB/9). The one knock on Scherzer is that he gives up some long balls (23 in 2021), but since he doesn’t allow baserunners, they’re mostly solo shots. He finished 3rd in the Cy Young voting in 2021.