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MLB Starting Rotation Power Rankings For All 30 Teams
While both the Washington Nationals and Colorado Rockies have managed just six quality starts thus far in 2026, Atlanta's Chris Sale has had seven such gems by himself, powering the Braves to an MLB-best 28-13 record.
Was that early dominance of the 2024 NL Cy Young winner enough for Atlanta to secure the top spot in our early power ranking of all 30 starting rotations?
Two weeks ago, we put together a power ranking of MLB's 30 bullpens through the first month of the campaign, some of which has already aged like a fine milk. (Rays at No. 25, Pirates and Rockies in the top 10 and Reds at No. 3, in particular, look hilarious in hindsight.)
Today, though, we're pivoting to the starting rotations, where quality starts and aces reign supreme, with ERA, FIP and K rates helping to tell each rotation's story through one quarter of the 2026 campaign.
Unless otherwise noted, statistics are current through the start of play on May 11, and FanGraphs is the source for any mentions of wins above replacement.
Nos. 30-28: Rockies, Nationals and Orioles
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30. Colorado Rockies
9-16, 177.2 IP, 5.27 ERA, 5.46 FIP, 6 QS, 0.1 fWAR
On the bright side, a 5.27 ERA from this rotation is a whole heck of a lot better than the 6.65 ERA Rockies starters combined for one year ago. And both Tomoyuki Sugano and José Quintana have fared well as the savvy veterans of the bunch. Among Colorado's five primary starters, however, no one has a FIP lower than 5.25.
29. Washington Nationals
7-13, 180.1 IP, 4.84 ERA, 4.90 FIP, 6 QS, 0.9 fWAR
Foster Griffin has been a pleasant surprise on a one-year, $5.5M deal. He will be quite the trade deadline prize if he even remotely maintains what has been a 2.12 ERA through eight starts. But Miles Mikolas and Zack Littell have been so disappointing that the Nationals have periodically used openers for their turns through the rotation, just in hopes of at least making it to the second inning before falling behind.
28. Baltimore Orioles
10-17, 202.1 IP, 5.07 ERA, 4.61 FIP, 9 QS, 1.6 fWAR
Signing Chris Bassitt and trading for Shane Baz was supposed to spruce up this rotation. Instead, that duo has combined to make 15 starts with a 5.66 ERA. Meanwhile, Zach Eflin made one appearance before undergoing Tommy John surgery, and 2025 breakout ace Trevor Rogers has taken a huge step backward. No Oriole with multiple starts has a sub-4.00 ERA.
Nos. 27-25: Astros, Diamondbacks and Athletics
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27. Houston Astros
12-14, 183.1 IP, 5.11 ERA, 4.43 FIP, 9 QS, 2.0 fWAR
Poor luck on the injury front has definitely been a factor here, with Houston ace Hunter Brown making just two starts before landing on the 60-day IL. But even a healthy Brown would have only been able to do so much to salvage a rotation where Cristian Javier, Tatsuya Imai and Lance McCullers Jr. have combined for 13 starts, each with an ERA north of 7.00.
26. Arizona Diamondbacks
12-12, 204.0 IP, 4.68 ERA, 4.63 FIP, 10 QS, 0.9 fWAR
Merrill Kelly finally had an impressive start on Saturday against the Mets, but he needed that to get his ERA down to 7.62. Elsewhere, Zac Gallen's numbers are just as underwhelming as they were in 2025, while Ryne Nelson has taken a massive step backward after a solid run through last season. Eduardo Rodriguez getting out to a strong start for a change is what spared the Snakes from landing in dead last.
25. Athletics
13-12, 206.1 IP, 4.23 ERA, 4.92 FIP, 7 QS, 1.5 fWAR
A's pitching has been more than respectable on the road, sitting on a 3.28 ERA (both starters and relievers) in 24 games outside of Sutter Health Park. If only they could say the same about starts in West Sacramento, though. For the second consecutive year, that Triple-A ballpark has been quite the detriment to this pitching staff. Only Aaron Civale has had even a little bit of success there.
Nos. 24-22: Padres, Reds and Cardinals
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24. San Diego Padres
13-11, 196.0 IP, 4.55 ERA, 4.08 FIP, 9 QS, 2.7 fWAR
Michael King and Randy Vásquez have blossomed into a strong one-two punch atop this rotation. However, the spots in the rotation that were supposed to be reserved for Joe Musgrove, Yu Darvish and Nick Pivetta have been all sorts of problematic. Germán Márquez, Walker Buehler, Matt Waldron and Griffin Canning have each made multiple starts with ERAs north of 5.00 to show for it. Given the rotation's limitations, this team's 19-9 start to the year was borderline miraculous.
23. Cincinnati Reds
13-12, 209.0 IP, 4.61 ERA, 4.71 FIP, 14 QS, 2.1 fWAR
Nick Lodolo just made his 2026 debut on Friday. Hunter Greene is nowhere close to joining him. And most of what's left of this rotation has an ERA north of 5.00. Chase Burns has been pretty fantastic, though, averaging better than one strikeout per inning en route to his five quality starts and a 2.11 ERA. The early candidate for NL Cy Young is almost single-handedly keeping this staff afloat.
22. St. Louis Cardinals
15-13, 211.1 IP, 3.96 ERA, 4.53 FIP, 14 QS, 1.3 fWAR
Cardinals pitching has been better than expected, but also luckier than deserved. They have the most concerning ratio of ERA (3.96) to expected ERA (5.11), which predominantly stems from the fact that they generate strikeouts at nearly the lowest rate in the majors. Michael McGreevy, in particular—2.18 ERA, 5.06 xERA—is probably headed for a sharp decline soon. But at least he has kept walks to a minimum with just 10 free passes in his eight starts.
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Nos. 21-19: White Sox, Giants and Red Sox
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21. Chicago White Sox
11-12, 176.2 IP, 3.97 ERA, 4.30 FIP, 11 QS, 2.6 fWAR
In Davis Martin, the White Sox have the breakout starting pitcher of the year. The 29-year-old had been a serviceable piece of a woeful rotation in recent years, but now he has a 1.62 ERA and six of this staff's 11 quality starts. However, he is Chicago's only pitcher with more than five innings pitched and an ERA below 4.44 as a starter, so the White Sox are in the same boat as the Reds with one dominant force in what is otherwise a sea of mediocrity.
20. San Francisco Giants
12-19, 222.1 IP, 4.29 ERA, 4.14 FIP, 16 QS, 2.0 fWAR
Say this much for the Giants rotation: They eat innings. Only the Mariners and Dodgers average more innings pitched per start than the G-Men. Unfortunately, between having the lowest-scoring offense in the majors as well as each of Logan Webb, Tyler Mahle and Adrian Houser with ERAs north of 5.00, all those innings pitched have resulted in the most losses suffered by any rotation.
19. Boston Red Sox
14-15, 199.1 IP, 4.47 ERA, 4.44 FIP, 14 QS, 2.0 fWAR
Boston's overall ERA and FIP marks are a bit rough, and certainly not what they had in mind after an aggressive offseason. But the Red Sox do have four pitchers who have each made at least four starts with an ERA of 3.54 or better. They're just being dragged down by Brayan Bello's disastrous start, as he ended April with a 9.12 ERA. Garrett Crochet struggling before landing on the IL with shoulder inflammation didn't help, either.
Nos. 18-16: Mets, Rangers and Phillies
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18. New York Mets
7-17, 195.1 IP, 3.96 ERA, 3.60 FIP, 11 QS, 3.5 fWAR
Similar to the Red Sox at No. 19, the Mets rotation collectively hasn't been as good as designed, but it has been more good than bad. Starts made by Kodai Senga and David Peterson have been brutal, dragging down the overall numbers. But Clay Holmes, Nolan McLean and Freddy Peralta have each made eight starts with a combined ERA of 2.56. Thanks to pathetic run support from this disappointing lineup, though, they have three wins and two losses to show for their 10 quality starts.
17. Texas Rangers
11-16, 211.1 IP, 4.22 ERA, 4.00 FIP, 11 QS, 3.3 fWAR
In his age-38 season, two-time Cy Young winner Jacob deGrom looks almost as good as ever before. After going seven shutout innings with 10 strikeouts against the Cubs on Sunday, he has a 2.62 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 11.5 K/9, averaging better than seven strikeouts per walk issued. His supporting cast has been thoroughly mediocre, though. When the Rangers traded for MacKenzie Gore in January, they were surely expecting better than a 5.18 ERA from him.
16. Philadelphia Phillies
12-15, 209.2 IP, 5.02 ERA, 3.73 FIP, 14 QS, 3.8 fWAR
Philadelphia's starting rotation almost has the worst ERA in the majors, but it also has the worst BABIP by far (.355), the lowest xFIP (3.28) and one of the best K/9 ratios (9.8). In other words, a lethal combination of bad luck and (perhaps more so) woeful defense has been holding them back. But save for one Andrew Painter dud against the A's, things have been going much more swimmingly for this staff over the past two weeks.
Nos. 15-13: Marlins, Guardians and Blue Jays
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15. Miami Marlins
9-15, 217.1 IP, 4.51 ERA, 4.07 FIP, 12 QS, 3.0 fWAR
As the only team with a pitcher who has tossed a complete-game shutout this season, Miami was boosted a few spots higher than it probably deserves to be. Three cheers to Sandy Alcantara for that early season gem, though. He has a sub-4.00 ERA and remains a super intriguing trade block candidate. Max Meyer and Jansen Junk have also pitched well thus far. And watch out for Robby Snelling, who made his MLB debut on Friday. The 22-year-old southpaw had a 2.40 ERA and 11.5 K/9 in the minors since the beginning of 2025 and could blossom into an ace.
14. Cleveland Guardians
13-14, 228.0 IP, 3.91 ERA, 4.15 FIP, 11 QS, 2.9 fWAR
If nothing else, health has been on Cleveland's side thus far. While some teams have already used at least 10 pitchers as starters, the Guardians and Mariners are the only teams still using their Opening Day rotation. And with the exception of Slade Cecconi (6.15 ERA), it's hard to argue with the results they've gotten from that quintet, with Parker Messick especially thriving as an AL ROY candidate.
13. Toronto Blue Jays
9-11, 187.2 IP, 3.93 ERA, 3.96 FIP, 10 QS, 3.3 fWAR
Dylan Cease has been worth every penny, racking up 66 strikeouts in his 45.1 innings of work. Only Jacob Misiorowski has a better K/9 thus far among pitchers who have logged at least 30 innings. And now that Trey Yesavage is back and already thriving after spending the first month on the IL, it might be about time for this rotation to carry Toronto back from its disappointing start. (Would be great to get either José Berríos or Shane Bieber back from the IL, too, but neither of those returns is imminent.)
Nos. 12-10: Angels, Tigers and Brewers
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12. Los Angeles Angels
10-14, 209.0 IP, 4.05 ERA, 3.83 FIP, 15 QS, 3.8 fWAR
José Soriano's big breakout continued in earnest on Sunday, holding the Blue Jays to one run in 7.2 innings. The ace of the Halos now has a 1.66 ERA and 10.1 K/9 and is maybe the top candidate for the AL Cy Young outside of the dynamic duo atop the Yankees rotation. The rest of this rotation, however, has fallen somewhere on the spectrum between "just OK" and "woof." Walbert Ureña, 22, has been a fun addition to the staff, though.
11. Detroit Tigers
9-13, 197.2 IP, 3.96 ERA, 3.65 FIP, 17 QS, 3.9 fWAR
With Tarik Skubal, Casey Mize and Justin Verlander on the IL and neither Jack Flaherty nor Framber Valdez living up to their hefty salaries, you could easily argue that Detroit currently has one of the worst starting rotations in baseball. Keider Montero has been plenty solid, though, and the sub-3.00 ERAs that both Skubal and Mize had before landing on the shelf represent a big chunk of the year-to-date data.
10. Milwaukee Brewers
10-8, 180.2 IP, 3.44 ERA, 3.57 FIP, 10 QS, 3.7 fWAR
For a rotation with 10 wins, 10 quality starts and an MLB-best 10.2 K/9, 10th place feels kind of perfect for the Brewers. The reason it doesn't rank higher is that it hasn't been a particularly durable bunch, averaging 14.3 outs per start—hence the minimal supply of wins and quality starts. But Jacob Misiorowski and Kyle Harrison have been thriving, each with a sub-2.50 ERA.
Nos. 9-7: Twins, Cubs and Royals
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9. Minnesota Twins
11-13, 210.2 IP, 3.97 ERA, 4.06 FIP, 15 QS, 3.4 fWAR
Minnesota's bullpen is probably bottom three in the majors. Aside from Simeon Woods Richardson (6.92 ERA), though, the Twins rotation has been stout, even with Pablo López lost for the season. Recently losing Taj Bradley to the IL was a tough blow, though, as he had been putting up career-best numbers through his first eight turns through the rotation. Rookie Connor Prielipp has shown some promise, too, allowing two or fewer earned runs in each of the first four starts of his career.
8. Chicago Cubs
16-8, 217.0 IP, 3.77 ERA, 4.01 FIP, 15 QS, 2.9 fWAR
They lost Cade Horton for the year after just two starts, and Justin Steele is nowhere near returning from an IL stint that began more than 13 months ago. The Cubs also recently lost Matthew Boyd to a bizarre knee injury. Yet, somehow, this rotation has more than held its own, thanks in large part to Shota Imanaga looking a whole lot better than he did toward the end of last season. Edward Cabrera has also proven to be a solid addition.
7. Kansas City Royals
12-12, 225.1 IP, 3.95 ERA, 4.04 FIP, 20 QS, 3.4 fWAR
Cole Ragans had gotten out to a tough start prior to recently hitting the IL with an elbow issue. Noah Cameron has also taken a colossal step backward from a strong rookie season in 2025. But KC's big three of Seth Lugo, Michael Wacha and Kris Bubic is keeping this team afloat. They've made a combined 24 starts with a 3.10 ERA and 15 quality starts.
Nos. 6-4: Rays, Mariners and Braves
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6. Tampa Bay Rays
14-9, 197.0 IP, 3.11 ERA, 3.71 FIP, 12 QS, 3.8 fWAR
Half of the league has at least 14 quality starts, and every other team in our top seven is already at 17 or more in that department. As such, Tampa Bay's mark of 12 was just about a disqualifying factor in the quest for top five. But between Nick Martinez's unexpected dominance, Drew Rasmussen working on a sixth consecutive season with a sub-3.00 ERA and Shane McClanahan back and pitching like he hadn't missed the previous 2.5 seasons to various injuries, this rotation has anchored Tampa Bay's stunning run to the best record in the American League.
5. Seattle Mariners
11-12, 235.0 IP, 3.98 ERA, 3.88 FIP, 19 QS, 3.4 fWAR
As noted earlier, the M's and Guards are the only teams that have only used five starting pitchers so far this season. And the surprising part for Seattle is how well the Emerson Hancock portion of that rotation has fared in place of Bryce Miller—who is expected to make his season debut on Wednesday in Houston. Hancock had a 4.81 ERA and 6.0 K/9 as an occasional member of this staff over the past three years, but he's sitting at 3.21 and 9.4, respectively, through eight starts in 2026.
4. Atlanta Braves
17-8, 222.2 IP, 3.03 ERA, 4.17 FIP, 20 QS, 2.5 fWAR
Having a rotation-wide FIP more than a full run higher than the ERA has to be concerning if you're a fan of Atlanta. However, what a ride it has been to this point, and what a perk that the Braves have been this great while just getting Spencer Strider back into the mix about a week ago and calling up top prospect JR Ritchie not long before that. Bryce Elder leading the NL with a 1.81 ERA in his 54.2 IP has been quite the surprising development, while 2024 NL Cy Young winner Chris Sale has been fantastic in his own right with a 2.20 ERA and an MLB-leading seven quality starts.
Nos. 3-1: Pirates, Dodgers and Yankees
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3. Pittsburgh Pirates
13-12, 212.2 IP, 3.43 ERA, 3.41 FIP, 17 QS, 4.5 fWAR
Since the Opening Day nightmare of five earned runs allowed while failing to survive the first inning, Paul Skenes has allowed six earned runs in 41.1 innings of work to slash his ERA back down to 2.36. But Braxton Ashcraft (2.77) and Mitch Keller (2.87) are right there with Skenes in the sub-3.00 club, that trio accounting for 15 of this team's 17 quality starts. If they could just get Bubba Chandler to start living up to his prospect rankings hype, maybe they could catch back up to the Cubs atop the NL Central standings.
2. Los Angeles Dodgers
16-10, 228.1 IP, 3.23 ERA, 3.78 FIP, 23 QS, 4.5 fWAR
One of the inherent benefits of the Dodgers' six-man rotation is that guys can pitch a bit deeper into games. And en route to an MLB-best 23 quality starts, Los Angeles is the only team that has already had at least nine cases of a starting pitcher throwing at least 100 pitches. However, Shohei Ohtani has only needed 100 pitches once in his season-opening streak of six consecutive quality starts. Whether he'll pitch enough innings for an ERA title is questionable at best, but his 0.97 ERA is ridiculously good.
1. New York Yankees
16-9, 225.2 IP, 3.07 ERA, 3.41 FIP, 17 QS, 5.2 fWAR
Both Max Fried and Will Warren recently had some ERA-ballooning outings. Through May 2, though, that duo and Cam Schlittler had made a combined 21 starts with a 1.98 ERA. And Schlittler has maintained his dominance with an MLB-best (among qualified pitchers) 1.35 ERA and a 1.65 FIP. What's really scary about this rotation, though? The Yankees are already at No. 1, even though Carlos Rodón just made his season debut on Sunday, while Gerrit Cole is probably one more rehab start away from doing the same.
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