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The 2026 Major League Baseball season is less than two months old, and while there’s been plenty of ups and downs, we’re seeing some of the best pitching performances in recent memory.

Whether that be dominant relievers, veterans turning the clock back or emerging stars of the future, the pitching at the MLB level is seemingly as good as ever. As a result, putting together a list of just 10 players has become incredibly hard, with all 30 teams having some elite level starts that can be considered among the best in baseball.

It may be early, but some players have separated themselves from the rest, and as a result, here is a look at the Top 10 Best MLB Pitchers 2026 Rankings.

Honorable Mention

Clay Holmes

Team: New York Mets

The New York Mets have been arguably the most disappointing team in all of Major League Baseball this season, as they have a record of just 12-22 through their first 34 games played. There’s been very few bright spots for a team with one of baseball’s highest pay rolls, but the one that stands out is veteran starter Clay Holmes.

The 38-year old has started 7 games this season and averages 6 innings per outing in that time, and with an ERA of 1.69, he’s been incredibly consistent thus far. While he’s struck out just 31 in 42.2 innings of work, Holmes keeps the ball on the ground and has given the Mets quality every time out, and although the team may not be able to turn things around, Holmes appears set for a career year.

Louis Varland

Team: Toronto Blue Jays

Heading into the 2026 season, there’s nobody watching the sport of baseball that would have considered a name like Louis Varland for this list. However, after the struggles of closer Jeff Hoffman, Varland has taken over as the alpha of the Blue Jays bullpen, resulting in an incredibly red-hot start to the year for the 28-year old reliever.

Across 16 outings, Varland has surrendered just one earned run, striking out 28 over 17.0 innings, while also finishing off the first four saves of his Major League career. With a loaded bullpen around him, the Blue Jays have been among the league’s best group in 2026, and while Varland may never crack the top-10, he’s playing an incredible role that nobody thought he could coming into this season.

Top 10 MLB Pitchers 2026 Rankings

10. Dylan Cease

Team: Toronto Blue Jays

This past winter, the Toronto Blue Jays gave out a massive contract to Dylan Cease in free agency, one that many analysts and fans believed would not be worth it. While we’re just two months into that new deal, Cease has already shown he’s well worth the money, as he is second in all of baseball in strikeouts with 56 early in the season.

That comes across 38.1 innings of work, and while he averages under 6 innings per start, he’s already been very valuable to an injury plagued Blue Jays team. The ERA of 3.05 has been effected by two straight poor starts, but with elite level stuff and plenty of confidence, if Cease can once again find his consistency, he’ll be among the best pitchers in the American League this season.

9. Bryce Elder

Team: Atlanta Braves

The Atlanta Braves has been arguably baseball’s best team in 2026, and while the lineup has been good, it’s the high end starting pitching that has led the way to this point. One of the main stars of that rotation is Bryce Elder, who is finally putting it all together at the big league level after posting an ERA over 5 for the last two seasons.

In 2026, he’s found his groove early, with a 1.77 ERA across 7 starts making him the clear leader in Atlanta, as well as one of the top pitchers in the entire sport. At 26-years of age, many believed that Elder was never going to be able to turn his potential into stardom at the MLB level, but on his current pace, he will no doubt be considered for the Cy Young Award at the end of the 2026 campaign.

8. Justin Wrobleski

Team: Los Angeles Dodgers

A year ago, very few people in baseball had heard of Justin Wrobleski, but after some solid relief appearances in the Dodgers second straight World Series run, he has established himself as a top tier starter in his second full season. Last year, Wrobleski made 24 appearances for LA, allowing an ERA of 4.32 in that time, but this season, his stuff has been electric as he establishes himself as a genuine star in Los Angeles.

In 5 starts (6 appearances), Wrobleski has a perfect record of 5-0, posting a 1.25 ERA across 36.0 innings of impressive work for the star left-hander. With just 38 overall appearances at the Major League level, it’s going to take more of these performances before we know what he’ll truly be, but after some big moments a year ago and a dominant start this season, the Dodgers may have uncovered yet another gem.

7. Max Fried

Team: New York Yankees

The New York Yankees have been without stars Carlos Rodon and Gerrit Cole early in the 2026 season, and yet, Max Fried represents one of two pitchers in the Bronx on this list. While he often goes overlooked, Fried currently leads baseball in innings pitched at 52.2 in 8 outings, averaging almost seven innings per appearance this season.

In that time, he’s posted an impressive ERA of 2.39, and with a record of 4-1, he has helped the Yankees dominate the American League East despite the injury toll to their rotation. Over his career, this is what Fried has been, a great inning eater for whichever team he pitches for, and after 195.1 a year ago with great success, he’s continued to be one of the best pitchers in the sport once again in 2026.

6. Mason Miller

Team: San Diego Padres

Simply put, Mason Miller is by far and away the best reliever in all of baseball, so much so that some have predicted he will be in Cy Young Award conversations at the end of the 2026 campaign. That’s not something that’s been given to a reliever in over two decades, but across 16 appearances, the 27-year old has been near perfect.

In that time, Miller has 11 saves as well as an ERA of 1.10, allowing an earned run in just one of his 16 appearances on the season, giving up two recently against the Chicago Cubs. After an ERA+ of 556 a year ago and 384 thus far in 2026, it’s only a matter of time until he comes back down to earth, but with some of the best stuff that baseball has ever seen, there’s a very good chance that this is simply who he is at the MLB level.

5. Chris Sale

Team: Atlanta Braves

For a long, long time, Chris Sale has been among the best pitchers in baseball, and even now at 37-years of age, the elite stuff and the awkward mechanics have allowed him to dominate. After 21 appearances a year ago, Sale is on pace to appear in 30+ game this season, and through his first 7 this season, he has an impressive 2.14 ERA.

Across 42.0 innings, Sale has struck out 49 hitters, and with 6 wins being the best in all of baseball, it proves that not only is Sale still incredibly elite, but that the Braves are once again a legit threat in 2026. It’s only a matter of time until Sale starts to slow down, but with a career ERA of 2.99 across 16 seasons with 18 wins just two seasons ago, it’s clear that he can still go with the best of the young pitchers in the sport.

4. Tarik Skubal

Team: Detroit Tigers

Last season, Tarik Skubal was baseball’s best pitcher, leading the Detroit Tigers back to relevancy and to the MLB Playoffs for the second straight time following a nine-year drought prior. While he’s taken a step back this season, the two-time Cy Young Award winner is still among baseball’s best, posting a 2.70 ERA across seven appearances, despite a record of just 3-2.

Skubal’s last five starts have been inconsistent as well, as he’s given up four earned runs in two of them while allowing just four in the other three outings combined. There’s nobody too worried in Detroit about Skubal’s slow start to the season, and given that he still averages 7 strikeouts per start over his last five, he’ll once again be in Cy Young conversations when the 2026 season comes to an end.

3. Cam Schlittler

Team: New York Yankees

Last season was a massive one for rookie pitchers in Major League Baseball, and given where he plays, it’s no surprise that Cam Schlittler got plenty of attention for the start to his career. At just 24-years of age, Schlittler has just 21 starts under his belt, with 7 of them coming in 2026, and in that time, he’s taken his game to a new level, posting a 1.51 ERA in that time.

Those performances come in a very hitter friendly ballpark in New York, and with 49 strikeouts in 41.2 innings of work, he’s already proven he can be an elite level pitcher at the Major League level. Obviously, he’ll need to get it done over a full season to truly be seen as an All-Star caliber player, but across 21 starts over the last 12 months, he appears to be the next big ace of the New York Yankees.

2. Jose Soriano

Team: Los Angeles Angels

Coming into 2026, Jose Soriano was a very good pitcher at the MLB level, but given the lack of talent around him and the inconsistency, he’s never been able to quite take his game to the next level. In 2026 however, he’s put it all together, as he has a ridiculously impressive 0.84 ERA across seven starts with 42.2 innings under his belt already.

In that time, he’s struck out 49 hitters and allowed just four earned runs, with his latest outing being the first time he’s given up more than one earned run in a game this season. Despite the overall lack of success in Los Angeles, Soriano also has a 2.6 WAR, the highest among pitchers in all of baseball, and given where the Angels sit in the standings, it’s more likely than not that he’ll be dealt ahead of the 2026 deadline to a true contender.

1. Paul Skenes

Team: Pittsburgh Pirates

From the moment he stepped foot on a mound in Major League Baseball, Paul Skenes has been among the sports best players, capping it off with his first Cy Young award a season ago. The 2026 season got off to a rough start however, as the Pittsburgh Pirates star gave up 5 earned runs in just 0.2 innings of work against the New York Mets.

Since then, he’s been near perfect once more, going five straight starts allowing one or less earned runs, with that stretch spanning 28.1 innings, although he faltered last time out again. As a result, he’s currently got a 3.18 ERA across 34.0 innings of work, but given the way he’s dominated in recent years, it’s a matter of when, not if that gets back down into the 2.00’s once again.

At just 23-years of age, the former No. 1 overall picks rise to superstardom has been rapid, and while the Pirates have once again struggled to get him run support, he’s already on pace to be an all-time great after just 62 outings at the highest level.

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