Latest SP Power Rankings see another change at No. 2

If we've learned one thing heading into our 10th Starting Pitcher Power Rankings, it's this: There is no unseating The Miz.

Since our last poll earlier this month, the otherworldly Jacob Misiorowski has pitched to a 2.16 ERA with 31 strikeouts in 25 innings across four starts. That sort of performance certainly isn't going to unseat Misiorowski from the top spot. He'll climb the mound again on Thursday night against the Mets at Citi Field.

How do the rankings shake out behind The Miz? Here are the latest Starting Pitcher Power Rankings, as voted on by a panel of experts.

(All stats are through Tuesday’s games, unless otherwise noted.)

1. Jacob Misiorowski, Brewers (Last poll: 1)
The Miz has held onto the top spot of these rankings for six consecutive polls, dating back to mid-June. He reached No. 1 for the first time a few days after his 15-strikeout one-hitter against the Phillies. Since then, Misiorowski has turned in a 2.17 ERA and a 38.5% strikeout rate over his past 10 starts. Both numbers are fantastic -- and also worse than his season averages (1.68 and 39.3%, respectively). That's how ridiculously dominant the 24-year-old flamethrower has been in 2026. In his most recent start, Misiorowski outdueled Chris Sale, ostensibly his strongest competition for the National League Cy Young Award, in a 2-1 Brewers win.

2. Cam Schlittler, Yankees (3)
Dylan Cease took the No. 2 spot away from Schlittler in our last set of SP Power Rankings, but the Yanks' ace has regained it amid a three-start stretch with only three earned runs allowed, lowering his ERA to 2.16, second in MLB only to Misiorowski. Schlittler limited Cease's Blue Jays to one over six innings in his last time out while wearing "Star Wars" cleats. He has carved through the AL this season with a trio of fastballs, but the recent implementation of a curveball that can touch 90 mph could make Schlittler even nastier moving forward.

3. Dylan Cease, Blue Jays (2)
One day after Schlittler tamed Toronto, Cease stepped to the mound in the Bronx and once again flirted with a no-hitter. He took a no-no into the sixth inning for the third time this season and kept it intact until a seventh-inning single en route to his eighth win. Cease has reached double-digit strikeouts in five of his past 10 starts, and he is pacing the the junior circuit with 209 K's and a 25.0% strikeout-minus-walk rate. This is his sixth consecutive season with 200 strikeouts; only five pitchers have had longer such streaks in MLB history.

4. Chris Sale, Braves (4)
In the middle of his 16th season and at age 37, Sale is pitching some of the best ball of his career right now. Through six starts since the All-Star break, the left-hander has recorded 49 K's and only three walks. That stretch includes a 2.19 ERA, a 2.05 expected ERA and a skinny 0.76 FIP. Those last two numbers are the best since the break among qualified hurlers. Sale is creeping toward his ninth 200-K campaign. That would be the second-most seasons by any southpaw in MLB history, trailing only Randy Johnson.

5. Cristopher Sánchez, Phillies (7)
Although Sánchez wasn't at his best in his most recent outing, he came into that start having permitted only three earned runs through four starts (23 innings) this month. Last year's NL Cy Young runner-up ranks fifth in the Majors with 194 K's and is sixth among qualified pitchers with a career-best 21.5% K-BB rate. He's on track to lead MLB for the second straight season in pitching bWAR (7.1) and is second to The Miz in fWAR (5.4).

6. Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Dodgers (5)
It’s fair to wonder if Yamamoto’s brilliance is overlooked these days, especially amid all the hoopla surrounding recently-acquired Tarik Skubal and the rehabbing Shohei Ohtani. But the right-hander is proving every bit as dominant as he was last season, when he finished third in NL Cy Young Award voting and almost single-handedly vaulted the Dodgers to a World Series title. Yamamoto’s 2.61 ERA is tied for the sixth lowest among qualified starting pitchers, and his .186 batting average against is third lowest. Just like last year, no one will want to face him come October.

7-T. Chase Burns, Reds (not ranked)
Burns, the No. 2 pick in the 2024 Draft out of Wake Forest, is putting the finishing touches on a stellar first full season in the Majors. He has a top 10 ERA (2.77), FIP (3.11) and strikeout rate (28.9%) among qualified starters. What’s most impressive about Burns, though, is how he goes about all this. He is a true two-pitch pitcher, relying on a wipeout slider and a hoppy four-seam fastball that averages 97.6 mph. That sort of pitch mix is exceedingly rare in an era where pitchers are embracing broad arsenals. But Burns’ two pitches are so nasty – why would he throw anything else?

7-T. Jesús Luzardo, Phillies (9)
It’s fair to wonder these days where Luzardo slots into the Phillies’ potential postseason rotation. Could he be their Game 2 starter, ahead of Zack Wheeler? That’s not a slight on Wheeler, arguably the best pitcher in baseball since he first put on a Phillies uniform. This is simply about how good Luzardo has been. After twirling seven scoreless innings in Seattle on Wednesday, the left-hander has a 2.11 ERA over his last 19 starts. That ranks third lowest in the Majors in that span -- which dates back to mid-May -- behind only Jacob Misiorowski and the Tigers' Troy Melton.

9. Drew Rasmussen, Rays (6)
Tampa Bay's veteran righty is as consistent as they come. Don't believe us? This season, Rasmussen has a 2.95 ERA and a 144 ERA+ in 25 starts. For his career, the two-time All-Star has a 2.91 ERA with a 140 ERA+. This is simply what he does. With 140 1/3 innings under his belt, Rasmussen is also wading into uncharted territory. He seems poised to break his single-season high of 150 innings pitched, which he set just last season, as the Rays barrel toward the postseason.

10. Parker Messick, Guardians (not ranked)
Messick is a whirling dervish on the mound, and hitters can't crack him. The rookie southpaw has allowed two runs or fewer in 19 of his 26 starts this season; only the Yankees' Cam Schlittler has more such outings this season. That's not the only similarity between Messick and Schlittler. Sure, Messick doesn't throw nearly as hard -- his 93.8 mph average fastball velocity is in the 38th percentile of MLB -- but his trio of fastballs are just as dominant. He has accrued the most run value on fastballs of any pitcher in the Majors this season, at plus-34 runs.

Others receiving votes: Tarik Skubal (Dodgers), Reid Detmers (Angels) Gavin Williams (Guardians), Cade Cavalli (Nationals), Sandy Alcantara (Marlins), Troy Melton (Tigers), Sonny Gray (Red Sox)

Voters: Theo DeRosa, Brent Maguire, Brian Murphy, Max Ralph, Manny Randhawa