There's a new ace atop the latest Starting Pitcher Power Rankings

3:47 AM UTC

For the fourth time in as many polls, a new hurler has climbed to the top of our latest Starting Pitcher Power Rankings.

, and have all occupied the No. 1 spot in our rankings at one point this season. That shouldn't be surprising; any short list of the best pitchers in the league ought to begin with those names.

But who is joining that elite company? This pitcher may not be a household name -- and he doesn't yet have the hardware to match some of his peers -- but all of that could change rather soon.

Here are our fourth Starting Pitcher Power Rankings of the 2026 season, as voted on by a panel of MLB.com experts.

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

1. , Phillies (Last poll: 4)
Sánchez surges to the top thanks to a shutout on Saturday that extended his scoreless streak to 29 2/3 innings, the longest active streak in the Majors. The lanky left-hander is bearing down on the 41-inning mark set by Grover Alexander in 1911, which remains the longest scoreless streak by a Phillies pitcher since the mound moved to its current distance in 1893. Whether he catches Alexander or not, Sánchez continues to carve up hitters with a remarkably simple three-pitch mix. The headliner is his sterling changeup, which is holding the opposition to a .148 batting average and inducing a 49% whiff rate. He is a legitimate ace.

2. , Brewers (7)
Sánchez isn't the only hurler yet to be scored upon this month. Misiorowski touts the third-longest scoreless innings streak in the Majors, at 24 1/3 innings following six spotless innings at Wrigley Field on Tuesday. The flame-throwing righty leads the Majors with 88 strikeouts and a 39.3% strikeout rate. And he's dominating with pure heat: His average fastball velocity is up to 99.7 mph and, as MLB.com's Mike Petriello explored earlier this week, 'The Miz' may very well be the hardest-throwing starting pitcher to ever live. Among the absurdities, Misiorowski has thrown 254 pitches 100+ mph. The second- and third-place finishers on that list have thrown just 265 pitches 100+ mph combined.

3. , Yankees (2)
Pick a stat, any stat, and there's a good chance Schlittler is leading the field. Heading into his start against the Blue Jays on Wednesday, Schlittler led all qualified pitchers in ERA (1.35) and FIP (1.83), while ranking first in Statcast's Pitching Run Value metric. The 25-year-old throws fastballs over 90% of the time -- the highest rate of any qualified starting pitcher -- overwhelming hitters with a combination of premium velocity and three distinct fastball shapes.

4. , Dodgers (1)
Ohtani's fall from the top spot has little to do with his own performance on the mound. He carries a 0.82 ERA into his eighth start of the season on Wednesday against the Padres. That's the lowest mark among all pitchers to throw at least 40 innings this season. Opponents are hitting just .159 against Ohtani -- only Skenes has a lower batting average against -- thanks in part due to a lethal fastball/sweeper combo. He's throwing those two pitches 71.4% of the time this season, up from 61.4% a year ago.

5. , Pirates (6)
After tossing eight scoreless innings in back-to-back starts, Skenes hit a speed bump his last time out, allowing five runs on Sunday against the Phillies. The right-hander has now allowed five runs in a game twice this year, after doing so just once in his first two big league seasons. His ERA sits at 2.62 after 10 starts, and while it's somewhat jarring to see Skenes' ERA begin with a '2,' don't be fooled. In some ways, the defending NL Cy Young Award winner is actually pitching better in 2026 than he did in 2025. His 2.09 expected ERA -- a Statcast metric that weighs the quantity and quality of contact allowed -- clears last year's 2.65 mark. Skenes has also been the toughest starting pitcher to hit, holding the opposition to a .158 batting average.

6. , Braves (3)
If we told you that Sale was in his age-37 season -- and his 16th year in the Majors -- would you believe us? It certainly doesn't feel like it. That's mostly because Sale is doing what he's always done. The funky lefty owns a 1.96 ERA, seventh lowest among qualified starters entering Wednesday's start against the Marlins. As usual, he's keeping hitters off-balance with an unorthodox slot and a classic fastball/slider combo, throwing those two pitches 79% of the time. He has been a model of consistency in an Atlanta rotation ravaged by injury: Sale has allowed two runs or fewer while completing six innings in seven of his nine starts.

7. , Reds (not ranked)
Terry Francona may not want to label Burns an ace quite yet, but the 23-year-old sure is pitching like one. He lowered his ERA to 1.83 -- fifth best among qualified pitchers -- after throwing six innings of one-run ball in Philadelphia on Tuesday. In an era of arsenal breadth and expansion, Burns keeps things simple: 93% percent of his pitches are either four-seamers or sliders. It helps to have an average fastball velocity of 98.1 mph and a hard bullet slider that runs a 51.7% whiff rate, fifth highest among 613 qualified pitcher/pitch type combos. The Reds have sorely needed this sort of performance from Burns, too: Three of their six wins since May 1 have come in his starts.

8. , Phillies (not ranked)
Wheeler sure looks like himself on the other side of thoracic outlet decompression surgery. That's great news for the Phillies, and a scary proposition for the rest of the league. The 35-year-old quelled any lingering doubt in his last start on Sunday, firing seven scoreless innings and lowering his ERA to 1.99 -- while firmly out-dueling Skenes, to boot. Of particular importance, Wheeler's velocity ticked up in his last start. His four-seamer averaged 96.3 mph against the Pirates after sitting in the 94-95 range throughout his first four appearances.

9. , Blue Jays (not ranked)
Not much has gone right of late for the Blue Jays, who are off to an injury-plagued start to their AL pennant defense. But that's not the fault of Cease, who has met lofty expectations after joining the club on a seven-year deal in November. If not for Misiorowski, Cease would be baseball's premier strikeout artist. He's fanned 84 batters in 57 1/3 innings, good for a 35.1% strikeout rate that sits in the 97th percentile of MLB. Even after allowing five runs in the Bronx on Tuesday, Cease has a 2.98 ERA through 10 starts, benefitting from an expanded arsenal that compliments a lively heater and a biting slider.

10. , White Sox (not ranked)
The biggest surprise in baseball may reside on the south side of Chicago, with the feel-good White Sox entering play on Wednesday in possession of a Wild Card spot. A big reason why? That would be Martin, a 29-year-old righty who entered the year with a pedestrian 4.32 ERA in 51 career big league appearances. This year has been a remarkably different story. He is 6-1 with a 1.61 ERA and a 268 ERA+ -- which is to say, essentially, that he has pitched at a rate 168% better than league average. It is sustainable? Maybe not to that extent, but Martin does a lot of things right. He pounds the strike zone, confuses hitters with a three-fastball mix and also wields a plus changeup.