In the world of baseball, the terms "ace" and "No. 1 starting pitcher" are often used interchangeably, but a closer look reveals a nuanced distinction. While "ace" literally means "one," the reality is more complex. In Major League Baseball, with 30 teams each having a top starting pitcher, theoretically there could be 30 aces. However, not every team’s top starter truly qualifies as an ace. Some teams lack an ace altogether, while others boast multiple pitchers who fit the bill. This raises the question: what exactly separates an ace from a No. 1 starter?
The differentiation often comes down to more than just rankings or statistics. For instance, a pitcher ranked 29th or 30th among starters based on traditional metrics like WAR (Wins Above Replacement) may be a team’s top pitcher but may not possess the dominant qualities typically associated with an ace. Using examples helps clarify this. Consider Tarik Skubal and Paul Skenes—both widely recognized as true aces given their dominance and consistency. On the other hand, pitchers like Kyle Freeland, who was the best starter for the Colorado Rockies last season, may not meet the ace standard despite being the team's No. 1 starter. These distinctions are not always clear-cut and often involve subjective “feel” factors, such as a pitcher's workload and ability to perform at a high level over a full season.
Ace status demands durability and dominance. A pitcher who performs like an ace over 120 innings but cannot sustain that workload through a full season might not be considered a true ace. In this hierarchy, aces can be categorized into tiers: the elite, true aces at the top; borderline aces who show flashes of greatness; pitchers who once were aces or could become aces in the future; and those who are solid No. 1 starters but don’t quite reach ace status.
At the pinnacle of the ace hierarchy are players like Tarik Skubal of the Detroit Tigers and Paul Skenes of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Skubal has won two consecutive Cy Young Awards and boasts a remarkable 2.04 ERA in nearly 40 playoff innings during those seasons, underscoring his dominance. Skenes, the 2023 No. 1 overall draft pick, completed his first full MLB season with a league-leading 1.97 ERA over 187⅔ innings and earned his first Cy Young Award, signaling the emergence of a future Hall of Famer. These pitchers exemplify the qualities expected of a true ace: dominance, durability, and consistent elite performance.
Other pitchers firmly in the ace conversation include Garrett Crochet of the Boston Red Sox and Cristopher Sánchez of the Philadelphia Phillies. Crochet, who led the majors with 255 strikeouts and was the American League’s innings leader in his first season with Boston, finished as the Cy Young runner-up behind arguably the best pitcher in the world. Sánchez, after a breakout season with over 200 innings pitched, maintained a 2.50 ERA and 212 strikeouts, positioning him as the second-best lefty in the league behind Skubal and a top pitcher in the National League.
Logan Webb of the San Francisco Giants and Yoshinobu Yamamoto of the Los Angeles Dodgers hover just below this elite tier. Webb is a workhorse, leading the National League in innings pitched for three consecutive seasons, but his ERA has hovered above 3.00, preventing him from being viewed as a dominant ace. Yamamoto, last year’s World Series MVP, impressed with a 1.45 ERA in playoff innings and finished third in Cy Young voting, but his relatively low regular-season innings total (due to injury concerns) keeps him just shy of the top tier—though he is expected to join it fully once he reaches a higher workload.
Max Fried, now with the New York Yankees, and Hunter Brown of the Houston Astros represent top-tier aces who are slightly less dominant but still frontline starters. Brown, in particular, illustrates how the “feel” factor influences ace status; while his numbers are impressive, he is viewed as a step below Crochet and Sánchez, partly due to his slightly lower innings total.
Veteran Jacob deGrom of the Texas Rangers embodies a fascinating case. Once the best pitcher in baseball with multiple Cy Young Awards, deGrom is making a comeback after injuries, showing ace-level form but with health concerns looming due to his age and past physical issues