Baltimore Orioles Ace Receives Strong Ranking Among MLB Starting Pitchers

The Baltimore Orioles’ starting rotation was well-represented in a recent ranking of the Top 150 starters in the game.

Aug 16, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Corbin Burnes (39) throws a first inning pitch against the Boston Red Sox at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. / Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

There’s a good reason why most believe Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Corbin Burnes will be among the most sought-after free agents after the season.

He’s been a constant high performer for the Orioles all season, who has avoided injury and earned the start for the American League in the All-Star Game.

For many reasons, he’s among the best starting pitchers in baseball going into the final month.

The Athletic recently ranked the Top 150 starting pitchers in baseball, an exercise it goes through at various times during the season. With the final month approaching, the Orioles are well-represented, especially when it came to Burnes.

He was ranked No. 4, behind only Philadelphia’s Zack Wheeler, Detroit’s Tarik Skubal and Atlanta's Chris Sale.

The site used a number of stats, including Stuff+, future projections, strikeout-minus-walk rate, recent performances and the expected future schedule for the final month.

Burnes is 12-7 with a 3.23 ERA and while he had a difficult August, he is coming off a start against the Los Angeles Dodgers in which he gave up one earned run, even though he ended up taking the loss. He seems to be emerging from that funk.

The Orioles have an entire starting rotation on their injured list, including last year’s All-MLB starter, Kyle Bradish. Baltimore’s trade to acquire Burnes was one of the smartest things it did this offseason.

From there, it was a steep drop to Zach Eflin, who was ranked No. 52. Baltimore acquired him a the trade deadline to shore up the rotation and he was ranked No. 56 in the last Top 150.

Dean Kremer was ranked No. 94, dropping from No. 76.

Grayson Rodriguez was ranked No. 101, dropping from No. 12 in the last ranking. He’s had a great season, but his drop is likely due to moving to the injured list in August with right lat/teres discomfort. He is on a throwing program and Baltimore is hopeful he can rejoin the team before the end of the season.

Albert Suárez dropped from No. 116 to No. 118. He’s been a key part of the staff after he was signed as a minor-league free agent befor the season. Cade Povich, who made his MLB debut earlier this season, was ranked No. 147.

Baltimore is on the road at the Colorado Rockies this weekend. After that, the final stretch of the season begins with a homestand against the Chicago White Sox and the Tampa Bay Rays next week.

Following that, Baltimore has a road trip to Boston and Detroit, followed by its final homestand against San Francisco and Detroit. The final road trip begins with a huge matchup against the New York Yankees, followed by a season-closing series with Minnesota.