One of the most valuable commodities in baseball is a true No. 1 starter. A team ace can be a stabilizing force, giving their team a reliable six or seven innings every five days and often being the one who prevents a short losing streak from becoming a long one.
As valuable as No. 1 starters are at any stage of their careers, they are even more valuable when they are homegrown and under team control for many years. These are the kinds of pitchers that teams can build around. One month into the season, there are a handful of young pitchers who appear to be emerging as their teams’ No. 1 starters.
Let’s take a look at these budding aces below.
José Soriano, RHP, Los Angeles Angels
Last season, Soriano, 27, went 10-11 with a 4.26 ERA, 3.73 FIP and 8.1 strikeouts per 9 innings. He made some adjustments in the offseason and suddenly he’s been one of the best pitchers in baseball to start the year, dominating every team he’s faced except the White Sox. He presently ranks in the top 5th percentile in Pitching Run Value, Fastball Run Value, Breaking Ball Run Value and Offspeed Run Value. He not only misses bats but has an incredible ground-ball rate. The Angels have finally found their ace.
Cam Schlittler, RHP, New York Yankees
Schlittler, 25, made his MLB debut last year and was dominant, going 4-3 with a 2.96 ERA over 14 games started in the regular season. He followed that up with a 1.26 ERA in two postseason starts. He’s been able to carry that success over this year, keeping his ERA under 2.00 while striking out more than eight batters for every walk issued while also limiting extra-base hits. He ranks in the 99th percentile in Pitching Run Value and 100th percentile in Fastball Run Value.
Even on a staff of established top of the rotation arms, Cam Schlittler has stood out for the Yankees this season. (Mike Carlson / Getty Images)
Though he relies primarily on his sinker, four-seamer and cutter (89 percent of his pitches), he also has a decent curveball. Hitters have no chance in or out of the strike zone against him.
Nolan McLean, RHP, New York Mets
McLean, 24, started the season as the Mets’ No. 2 starter behind Freddy Peralta, but he has quickly surpassed Peralta, becoming the ace of the Mets’ staff, to no one’s surprise. Last year, McLean burst onto the scene, dominating opposing teams in eight starts (5-1, 2.06 ERA with 57 strikeouts in 48 innings). He was so impressive that he was not only asked to be on the Team USA starting staff during the World Baseball Classic, but also tasked with starting in the championship game.
McLean has continued his 2025 success at the outset of 2026, serving as one of the Mets’ few bright spots in what has been a disastrous season to date. He has a deep arsenal of pitches and his sinker, four-seamer, sweeper and curveball have all been nearly unhittable. The Mets’ long-term ace has arrived in Queens.
Chase Dollander, RHP, Colorado Rockies
The No. 9 pick in the 2023 MLB Draft out of Tennessee, Dollander, 24, struggled in his first taste of the major leagues. He came into this season with a career record of 2-12 with a 6.52 ERA, with only 82 strikeouts in 98 innings and an inflated WHIP of 1.551. Under the Rockies’ new leadership, the pitching group has been given access to more technology and analytics, helping pitchers make better adjustments. Dollander has taken advantage of that so far this season, pitching like the guy who was one of the top arms in college baseball three years ago. He’s throwing more strikes and has seen an increase in the life on his four-seam fastball, which has been a dominant pitch for Dollander.
For much of the season, Dollander has actually come out of the bullpen behind an opener, though he has thrown starter innings for the most part and he did throw seven innings in a true start as part of a doubleheader last week. Dollander will likely move into a traditional starter’s role at some point this season, but his usage thus far has been another sign that the Rockies are doing a better job thinking outside of the box and maximizing their talent under their new leadership.
Gavin Williams, RHP, Cleveland Guardians
Williams, 26, had a breakout season last year, when he went 12-5 with a 3.06 ERA over 31 starts. At the time, you could tell with his nasty repertoire that he was ready to make the leap to ace status. This year, he’s proving that projection accurate, as he’s cleaned up his command and has seen even better results.
His impressive extension down the mound makes his 97-mph heater look more like 100 mph, and his sweeper has been dominant, as well. His curveball buckles my knees just watching it, and opposing batters are having very little luck hitting it.
Jacob Misiorowski, RHP, Milwaukee Brewers
Misiorowski, 24, arrived on the MLB scene in dominating fashion, making the National League All-Star team after just five appearances last year. However, he dealt with injuries and regression in the second half, and it wasn’t clear exactly what we were going to get from the young fireballer this season. With Peralta’s trade to the Mets and Brandon Woodruff’s shoulder not back to form, Misiorowski got the nod to be their Opening Day starter, and he has more than lived up to the assignment.
Misiorowski is in the 99th percentile in fastball velocity and extension down the mound, which is a deadly combination. However, it’s his secondary pitches that have been even more impressive, as opponents have struggled to even make contact against his wipeout slider and his curveball. His command can still come and go at times, but he’s walking fewer batters this season and is a threat to throw a no-hitter each time he’s out there.
Honorable mentions
Keep an eye out for several other young pitchers who are rising fast and should not be overlooked, including Landen Roupp of the San Francisco Giants, Chase Burns of the Cincinnati Reds, Parker Messick of the Guardians, Bryce Elder of the Atlanta Braves, Taj Bradley of the Minnesota Twins and Will Warren of the Yankees.