Brandon Brown
Paul Skenes, the No. 1 pick in last summer’s draft and the best pitcher in the game, will make his big league debut with the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday against the Chicago Cubs. (We here at CBS Sports recently took a deeper look at Skenes, offering insight into his arsenal and upside.) He’ll reach the majors after a 12-game introduction to the pros that saw him compile a 1.85 ERA and a 5-game strikeout. .50. walk ratio across 34 entrances and four levels.
Skenes’ arrival means it’s time to focus on the important issues at hand. Like, let’s say, who is now the best pitcher who hasn’t made his big league debut yet? Below, CBS Sports highlighted five title contenders, as well as five honorable mentions. As always, keep in mind that these exercises are more of an art than a science and that everyone has their own evaluative predilections.
With that out of the way, let’s get to the point.
Horton, the seventh pick in the 2022 draft, recently received a promotion to Triple-A. It was well deserved: He compiled a 1.10 ERA and a 9.00 strikeout-walk ratio in four Double-A starts. His arsenal is led by a low-to-mid 90s fastball with natural cutting action and a slider that he ranks as his best pitch. If there’s one factor working against Horton that impacts this year’s Cubs team, it’s workload concerns. He hasn’t thrown more than 88 innings in a season since undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2021. The Cubs would be justified in maintaining their conservative approach here. Given that he already has more than 20 games under his belt, this could result in fewer big league appearances — or, perhaps, fewer starts — than his talent and performance merit.
Jobe, the third pick in the 2021 draft, racked up a 2.16 ERA and a 2.40 strikeout-to-walk ratio in five Double-A starts before injuring his hamstring last time out. He was in a particularly difficult situation at the time, having not surrendered a hit in his last seven innings thanks to a top-notch arsenal. Jobe’s rise depends precisely on when he returns from the shelf. If it’s sooner or later, it’s at least plausible that he’ll debut this year. If he needs a longer stay, he’ll likely have to wait until 2025 to get his first sip of Comerica Park club coffee.
Lowder, the second pitcher off the board last summer, proved unfazed by a High-A debut. In five starts, he accumulated a 2.49 ERA and a 4.83 strikeout-to-walk ratio. A product of Wake Forest’s top pitching lab, Lowder is believed to already have an optimized arsenal and delivery. In turn, it doesn’t have the ceiling that some of its peers with larger raw material profiles have. Lowder has a high floor, however, and the Reds have no reason to slow down his journey to the majors. Keep him in mind for a possible debut later this season.
Dollander was a candidate to be the first pitcher selected last July, but had to settle for being third after an inconsistent spring. He has dominated High-A hitters thus far, notching a 2.33 ERA and a 4.13 strikeout-to-walk ratio, fueled by a 42.9% strikeout percentage. The Rockies are… well, highly unlikely to make the playoffs. That could mean Dollander will spend the entire season in the minors before making his big league debut next spring or summer.
5. RHP Tink Therefore Cardinals
There are many reasonable candidates for the last spot on this list. We endorse Daí because of some encouraging trends in its durability. He has long had the material and command to be considered a quality start. Last season, though, he averaged just over four innings a pop and didn’t work beyond the fifth inning. Consequently, he has been flush-more or less-so far this year, averaging five innings per game and even completing seven frames in his last April start. This is progress.
Honorable mentions
1. RHP Andrew Painter, Philadelphia: We are big fans of Painter. We simply couldn’t justify including him in the top five when he hadn’t played since 2022. He’s expected to return in 2025.
2. RHP Hurston Waldrep, Braves: Waldrep was one of our favorite pitchers in last summer’s draft thanks to a quality fastball and splitter combination. The hit on him was his order. Let’s put it this way: he’s posting a 10.2% walk rate this season and that’s a huge improvement. The Braves are a good underrated pitching development team, so we’ll see if they can continue to help him maximize his talent. If so, he could be one of the steals from last year’s class.
3. RHP Jacob Misiorowski, Brewers: Misiorowski is undoubtedly a more extreme version of Waldrep. He’s been a huge performer, resulting in nearly 14 strikeouts per nine at Double-A this year, but has walked 17.7% of the batters he’s faced. That would represent the second-highest rate in the majors (min. 20 innings), behind only injured Oakland Athletics right-hander Joe Boyle.
4. LHP Ricky Tiedemann, Blue Jays: The only thing stopping Tiedemann from joining the Blue Jays’ big league team is health. He recently went on the injured list with ulnar nerve inflammation. When punchy and punchy, it has a quality three-tone mix delivered in a low slot.
5. LHP Noah Schultz, White Sox: Again, there are many other names you could insert here. We felt Schultz deserved a mention. He picked up where he left off last season, striking out more than 15 per nine in five High-A games. If he stays healthy and develops as desired, he will be a pitcher worth knowing for years to come.
