American League



Marcus Stroman – Toronto Blue Jays

Losing David Price at the top of the rotation is unfortunate for Jays fans, but they shouldn’t be disappointed with a guy like Marcus Stroman anchoring the staff. Stroman sat out nearly all of the 2015 season with a torn ACL, but returned to action at the end of the year and was a major contributor during Toronto’s playoff run. Let’s not forget about his promising rookie campaign in 2014, when he posted a 3.65 ERA and 1.17 WHIP in 130 innings pitched.

Carlos Carrasco – Cleveland Indians

Carrasco is a number-two starter with ace potential, and his 3.63 ERA last season is misleading. He posted a 1.07 WHIP and averaged a whopping 10.6 strikeouts per nine innings. His 216 Ks in 183 innings pitched last year perfectly exemplify just how unhittable Carrasco can be when he’s at his best, and I believe we’ll see even more of this during the 2016 season.

Taijuan Walker – Seattle Mariners

Walker had flashes of brilliance in 2015, though we have yet to see him reach his true potential. The 23-year-old righty has some kinks to work out if he’s to live up to the hype he received as a prospect, but there’s no doubt he has the stuff to do so. While his 4.56 ERA and 25 homers allowed in 2015 certainly is alarming, he had a seven-game stretch from late May to early July in which he posted a 1.68 ERA with 51 strikeouts and three walks in 48.1 innings. No one’s saying he’s a Cy Young award candidate in 2016, but look for him to make some major strides.

National League

Patrick Corbin – Arizona Diamondbacks

Corbin was an All Star in 2013 and one of the more impressive left-handers in baseball. Unfortunately, Tommy John surgery kept Corbin off the mound for the entirety of 2014. He eventually returned in July of last season and showed that his 2013 campaign was no fluke. The 26-year-old will be the number-three guy for Arizona behind Zack Greinke and Shelby Miller, but don’t sleep on him if he can stay healthy all year.

Carlos Martinez – St. Louis Cardinals

Technically, the guy referred to as “Baby Pedro” due to his similarities in stature and pitching mechanics to Pedro Martinez already had his breakthrough season in 2015. However, I believe he’s going to take another step forward and really take the National League by storm this time around. Martinez consistently throws in the mid-90s while boasting a changeup that can be borderline unhittable. It could take another year of development, but I’ll say this: Don’t be surprised if he gets at least a couple NL Cy Young votes as early as this season.

Jeff Samardzija – San Francisco Giants

OK, Samardzija’s 2015 season couldn’t have been much worse. But, a change of scenery and a return to the National League could be exactly what the 31-year-old righty needs. I’m not saying signing him to a five-year, $90 million contract wasn’t a ridiculous move by the Giants, because it was, but I do think he’ll have a bounce-back year and prove to be a reliable number-three arm in San Francisco’s rotation.

Of course, plenty other pitchers could be argued to make this list. If you have any in mind, tweet them to @_JustinLeger or leave a comment below.