Two seasons ago, Stephen Strasburg had a cinderella season, posting a 3.32 ERA and 5.6 fWAR in the regular season before helping the Washington Nationals to win their first World Series title.
Unfortunately for Strasburg and the Nationals, the pumpkin carriage didn't show up for the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.
After winning the World Series MVP in 2019, Strasburg opted out of his contract, before returning on a new seven-year/$245 million deal. We panned the deal at the time, and a year later, it looks potentially even worse than anticipated.
Strasburg pitched just a total of five innings in 2020 before undergoing season-ending carpal tunnel surgery. Not only did the small workload turn last season into a lost season for the former No. 1 overall pick, but it makes you wonder how much the Nationals will be able to push the 32-year-old in 2021.
None of this is to say that if Strasburg stays healthy in 2021 he won't return to being one of the game's elite pitchers. The problem is, healthy seasons have been few and far between for Strasburg, who made 30 or more starts just once between 2015 and 2019. Remember, the Nationals signed Strasburg to an identical deal to the one that Anthony Rendon, another 2019 World Series hero, inked with the Los Angeles Angels prior to last season. From here, it's not hard to decide which deal will age better.
In 2021, Strasburg will attempt to re-establish himself as one of the game's elite starting pitchers. In the meantime, he, Yu Darvish, Zack Wheeler, Lance Lynn, Charlie Morton and Dinelson Lamet are among the arms who find themselves on the outside looking in as we rank our top 10 right-handed pitchers for this upcoming season:
10. Zack Greinke, Houston Astros
Zack Greinke has been one of his era's best pitchers.
(John McCoy/Getty Images)
Greinke did post a 4.03 ERA in 12 games a season ago, though his 2.80 FIP suggests that his numbers would have evened out over the course of a normal 162-game season. As recently as 2019, Greinke made 33 starts and posted a 2.93 ERA, and he's such a savant that he could easily remain a frontline starter into his early-40s. It would be best for Greinke to have an All-Star-caliber season in 2021, as he can become a free agent after the season.
9. Lucas Giolito, Chicago White Sox
Lucas Giolito is one of the game's best young arms.
(Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
A lot is made - rightfully so - of the White Sox trading Fernando Tatis Jr. to the San Diego Padres in June of 2016. That said, the White Sox fleeced the Nationals a few months earlier when they acquired Giolito in a deal that sent Adam Eaton to Washington. Now, Eaton is back in Chicago, and he'll play in right field behind Giolito, who has a 3.43 ERA in 249.0 innings over the past two seasons.
8. Trevor Bauer, Los Angeles Dodgers
Trevor Bauer is entering his first season with the Dodgers.
(Rob Tringali/Getty Images)
Bauer was dominant in 2020, which earned him the National League Cy Young Award and a three-year/$102 million free-agent contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. As Bauer joins the defending World Series Champions, he'll be looking to build off of a campaign that saw him post a 1.73 ERA in 11 starts. However, wedged in between excellent 2018 and 2020 seasons was a 2019 that was a very mixed bag. The 30-year-old has a career 3.90 ERA and 3.85 FIP. No one's doubting that Bauer will help the Dodgers in their attempt to fend off the San Diego Padres, but it is fair to wonder if he'll ever match what he did in 2020.
7. Max Scherzer, Washington Nationals
Max Scherzer is one of the most dominant pitchers of his era.
(Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
To this point, Scherzer has held off any real dip in velocity. As the 36-year-old enters the final year of one of the most successful free-agent deals in sports history, he hopes he can do it again. At this stage of his career, Scherzer may no longer be a guy that will throw over 220 innings in a season, but he still figures to be an All-Star candidate.
6. Luis Castillo, Cincinnati Reds
Luis Castillo is one of baseball's most underrated players.
(Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
After an offseason where they slashed payroll, fans of the Reds don't have a ton to be excited about in 2021. But even after losing Trevor Bauer in free agency - among other notable departures - the Reds still employ one of the best right-handed pitchers in baseball. Over the past two seasons, Castillo has a 3.35 ERA and 3.41 FIP in 44 games. He may very well become the hottest trade target in late July, but not before he makes his second All-Star Game appearance.
5. Walker Buehler, Los Angeles Dodgers
Walker Buehler and the Dodgers are the defending World Series Champions.
(Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
Buehler's regular season in 2020 was actually underwhelming compared to what he's done in prior seasons, as he posted a 4.36 FIP and 0.5 fWAR. That said, he was dominant in the postseason, posting a 1.80 ERA in five starts during the Dodgers World Series run. Given that Buehler is just two seasons removed from being graded as one of the 10 best pitchers in the sport, we're going to bet that the 26-year-old has a monster 2021 season, potentially one that allows him to contend for the National League Cy Young Award.
4. Aaron Nola, Philadelphia Phillies
Aaron Nola is one of baseball's best right-handed pitchers.
(Hunter Martin/Getty Images)
Following a dominant 2018 campaign, Nola saw some regression in 2019. He bounced back in 2020, though, posting a 3.28 ERA in 12 starts. Nola has become one of the most steady pitchers in the sport. The only thing that he needs to fix are his struggles late in the season, as he has a 4.28 ERA in 27 career starts in September/October. As the Phillies look to reach the postseason for the first time in a decade, they expect a big year from the 27-year-old.
3. Shane Bieber, Cleveland
Shane Bieber is the defending American League Cy Young Award winner.
(Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
Bieber followed up a breakout 2019 season by solidifying himself as one of the most dominant arms in the sport in 2020. En route to winning the American League Cy Young Award, Bieber posted a minuscule 1.63 ERA, 2.07 FIP and 3.2 fWAR in just 12 starts. Cleveland dealt Francisco Lindor to the New York Mets, but between Bieber and José Ramírez, Terry Francona's club still possess quite a bit of star power.
2. Gerrit Cole, New York Yankees
Gerrit Cole is entering his second season with the Yankees.
(Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
Cole had a very nice first season with the Yankees, but FanGraphs graded him as just the 23rd-best pitcher in baseball. Considering he was the third-best pitcher between 2018 and 2019, the Yankees hope for even more in year two of Cole's nine-year/$324 million pact. From here, he's the odds-on favorite to win the American League Cy Young Award.
1. Jacob deGrom, New York Mets
Jacob deGrom has won two National League Cy Young Awards.
(Mike Stobe/Getty Images)
At 32, deGrom is building a compelling Hall of Fame case. Over the past three seasons, deGrom has gone on a historic run, posting a 2.10 ERA, 2.31 FIP and 18.7 fWAR. He's unquestionably one of the most dominant pitchers of this era, and with a few more peak years, he'll cement his place in Cooperstown.
More From RADIO.COM Sports
- Top 10 Third Basemen In MLB For 2021
- Top 10 Left Fielders In MLB For 2021
- Top 10 Center Fielders In MLB For 2021
- Top 10 Right Fielders In MLB For 2021
- Top 10 Third Basemen In MLB For 2021
- Top 10 Shortstops In MLB For 2021
- Top 10 Second Basemen In MLB For 2021
LISTEN NOW on the RADIO.COM App
Follow RADIO.COM Sports
Twitter | Facebook I Instagram
