Chicago Cubs right-hander Marcus Stroman has been one of the best pitchers in baseball this season.
From a pure run-prevention standpoint (which is what matters most), he has been brilliant with a 2.28 ERA.
He might not strike out nine or ten batters per start, but he induces grounders, limits hard contact, and steadily gets the job done.
A couple of MLB Network analysts, Chris “Mad Dog” Russo and Alanna Rizzo, were asked to name their top-five starting pitchers right now.
Both of them left Stroman out, and the hurler had a laugh about it.
— Marcus Stroman (@STR0) June 21, 2023
Stroman is not afraid to voice his opinion on different matters.
He clearly believes he belongs in the top five right now, and he has a good case.
He has the third-best ERA in MLB behind Shane McClanahan and Framber Valdez, and the best in the National League.
There are a lot of talented pitchers in the game right now, and the perfect proof of that is that Russo and Rizzo just agreed on three names: McClahanan, Gerrit Cole, and Valdez.
Those three should belong, so there would be two spots for Stroman, Zac Gallen, Cristian Javier, Luis Castillo, Sonny Gray, Clayton Kershaw, and others.
Stroman has been magnificent, though, and has a good case with a 2.28 ERA, a 3.35 FIP, and 98.2 innings already under his belt (projecting over 200 at the moment).
He has been a big reason behind the Cubs’ recent turnaround as they try to get closer to the NL Central lead.
NEXT: Marcus Stroman Dominates MLB In Impressive Stat
