Phillies underrated starter not getting enough respect in MLB pitcher power rankings

In the latest release of the MLB pitcher power rankings, the Philadelphia Phillies find two of their own among the top of the class in the league. Sitting on the very top of the list is Zack Wheeler, who has been doing exactly what aces are supposed to do for their team: dominating opposing hitters and giving the Phillies a chance to win every time out.

However, Ranger Suárez, perhaps one of the most underrated starters in the game this year, surprisingly finds himself down in the fifth overall spot in the MLB pitcher power rankings. That certainly doesn’t do justice for Suárez, especially after what he has accomplished for the Phillies or in the MLB as a whole this year.

Phillies underrated starter not getting enough respect in MLB pitcher power rankings

Suárez currently leads the entire league with eight wins and a 0.76 WHIP. He ranks second with seven quality starts and a .171 opponent batting average, third with a 1.37 ERA, and fourth with 59 innings pitched. Stuffing the stat sheet in every major pitching category and doing it consistently for almost two months now, Suárez is proving that what he is putting up this 2024 season is certainly no fluke.

If that wasn’t enough proof of his utter dominance, he also took home the NL Pitcher of the Month award in April, showing that he was indeed one of the best. On top of that, he even matched franchise legend Steve Carlton’s record by producing wins in seven of his first eight starts to the season for good measure.

There probably isn’t much complaint being behind someone like Wheeler on the list. Ditto with Shota Imanaga and his unbelievable MLB debut this year with the Chicago Cubs. But perhaps there may be some head-scratching to find Suárez behind the likes of Tyler Glasnow and Tarik Skubal. To be ranked behind Glasnow and Skubal probably has something to do with his strikeout totals not being as high as his counterparts.

But what’s most important in the game today for a pitcher is keeping opponents from scoring runs and giving your own team length and a chance to win each time out, which is exactly what Suárez has been doing consistently and effectively all season. So he definitely deserves to be a bit higher up on the list.

Similarly, if you look at the early NL Cy Young poll, Suárez received just one first-place vote, whereas his teammate Wheeler received 19. For someone who has been performing just as well or perhaps even better than Wheeler at the moment, Suárez deserves more love.

Perhaps the baseball world should start taking notice of Suárez and his big breakout season so far in 2024, as he should no longer be underrated. If the league still somehow doesn’t buy into what he's doing, then Suárez will surely be pumped up and ready to continue to surprise.