Where does Tanner Bibee rank among MLB Aces?
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Tanner Bibee did not begin this season in the pitching rotation of the Cleveland Guardians, but a handful of injuries resulted in the 24-year-old being called into action early this season.
Bibee has been a revelation for the Guardians, compiling a 3.01 ERA and 1.205 WHIP with 112 strikeouts in 113.2 innings entering Friday. His performance, combined with the absences of a few other notable pitchers, resulted in being named Cleveland's Ace in their rotation by Bleacher Report's Zachary Rymer in his recently published list, Ace Rankings for Each MLB Team's Best Starting Pitcher. Bibee comes in as the 20th-ranked ace by Rymer.
With Shane Bieber and Triston McKenzie on the IL and Aaron Civale having been traded to the Rays, the Guardians rotation is in the hands of their next generation of prized hurlers. Out of Tanner Bibee, Gavin Williams and Logan Allen, Bibee boasts the most experience and the most success. He's allowed more than three earned runs in just two of his 20 starts, and he's on a heater with a 2.34 ERA in his last 11.
While Bibee's appearance on this list seems rooted in being the default option for the Guardians, there is a very good chance he is in this spot even if Shane Bieber and Triston McKenzie were healthy. Bieber has a 3.77 ERA and 1.248 WHIP with 95 strikeouts in 117 innings, a sample size that is very close to Bibee's, with the rookie having the edge. McKenzie has been limited to just 10 innings over two games, allowing five runs on eight hits while striking out 15 and walking four.
It certainly appears that the Guardians have a rotation anchor in Bibee. It is incredibly easy to attach the word future before anchor, but he has taken that role now and ran with it. Bibee, along with Gavin Williams and Logan Allen, should be three of the top arms in the Guardians' rotation for the foreseeable future.