Even in an era of bullpens and openers, it's still a tremendous honor to get the ball on Opening Day. This year it's even more meaningful as MLB returns to a 162-game season.
Let's rank all 30 Opening Day starters ahead of the 2021 campaign.
30. Matthew Boyd, Tigers
Boyd, a staple of the Tigers' ongoing rebuild, was one of the worst starting pitchers in baseball last season, according to FanGraphs. That about sums it up for Detroit.
29. Kyle Gibson, Rangers
Gibson tied with Boyd for the lowest WAR among qualified starters in 2020. With Lance Lynn gone, he's now the leader of a poor Rangers staff. He's also Texas' highest-paid pitcher, so it makes sense that manager Chris Woodward is giving Gibson the ball Thursday.
28. Chad Kuhl, Pirates
Kuhl, 28, is the Pirates' sixth Opening Day starter in as many seasons. He'll look to start the rebuilding squad off right and snap Pittsburgh's two-year season-opening losing streak.
27. Brad Keller, Royals
Keller was the Royals' best pitcher in 2020 and is their second-longest-tenured starter behind Danny Duffy. This will be the former Rule 5 Draft pick's second Opening Day start in three years.
26. John Means, Orioles
The Orioles won't be good, but they will have a former All-Star starting for them on Opening Day, and that has to count for something. Means is a marked improvement over Baltimore's past two season-opening starters in Andrew Cashner (as an injury replacement) and Tommy Milone.
25. Chris Bassitt, Athletics
The A's are tabbing Bassitt over Frankie Montas and Sean Manaea for Opening Day. Bassitt may not be the team's ace, but the 32-year-old is coming off a quietly successful season that earned him a couple of down-ballot American League Cy Young votes. He's not the best pitcher on this list, but he's certainly deserving of the start.
24. Madison Bumgarner, Diamondbacks
This will be Bumgarner's seventh career Opening Day start and second straight for the Diamondbacks. Will this be the day ol' MadBum finally shows up for Arizona?
23. Nathan Eovaldi, Red Sox
Eduardo Rodriguez was originally slated to get this start after missing last season due to a heart condition that developed from COVID-19. Unfortunately, arm fatigue has delayed E-Rod's return, leaving Eovaldi to make his second straight Opening Day start for the Red Sox.
22. Marco Gonzales, Mariners
Gonzales is hardly the boring choice after a solid 2020 campaign that saw him grow into the No. 1 role. The Mariners are giving him a third straight Opening Day start for good reason.
21. Kevin Gausman, Giants
Gausman will start for the Giants on Opening Day after accepting their qualifying offer. Whether this will be the start of another solid season for the 30-year-old remains to be seen. San Francisco is hoping so - because he's now at the top of an odd and interesting Giants rotation.
20. Sandy Alcantara, Marlins
Alcantara gets his second consecutive Opening Day start for the plucky young Marlins. He's not necessarily their ace of the future - Sixto Sanchez holds that distinction - but Alcantara is a one-time All-Star with that kind of potential. Opening Day is the perfect occasion for him to show it.
19. German Marquez, Rockies
One of the few bright spots on what's shaping up to be a dismal squad, Marquez is the rare Rockies pitching prospect who's managed to make it in the high altitude of Denver. This was the easy Opening Day choice for manager Bud Black.
18. Dylan Bundy, Angels
Bundy is the fifth Opening Day starter in the last five seasons for the notoriously pitching-thin Angels. Things feel different this year, though, after Bundy's remarkable turnaround in Anaheim last summer. The Angels are hoping Opening Day will signal the next chapter of Bundy's transformation into the bona fide No. 1 starter they've spent years searching for.
17. Max Fried, Braves
Fried assumed the ace's role for the Braves after Mike Soroka's injury last summer and was brilliant, allowing just two regular-season homers while winning a Gold Glove and finishing fifth in NL Cy Young voting. An Opening Day start is the perfect reward for his efforts and a clear sign he'll remain a co-leader of Atlanta's staff once Soroka returns. He may not be this low on the list in 2022.
16. Zack Greinke, Astros
Greinke might not care about his fifth career Opening Day start, but we certainly do. Now one of the game's elder statesmen, the 37-year-old has shown no signs of slowing down on the mound. The Astros have had a ton of pitching injuries, but Greinke's still there, and they can be thankful he's leading their staff.
15. Brandon Woodruff, Brewers
One of the more underrated starters in baseball, Woodruff gets his second straight Opening Day nod following a quietly stellar 2020 campaign. He's the leader of the Brewers' rotation and an important piece of their team going forward.
14. Kenta Maeda, Twins
Maeda gave the Twins everything they asked for and then some in his first year with the club. Rewarding last season's AL Cy Young runner-up with his first career Opening Day start was an easy choice for Minnesota.
13. Kyle Hendricks, Cubs
Hendricks twirled a three-hit shutout on Opening Day last year, only the fifth time that's happened this century. If he comes anywhere close to repeating that gem this year, the Cubs will be more than satisfied.
12. Aaron Nola, Phillies
To no one's surprise, the Phillies are giving Nola his fourth straight Opening Day start. He's had mixed results in his previous season-opening outings, winning in 2019 before the Marlins roughed him up last year. This is an important season for the Phillies, and Nola can set the tone with the kind of performance expected of a former Cy Young finalist.
11. Luis Castillo, Reds
Opening Day holds special significance in Cincinnati, the birthplace of professional baseball. Castillo undoubtedly knows this ahead of his second season-opening start for the Reds, but there's added pressure this time around. Trevor Bauer left as a free agent after winning the National League Cy Young, and Sonny Gray is opening the campaign on the injured list. Still, there's no reason to think Castillo isn't up to the task of helping the Reds start things off right.
10. Tyler Glasnow, Rays
The Rays go against the grain in so many ways, but even they know not to mess around and start anyone other than their very best on Opening Day. With Blake Snell and Charlie Morton gone, that title in Tampa unquestionably belongs to Glasnow. The only question is how long manager Kevin Cash keeps him out there.
9. Lucas Giolito, White Sox
Giolito is the perfect - and easy - choice to lead the White Sox into 2021. He's now firmly established as an ace and is poised to take a step into elite territory this season.
8. Yu Darvish, Padres
It was a coin flip as to which of the Padres' marquee pitching additions - Darvish or Snell - would start on Opening Day. Darvish won out after finishing second in NL Cy Young voting with the Cubs last year. He'll be the Friars' ninth Opening Day starter since 2013 - and their first legitimate ace in that span.
7. Jack Flaherty, Cardinals
This will be Flaherty's second straight Opening Day start. Expect him to make quite a few more of them before his time with the Cardinals is up. Questions surround St. Louis, but Flaherty gives the team much-needed stability atop the rotation.
6. Hyun Jin Ryu, Blue Jays
The Blue Jays' rotation has some holes in it, but the team can count on a brilliant outing from Ryu every five days. He justified his price tag in a big way last year, and there was never any doubt he'd take the bump for Toronto again on Opening Day.
5. Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers
Kershaw will make his ninth career Opening Day start to extend his Dodgers franchise record after a two-year break, and there are few pitchers a team could want more on Opening Day. Kershaw's track record in season openers includes a four-hit shutout in 2013 - he also homered that day - and a 1.35 ERA, second among pitchers with at least eight career Opening Day starts, according to Andrew Simon of MLB.com.
4. Max Scherzer, Nationals
If you can't have Kershaw, Scherzer isn't a bad alternative. Set to make his fourth straight Opening Day start for the Nationals and sixth overall, Mad Max has absolutely dominated in season openers, recording at least 10 strikeouts in each of the last three. If he does it again, he'll tie Randy Johnson for the most 10-K Opening Day outings in MLB history, according to Sarah Langs of MLB.com.
3. Shane Bieber, Indians
Francisco Lindor is gone, but Bieber remains in Cleveland. The reigning AL Cy Young winner started 2020 with a 14-strikeout Opening Day performance for the Indians, and he could do even better this year against the hapless Tigers. Oh, baby.
2. Gerrit Cole, Yankees
This will be Cole's second Opening Day start for the Yankees, but his first in the Bronx. It will probably be the first of many he makes in pinstripes, and he'll be looking to put on a show for the limited-capacity crowd.
1. Jacob deGrom, Mets
Day in and day out, deGrom is the best pitcher in baseball. The Mets - and any other team - would be hard-pressed to start the season with someone better on the bump.