Red Sox Rankings: Top 5 strikeout pitchers in MLB

CHICAGO, IL – JULY 18: Clayton Kershaw (Photo by Jon Durr/Getty Images)

Clayton Kershaw

Clayton Kershaw has consistently been one of the top pitchers in MLB for years. While he has long been known as the most dominant pitcher in the game, his acclaim does not come solely from his ability to strike out a ton of hitters. Kershaw is known best for the ability to keep runs to an extremely low limit. When he throws deeper into games, the Dodgers will most likely win the game he is pitching in.

Kershaw is on the disabled list with a bad back at the moment, but rest assured, he will be back primed and ready to help the Dodgers fuel up for the postseason.

His statistics this year are as follows; Kershaw is 15-2 with a 2.04 ERA. He has always been consistently up near the top in Wins Above Replacement or WAR. This year has been no different, as he has 4.5 WAR.

Kerhaw has led the majors in strikeouts three times, including topping 300 K’s in 2015. This year, Kershaw has 168 strikeouts. While he may not be the “strikeout king” this year, you can bet that he will be carrying his Dodgers deep into the postseason and possibly their first World Series title since 1988.