There are plenty of names that come to mind when the topic of elite starting pitchers comes up. Clayton Kershaw, Max Scherzer, Chris Sale, Zack Greinke, and Gerrit Cole rise to the top of the list.

However, there is another star pitcher that is slowly -- but surely -- putting his name into the conversation. That pitcher is Jake Arrieta of the Chicago Cubs.  He allowed only two hits on Tuesday against the Pirates, shutting them out over seven innings of work to lower his ERA to 2.50.

There are several reasons for Arrieta's emergence as an ace, specifically a newly-found killer instinct on the mound, and he outlined it to reporters following his gem in Pittsburgh.

“Being consistent is something I’ve been able to establish, and now it’s how can I go out there and dominate every time,” Arrieta said via Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com. “It’s easier to say than do, but with the preparation and proper game-planning, it’s possible to have dominant performances almost every time out. That’s what I intend to do.”

Dominate every time out? Check. Arrieta has done that.

During Tuesday’s game against the Pirates, Cubs announcers Len Kasper and Jim Deshaies referred to Arrieta's pitching of at least seven innings and allowing two runs or fewer as a “Jake Arrieta quality start.”  As a matter of fact, that is pretty much the kind of outing that we have come to expect out of the 29-year-old righty from TCU.

He has shown incredible consistency so far in 2015, especially of late. Since June 17, Arrieta has pitched at least six innings and allowed two runs or fewer in eight of his nine starts, including two complete games, one of which was a four-hit shutout.

However, is Arrieta really one of the best pitchers in baseball? The statistics show that he just might be. He ranks in the top 10 in Major League Baseball in pitcher wins above replacement (WAR), wins, walks plus hits per inning pitched (WHIP), innings pitched, strikeouts, complete games, shutouts, and fielding independent pitching (FIP).

That is a lot of numbers. As we know, though, sometimes numbers are deceiving. However, when we look at Arrieta’s overall makeup, it is clear that the numbers are indeed an accurate reflection of what kind of pitcher he is.

In the past, Arrieta attacked hitters with reckless abandon with a fastball that touched 97 mph. He had a five-pitch arsenal, but he loved throwing his fastball more than anything else. This year, though, he has made one major adjustment.

He still throws a four-seam fastball -- and it still has the ability to reach the mid-to-high 90-mph range -- but he uses it less often, about seven percent of the time according to Brooks Baseball. He has begun to rely more on his sinker, slider, and curveball to eviscerate hitters. 

A right-handed slider is typically most effective when used against a right-handed batter, but when it is as sharp as Arrieta's it does not really matter.

Arrieta throws all of his pitches extremely hard, and he has the uncanny ability to generate mind-boggling spin rates on all of his pitches as outlined by Mike Petriello on MLB.com back in June.

“Now, Arrieta's got two pitches with which he can get strikeouts -- the curve and slider both have double-digit strikeout percentages -- and two others on which he can induce weak contact,” Petriello wrote. “Arrieta, young flamethrower, is gone. Arrieta, multi-pitch weapon, is here. This ... this is so much better.”

Arrieta has been the 10th-best pitcher in baseball at limiting hard contact per FanGraphs. Some of the names ahead of him in that regard include Dallas Keuchel, Sonny Gray, Chris Sale, and Scott Kazmir. 

Arrieta has been so good that he has some people -- most notably Rick Morrisey of the Chicago Sun-Times -- wondering whom the Cubs would rather have on the mound in a must-win situation: Arrieta or Jon Lester, whom the Cubs signed for $155 million in the offseason.

The frightening thing about this whole situation is that Arrieta is possibly only scratching the surface of his potential. Just ask his manager, Joe Maddon.

“He’s not there yet,” Maddon said per Rogers. “When he understands how to utilize all his weapons, it can really get scary. There’s another level of Arrieta over the next couple of years.  I firmly believe that.”

Here is a pitcher that has completely turned around his pitching approach, gotten terrific results, and still has room to improve.

Jake Arrieta is an awesome pitcher who gives the Cubs an excellent chance to win every time he toes the rubber. He superbly blends confidence, dominance, durability, and talent, and that is why he is not only a filthy pitcher but also a legitimate ace and one of the best starters in Major League Baseball.

All stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference unless otherwise noted.