10 players opening eyes early this season

The 2026 season is still only a few weeks old, but plenty of players have stood out in the early going.

In many cases, high-level performances are expected -- nobody is surprised that players like Shohei Ohtani, Yordan Alvarez, Corbin Carroll, Cristopher Sánchez and Bryan Woo have excelled to begin the season. In other cases, there's enough data to suggest that some newer players could be taking big steps forward, such as the Cardinals’ Jordan Walker, who looks like one of the top breakout players this season.

With that in mind, here are 10 players who have been early-season standouts and why the future could be bright for them. For the sake of this exercise, no players with previous All-Star Game selections or MVP or Cy Young Award votes were considered.

The following numbers are entering Thursday’s games. Included are key Statcast stats and percentile rankings.

Ben Rice, 1B, Yankees
Key stats: .473 xwOBA (100th percentile), 75.0 percent hard-hit rate (100th), 25.0 percent barrel rate (99th percentile)

In many ways, Rice’s emergence to this kind of level was evident last season. The Yankees’ slugger posted an .836 OPS with 26 home runs, but the underlying numbers suggested he deserved an even better outcome -- his .394 expected wOBA was much higher than his actual .358 wOBA. Rice promptly decided to crush the ball even more in 2026, as he had a 1.183 OPS and four home runs through his first 11 games. Rice is boasting a 100th percentile xwOBA (.473) and hard-hit rate (75.0 percent), while barreling a quarter of his batted balls and showing elite plate discipline (90th percentile chase rate). He’s proven to be quite the hitter to pair with Aaron Judge in the middle of the Yankees lineup and looks like one of the best hitters in baseball.

José Soriano, RHP, Angels
Key stats: 38.8 percent chase rate (93rd percentile), 33.8 percent whiff rate (83rd), 2.90 xERA (74th)

Soriano has been downright dominant in 2026, allowing one run in 20 innings across his first three outings against the Astros, Cubs and Braves. His latest was an eight-inning gem against Atlanta on Monday, when the Angels’ ace allowed one run, while striking out 10 batters and issuing no walks. Soriano has always possessed electric stuff, but it’s gotten even better this year -- he’s averaging 97.5 on his fastball and generating a 33.8 percent whiff rate. Most encouraging, Soriano is starting to throw more strikes, a frequent problem in the past. With an elite ground-ball rate (he leads all qualified pitchers with a 66.0 percent ground-ball rate since 2025) and improved stuff and command, Soriano has the makings of a true breakout performer.

Cam Schlittler, RHP, Yankees
Key stats: 1.47 xERA (97th percentile), 37.7 percent chase rate (91st), 32.3 percent whiff rate (79th percentile)

Schlittler burst onto the scene for the Yankees last season upon his promotion, posting a 2.96 ERA and striking out 84 batters in his first 14 starts, before dazzling in the postseason with a 12-strikeout performance across eight scoreless innings in the AL Wild Card Series against the Red Sox. The second-year righty is leveling up even more in 2026, with a 1.62 ERA, 22 strikeouts and no walks in his first three starts of the season. Schlittler has used his high-velocity, heavy-fastball approach to generate tons of miss (32.3 percent whiff rate), while hammering the zone (54.1 percent zone rate) and generating a shocking amount of chasing (37.7 percent) for a pitcher mainly relying on a four-seamer, sinker and cutter.

Jack Leiter, RHP, Rangers
Key stats: 45.3 percent whiff rate (99th percentile), 2.39 xERA (84th), 34.3 percent chase rate (77th)

Leiter has been firmly established in the baseball lexicon since his collegiate days at Vanderbilt, making his early-season breakout so fun to watch. In his first two starts, Leiter has allowed three runs, while running an absurd 17-to-2 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Leiter is generating whiffs on a whopping 45.3 percent of swings (98th percentile), he's shaved his walk rate by nearly six percent and boosted his chase rate by almost 10 percent. With a diverse six-pitch mix, excellent stuff and newfound command, Leiter looks like he’s coming into his own.

Chase Burns, RHP, Reds
Key stats: 44.4 percent whiff rate (99th percentile), 98.5 mph avg. fastball velocity (97th), 2.21 xERA (87th)

Burns, the No. 2 pick in the 2024 Draft, flashed immense upside in last year’s debut season, when he struck out 67 batters in 43 1/3 innings. Despite a 4.57 ERA, his underlying numbers suggested he was rather unfortunate, and we’ve seen those positive outcomes come to fruition this year. In his first two starts, Burns allowed one run in 11 innings, while striking out 16 batters and generating whiffs on 44.4 percent of swings against him. Burns’ 98.5 mph four-seamer is complemented by a devastating low-90s slider, which has produced a gaudy 56.3 percent whiff rate, while he mixes in an occasional changeup. Burns might be on an innings limit this year, but on a per-inning basis, he could be one of baseball’s most exciting pitchers.

Dillon Dingler, C, Tigers
Key stats: .472 xwOBA (99th percentile), 20.8 percent barrel rate (96th), 58.3 percent hard-hit rate (96th)

Dingler established himself as the surefire everyday catcher for the Tigers in 2025, winning a Gold Glove and posting a .752 OPS with 13 home runs in 126 games. The 27-year-old backstop is seemingly taking it up a notch in 2026, with a .885 OPS through his first 10 games, with underlying figures suggesting his numbers should be even better so far. Dingler already had solid contact quality numbers last year, but he’s raised his level thus far, barreling a fifth of his baseballs and recording hard-hit batted balls nearly 60 percent of the time. If Dingler has found a new offensive level, his all-around game could make him one of baseball’s top catchers.

Cam Smith, OF, Astros
Key stats: +3 Outs Above Average (100th percentile), 77.6 mph bat speed (98th), 16.7 percent barrel rate (90th)

Smith is flashing the type of all-around skills that made him a 2024 first-round Draft pick and key piece in the trade that sent Kyle Tucker to the Cubs. Across the board, Smith is showing elite skills that have started to translate into results (.907 OPS, three home runs, three steals). Smith is boasting a .378 xwOBA and 16.7 percent barrel rate, which has been helped by a 3.1 mph increase in bat speed, the largest jump of any qualified hitter. Smith has also compiled three Outs Above Average, the most of any outfielder, while boasting a 96th percentile sprint speed. A Smith breakout would be a huge development for an Astros club looking to return to the postseason.

Sal Stewart, 1B, Reds
Key stats: .458 xwOBA (98th percentile), 20.0 percent barrel rate (94th), 54.3 percent hard-hit rate (90th)

Stewart, MLB Pipeline’s No. 19 prospect, has done nothing but hit since debuting last September for the Reds. After slugging five home runs with an .838 OPS in 18 games last year, Stewart is running a .364/.473/.727 slash line with four home runs in 13 games. His contact quality, which was already great last year, has ticked up even more. Stewart has also shown more selectivity, shaving his chase rate by 4.1 percent, which has led to his walk rate more than tripling. Stewart has the makings of a very special hitter and one who is rapidly maturing.

Wilyer Abreu, OF, Red Sox
Key stats: 17.1 percent barrel rate (92nd percentile), .357 xwOBA (76th), 21.8 percent whiff rate (70th)

Abreu was already one of the better all-around outfielders in baseball before this year. However, Abreu really flashed his excellence on the world stage for a Venezuelan team that won the 2026 World Baseball Classic and the 26-year-old outfielder has been downright awesome to begin the regular season. Abreu is tied for the MLB lead with 1.0 WAR (per FanGraphs), thanks to an absurd .383/.408/.702 slash line, three home runs and his usual excellent defense. Abreu’s contact quality has taken another step forward and his whiff rate has dropped to a career-low 21.8 percent.

Liam Hicks, C, Marlins
Key stats: 7.3 percent whiff rate (100th percentile), .388 xwOBA (88th), 10.3 percent barrel rate (66th)

Hicks might be the most unexpected player on this list, a Rule 5 pick who had a solid rookie campaign for the Marlins last season (95 OPS+ in 119 games). Hicks flashed strong plate discipline and contact skills but he’s been borderline elite in that department this season, with a 100th percentile whiff rate and 93rd percentile chase rate this year. More encouraging is the contact quality -- Hicks has raised his average exit velocity from 84.6 mph to 88.5 mph and his barrel rate from 3.5 percent to 10.3 percent. Hicks has unlocked more power by boosting his bat speed by 0.8 mph and cranking his pulled-air rate from 14.9 percent to 34.5 percent. That’s led to a 1.034 OPS in his first 11 games with three home runs, half of his entire 2025 total.

Honorable mentions: Taj Bradley (MIN), Dominic Canzone (SEA), Francisco Alvarez (NYM), Joey Cantillo (CLE), Andy Pages (LAD)