There are always plenty of Spring Training stat lines that don't matter. There's probably no one worried that Tarik Skubal has an ERA close to 4.00 this spring, or that Shohei Ohtani is barely batting over .200.
But can we figure out the ones that do matter? Let's take a shot.
Here are some of the players who are having great springs in 2026 -- and who we think will make noise in the regular season, too. We're doing seven hitters and seven pitchers.
These are the Spring Training stat lines that will matter in 2026. (Stats are entering the week.)
HITTERS
Drake Baldwin, Braves
.325 BA / .625 SLG / .997 OPS, 2 HR
Everything the reigning National League Rookie of the Year hits, he hits hard. Baldwin has a 74% hard-hit rate -- tied for the best of nearly 500 hitters with at least 30 Spring Training plate appearances. His average exit velocity is 97.2 mph. And his barrel rate is a superb 23% -- that means he's not just hitting the ball really hard, he's hitting the ball really hard and in the air, which is the formula for extra-base hits. The 24-year-old could quickly cement himself as one of the best offensive catchers in the game.
Wyatt Langford, Rangers
.444 BA / .524 OBP / .944 SLG / 1.468 OPS / 5 HR
The hitter who's tied with Baldwin at the top of the hard-hit leaderboard? That'd be Langford, who's raked every single spring since he slugged his way onto the Rangers' Opening Day roster in 2024. This year, those numbers for Langford include a 98.5 mph average exit velocity, 74% hard-hit rate, plus a very low 10% swing-and-miss rate and more walks (six) than strikeouts (five). Somehow, Langford's spring numbers have gotten better every season. And his big league career is on the same trajectory.
Chase DeLauter, Guardians
.429 BA / .500 OBP / .657 SLG / 1.157 OPS, 5 BB vs. 4 K
Last October, DeLauter became one of the rare players to make his MLB debut in the postseason. Now, entering his first full regular season, the 24-year-old looks more than ready to take over right field for the Guardians. Like Langford, DeLauter's combination of hard hitting and high contact this spring is impeccable. MLB's No. 46 overall prospect has a 93.6 mph average exit velocity and 63% hard-hit rate with a swing-and-miss rate of just under 15% and more strikeouts than walks.
Addison Barger, Blue Jays
.310 BA / .595 SLG / .991 OPS / 3 HR
Barger's combination of some stellar underlying metrics in 2025 -- his bat speed and hard-hit rate both ranked in the top 10% of MLB hitters -- and a red-hot spring this year make it look like a breakout is incoming for the 26-year-old. At Spring Training, he's got a 93.7 mph exit velocity and 52% hard-hit rate.
Samuel Basallo, Orioles
.333 BA / .422 OBP / .692 SLG / 1.114 OPS / 3 HR
Basallo didn't do much in his big league debut last season, but bigger things could be in store for MLB's No. 8 overall prospect in 2026. The 21-year-old has top-tier bat speed (we saw that in 2025), and the Spring Training numbers are off the charts. Basallo has a 97.2 mph average exit velocity, 64% hard-hit rate and a monster 32% barrel rate -- among the highest for any hitter this spring.
Jac Caglianone, Royals
.300 BA / .462 OBP / .550 SLG / 1.012 OPS
Caglianone doesn't have a ton of games at Spring Training specifically because he was busy playing for Team Italy at the World Baseball Classic, but when you hit a ball 120 mph, that matters. Caglianone's 120.2 mph double last month is the hardest-hit ball in MLB this spring, and it puts him in a tiny -- and star-studded -- group of hitters who have ever hit a ball that hard under Statcast tracking. Oh, and he also has a 116.5 mph double and a 115.2 mph, 460-foot home run at Spring Training and a 110.4 mph lefty-lefty home run against Team USA at the WBC. Caglianone might've struggled in his first big league stint in 2025, but his bat speed and raw power are truly elite. Watch for him to put them to good use in 2026.
Matt McLain, Reds
.529 BA / .571 OBP / 1.020 SLG / 1.591 OPS / 7 HR
OK, so McLain obviously can't put up numbers this good during the regular season. But we think his insane spring is still a good sign for what he'll do in 2026. McLain didn't look like himself last season, after he returned from the shoulder su numbersrgery that cost him all of 2024. But he's still just 26, and his Spring Training this year look a lot like they did in 2023, when he rode a hot spring to a breakout rookie season in Cincinnati. McLain is hitting everything this spring -- he's batting .458 and slugging .708 against fastballs, batting .733 and slugging 1.933 against breaking balls and batting .417 and slugging .500 against offspeed pitches.
PITCHERS
Cristopher Sánchez, Phillies
1.29 ERA, 0.57 WHIP, 8 K's in 7 innings
Sánchez was the ace of the Dominican Republic at the World Baseball Classic, so he's only pitched two Spring Training games, but his performance in those games is just what you'd want from a guy who just got a big new contract. Sánchez's lefty sinker sat at 95 mph with 18 inches of arm-side run at Phillies camp -- that's nasty -- and his changeup averaged 86.2 mph with 17 inches of horizontal movement and generating a 67% swing-and-miss rate. Oh, and he was even nastier in his eight-K start against Korea in the WBC quarterfinals.
Cam Schlittler, Yankees
0.93 ERA, 0.83 WHIP, 11 K's in 9 2/3 innings
The Yankees could have a loaded rotation this season, and it's not just because of veterans like Gerrit Cole returning. It's also because of youngsters like Schlittler, who looks ready to build on his electric 2025 rookie season and playoff performance. The 25-year-old has some big-time stuff. Schlittler is averaging over 98 mph on both his four-seamer and sinker this spring, and he's added some juice to his cutter, which is sitting at 94.7 mph. He's going to overpower hitters in 2026.
Kodai Senga, Mets
1.86 ERA, 0.72 WHIP, 11 K's in 9 2/3 innings
Is Senga back? We hope so. After an injury plagued last two seasons, the Mets right-hander has his best stuff since his All-Star rookie season in 2023. Senga's fastball has averaged 96.2 mph and topped out at 98.9 mph, and his signature "Ghost Fork" forkball is striking out hitters at a 50% clip. His breaking balls -- a slider, sweeper and curveball -- have been sharp, too.
Shane McClanahan, Rays
2.08 ERA, 15 K's in 13 innings
McClanahan hasn't pitched a Major League game in two years, but he's finally healthy, and when he's healthy he's been one of the best pitchers in baseball. The 28-year-old left-hander looks ready to be great again. McClanahan's secondary pitches have been especially nasty at Spring Training -- his slider, curveball and changeup have combined to generate a 48% swing-and-miss rate and 52% strikeout rate. McClanahan's fastball, averaging 94.4 mph, is still a little shy of its upper-90s best, but with that breaking and offspeed stuff, he should still be in good shape.
Mason Montgomery, Pirates
2.70 ERA, 9 K's in 6 2/3 innings
Montgomery had an up-and-down rookie season in 2025, but the Pirates traded for him from the Rays this winter because the 25-year-old has the ceiling to be one of the most overpowering lefty relievers in the Majors. Montgomery's first Spring Training in Pittsburgh is a good start: He's showing off a powerful four-pitch mix -- a 97.9 mph heater, 92.6 mph changeup, 89.5 mph slider and 86.5 mph curveball. All that velocity across multiple pitch types is going to be hard to deal with.
Mick Abel, Twins
2.00 ERA, 0.83 WHIP, 23 K's in 18 innings
Abel won a spot in the Twins' rotation this spring, and deservedly so. The 24-year-old right-hander, a big piece in Minnesota's Jhoan Duran trade last summer, has shown off an impressive, wide-ranging arsenal. Abel is throwing six pitches -- four-seamer, sinker, changeup, slider, sweeper and curveball -- and his 96.3 mph heater, 88.6 mph changeup, 88 mph slider and 81.4 mph curve have all been particularly effective at generating whiffs and K's.
Cody Ponce, Blue Jays
0.66 ERA, 0.80 WHIP, 12 K's in 13 2/3 innings
Returning to the Major Leagues after reinventing his career in Korea, the 31-year-old was one of the more intriguing free-agent signings of the offseason. And at Spring Training, Ponce's stuff looks for real. His fastball is now averaging 95.5 mph, over two full mph harder than the last time he pitched in the big leagues in 2021, with much higher spin and stronger rising movement. His new "kick change" changeup, which he developed overseas and which powered his KBO League MVP season in 2025, is generating a 50% whiff rate and 46% strikeout rate this spring. Ponce looks like he'll be a completely different pitcher with Toronto than he was with the Pirates five years ago.