Baseball's three hardest-throwing starters all reside in the National League Central, and amazingly, none of them is named Paul Skenes.
Rather, a trio of less experienced fireballers is turning the NL Central into MLB's hottest division -- literally.
Fastest average four-seamer/sinker velocity, SP, 2026
Min. 25 four-seamers/sinkers thrown
1. Bubba Chandler (PIT): 99.1 mph
2. Jacob Misiorowski (MIL): 98.6 mph
3. Chase Burns (CIN): 98.3 mph
4. Eury Pérez (MIA): 98.2 mph
5. Dylan Cease (TOR): 97.9 mph
But throwing hard and playing for NL Central teams isn't all Misiorowski, Chandler and Burns have in common.
All three are right-handers under 25 years old. All three are former top prospects who made their Major League debuts in 2025. And all three could have a major impact on who wins what might be MLB's most competitive division from top to bottom.
Here’s a closer look at these young flamethrowers, each of whom is scheduled to take the mound over the next few days -- Burns against the Rangers on Sunday, Chandler against the Padres on Monday and Misiorowski against the Red Sox on Tuesday.
Misiorowski
What happened in 2025: Standing 6-foot-7, Misiorowski is the “elder” statesman in this group, both in terms of age (he turned 24 on Friday) and experience (77 innings). The right-hander was so impressive after debuting last June that he earned an All-Star selection five games into his career. That said, he did run into a bit of a rookie wall when he posted a 5.89 ERA -- albeit with a 3.79 FIP -- over his final nine outings.
Why he’s so important in 2026: Milwaukee traded Freddy Peralta to the Mets in the offseason and will need to be cautious with oft-injured veteran Brandon Woodruff, who has made just 24 starts since the beginning of 2023. As a result, Misiorowski has become the de facto ace of a rotation that also currently includes several other unproven starters.
Misiorowski certainly has the stuff befitting a frontline arm, and his performance so far fits the bill, too, as he’s struck out 18 batters with a 2.45 ERA through two starts. But we’ll see if he has the consistency and durability to give the Crew what it needs.
Key stat: Misiorowski owns the three fastest K’s by a starting pitcher this season: 101.1 mph, 100.6 mph and 100.4 mph.
Chandler
What happened in 2025: The Pirates called Chandler up to the big leagues last August and he threw eight scoreless innings out of the bullpen over his first two appearances. Chandler allowed nine runs over 2 2/3 innings against the Brewers in the first start of his career on Sept. 7 but had a 1.57 ERA across 28 2/3 innings in his other six games (three starts).
Why he’s so important in 2026: After ranking last in the Majors in runs and homers last season, the Pirates focused on improving their lineup in the offseason with the additions of Brandon Lowe, Ryan O’Hearn and Marcell Ozuna. MLB Pipeline’s No. 1 overall prospect, Konnor Griffin, is now in the Majors, too.
But despite all of that, Pittsburgh’s offense is probably not going to be good enough to carry the club to the playoffs if its rotation isn’t producing behind Skenes. Right now, it’s still unclear who the Pirates’ second-best starter will be, but the 23-year-old Chandler has the highest ceiling out of all the candidates. He walked six batters in his first start of 2026 but held the Reds hitless over 4 1/3 innings while striking out six.
Key stat: Chandler’s upper-tier velocity extends to his “offspeed” stuff. He has recorded the three fastest changeup strikeouts this season at 94.3 mph, 94.1 mph and 93.7 mph. To put that in perspective, the MLB average fastball velocity for starting pitchers this season is 94.3 mph.
Burns
What happened in 2025: Burns made his MLB debut on June 24 last season, less than a year after the Reds made him the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft. Although he missed time with a right flexor strain and posted a 4.57 ERA on the year, Burns showed frequent flashes of dominance. Burns recorded double-digit K’s in four of his eight starts and finished with an outstanding 35.6% strikeout rate and 2.65 FIP.
Why he’s so important in 2026: With fellow flamethrower Hunter Greene out until July after undergoing right elbow surgery and Nick Lodolo dealing with recurring blister issues, there’s a significant void atop Cincinnati’s rotation. The club is counting on the 23-year-old Burns, who threw five scoreless innings of one-hit ball against the Pirates in his first start of 2026, to fill it.
Key stat: Burns has racked up 36 K’s in 76 plate appearances ending on sliders since joining the Reds. That’s the fourth-highest strikeout rate (47.4%) on sliders since the beginning of 2025 (minimum 50 PAs ending on sliders).