MLB 2026 breakouts: 10 surprising hitters and pitchers off to red-hot starts

With baseball back in full swing, we now have nearly two weeks of statistics to dive into. Early-season stats are often misleading because, let’s face it, Shohei Ohtani isn’t going to have an OPS under .800 for the Dodgers all year. 

But one of the more exciting parts of the opening weeks of an MLB season is checking out surprising players off to stellar starts. These could be young rookies showing they’re ready for the spotlight, players kicking off breakout campaigns or guys you simply may not know very well who have opposing hitters or pitchers baffled. 

With SeatGeek proudly serving as the Official Ticket Marketplace of MLB, there’s no better time to lock in your seats and see which early-season breakout stars are worth watching in person. Here, we take a look at five hitters and five pitchers who are enjoying excellent starts to the 2026 season.

Five surprise MLB hitters off to scorching starts in 2026

These five hitters have wasted no time making an impact, whether by flashing breakout potential, delivering unexpected power or forcing their way into the early-season spotlight.

Detroit Tigers 3B Colt Keith

A lot of attention is being placed on standout Detroit rookie prospect Kevin McGonigle’s hot start – and for very good reason – but Keith looks like he’s primed and ready to truly break out for the Tigers this season. I tabbed Keith as one of my favorite breakout candidates before the season began as he makes a lot of contact, will take his walks and doesn’t expand the strike zone. He’s picked up 11 hits and is hitting .407 in the early stages of the season, and it’s easy to see why the Tigers were willing to give him a long-term contract before he made his MLB debut. Keith had a good start to 2025 before faltering down the stretch, so he’s someone I’m keeping a close eye on all year long. 

Chicago White Sox 1B/DH Munetaka Murakami

My AL Rookie of the Year pick, Murakami came to MLB after dominating as one of the best sluggers in Japanese history. The big question wasn’t whether Murakami could hit the ball out of the ballpark, but rather if he’d make enough contact to showcase his prestigious power. In the early stages of 2026, Murakami looks like he certainly can handle MLB pitching with four of his seven hits leaving the yard. His .226 average isn’t exactly noteworthy, even at this stage of the year, but hitting homers is what Murakami was brought to the U.S. to do, and he’s certainly showing he can do that already with the White Sox. 

Miami Marlins C/1B Liam Hicks

Who didn’t have Hicks starting the year off as one of baseball’s premier run producers? All jokes aside, Hicks played a big role in Miami’s hot start to the year, and he’s tied for the league lead in RBIs (12) and is among the league’s leaders in OPS (1.164). Hicks had a rough go as a Marlins rookie last year with an OPS under .700, but he’s certainly made the most of his opportunities in the early stages of 2026. 

Cleveland Guardians OF Chase DeLauter

DeLauter made his MLB debut last postseason, picking up one hit in six at-bats. He made his regular-season debut on Opening Day in Seattle and he hit a home run in his first at-bat before homering again later that game. He followed that up by going yard in Game 2, and he homered in Game 3 for good measure. DeLauter exits the weekend tied for the MLB lead with five home runs as the former first-round pick has given Cleveland another much-needed power bat alongside Jose Ramirez and Kyle Manzardo. Injuries certainly impacted DeLauter’s development and road to The Show, but he’s showing why the Guardians were right to put him on the big league roster with so little time in the minors.  

Cincinnati Reds 1B Sal Stewart

Stewart is yet another exciting young hitter to join the Reds’ MLB roster, and after posting a promising .255/.293/.545 slash line in 18 games last year, Stewart is off to a fantastic start for Cincy in his first full MLB season in 2026. The young infielder is slashing .367/.500/.667 with five extra-base hits and more walks than strikeouts. The Reds are a very exciting team because of young players like Stewart, and he’s a big reason why Cincinnati is off to a good start to 2026. He could very well be the biggest X-factor not named Elly De La Cruz for the Reds’ lineup this year. 

Five starting pitchers turning heads early in the 2026 MLB season

These five starters have come out firing to open 2026, and these early performances could signal bigger breakout seasons ahead.

New York Yankees RHP Cam Schlittler

The Yankees have gotten off to a stellar start in the pitching department, and Schlittler is a big reason why. The tall hard-throwing right-hander has done nothing but post zeroes in his first two starts of the year, spinning 11 2/3 innings of shutout ball against the Giants and Mariners with 15 strikeouts and zero walks. Schlittler has elite velocity with three different fastballs, and he’s relying on those three pitches nearly 90% of the time, per Baseball Savant. And why not? Opposing hitters haven’t figured him out yet.

Seattle Mariners RHP Emerson Hancock

Hancock, a former first-round pick, has been a fill-in starter for Seattle for a few years now, and he was expected to be in that role once again when the season began. An injury to Bryce Miller pushed Hancock back into the Mariners’ rotation, and so far, so good for the Georgia product. He kicked off the year with six no-hit innings against Cleveland before allowing just a single run in 6 2/3 innings of work against the Angels on Saturday. He’s also struck out 14 batters with just one walk issued. It’s early, for certain, but if Hancock is throwing the ball this way when Miller is healthy, the Mariners may have a tough decision on their hands. 

Los Angeles Angels LHP Reid Detmers

One of my preseason breakout picks on the pitching side of things, Detmers has performed more than admirably across two starts this season in his return to the Angels starting rotation. He gave up three runs in 4 2/3 innings against the Astros in his 2026 debut, but he struck out nine and didn’t walk anyone. He followed that up with 6 2/3 shutout innings against Seattle, working around three hits and four walks. Detmers’ slider has been great thus far, and his four-pitch mix appears to be working very well for him after enjoying a nice season as a reliever in 2025.

Atlanta Braves RHP Bryce Elder

An All-Star in 2023, Elder made just 38 starts between 2024 and 2025 and had some pretty rough results. The hope was he could return to his pre-injury form, which would give Atlanta a big boost in the team’s playoff aspirations. Things appear to be clicking for the young right-hander early on, as he has given up just two runs – both unearned – across 13 innings in two starts with 13 strikeouts to two walks and nine hits allowed. A healthy Elder pitching alongside Chris Sale and, eventually, Spencer Strider would give the Braves a very potent three-man pairing atop the rotation should he continue to post like he has. 

San Diego Padres RHP Randy Vasquez

Vasquez was quietly rock solid for San Diego last year with a 3.84 ERA in 133 2/3 innings, but there were some big concerns with his profile. The young right-hander had a lowly 5.3 K/9 rate, but he made it work and gave the Padres some good results. He’s allowed just one run, eight hits and four walks in 12 innings this year, striking out 11 over that span in starts against Detroit and Boston. Whether this is a sign of things to come over the course of the season remains to be seen, but with the Padres still waiting on Joe Musgrove to return to the rotation, this has been a very pleasant start for Vasquez.