Five MLB pitchers off to dominant starts in 2026

A few weeks into April, certain pitchers are already in a groove while everyone else is still trying to find one. Some of these names are no surprise, but the way they have started the season definitely is. 

Others have come out of the gate looking like completely different arms. This happens every year: a handful jump early and make you wonder how long they can keep it going. Each pitcher listed here has thrown at least 20 innings to keep this from turning into a small-sample-size contest. 

Could others make the list? Absolutely. This is not the end-all, be-all of hot pitchers right now, just a look at some notable standouts in the early part of the season. All stats referenced here are sourced from MLB.com, because if you are going to argue about numbers in April, you might as well argue with the official ones.

Jose Soriano- Los Angeles Angels

Soriano is sitting right at the top of the board with a .33 ERA over 27.0 innings, which alone gets the attention. He also has 31 strikeouts to go with that .67 WHIP, which puts a bit more to it than just some fluky April outing. He is showing good Ks but not dominant Ks, which means his defense is doing a stellar job backing him up.

Taj Bradley- Minnesota Twins

This has been some of the most electric stuff seen early, as Bradley is sporting an ERA of 1.25 in 21.2 innings with 29 punchouts. The strikeout number pops out immediately, as this is not just contact management, but also whiffs are present. The WHIP of 1.25 and 19 hits would imply there has been some traffic, but nothing that was capitalized upon and made damaging.

Jeffrey Springs- Athletics

The one clear arm on the board has been Springs, who currently has a 1.46 ERA with 24.2 innings pitched and an outstanding 0.77 WHIP. He does only have 20 strikeouts, but that can be attributed to just keeping the bat off the ball and limiting contact; it has worked to near perfection as he has only given up 11 hits, and there simply have not been many runners to worry about.

Cristopher Sanchez- Philadelphia Phillies

Sanchez has been one of the more electric arms early on, posting a 2.01 ERA over 22.1 innings with 31 strikeouts. That strikeout total stands out immediately and shows he is not just pitching to contact; he is putting hitters away. At the same time, a 1.39 WHIP with 24 hits allowed shows there has been some traffic. It is not the cleanest profile on the board, but the swing and miss give it a chance to hold.

Max Fried- New York Yankees

Fried has been one of the steadier arms early on, posting a 1.93 ERA over 28 innings with a 0.75 WHIP. He has added 20 strikeouts, showing he can miss enough bats while keeping hitters from doing much damage. There is not a lot of traffic here, and even less that turns into anything meaningful. It is not flashy, but it is exactly what you expect from him, and that is what makes it so reliable.

It is still April, and this board will not look the same in a few weeks. Some of these names will continue to put up great numbers while others quietly drift back toward the middle. The key right now is figuring out which starts are building into something real and which ones are just passing through.