Los Angeles Angels pitcher Jose Soriano. Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Four surprise players to open the MLB season

By Daniel Morrison | Last updated Apr 13, 2026 3:39 PM ET

The MLB season is still young, but there are already trends around the sport. That includes players who are trending upwards and already having excellent seasons.

There are players who fans expect to be great, like Shohei Ohtani. More interesting, however, are the surprises. Here's a look at four of those surprises who have opened the year playing better than just about anyone thought they were capable of doing.

Jordan Walker, OF, St. Louis Cardinals

This season has been a bit of a renaissance for Walker. The 23-year-old was once considered a top prospect for the Cardinals. However, he's had a slow start to his MLB career. That all seems to have changed now, though, as he leads baseball with seven home runs.

Just a season ago, Walker had a WAR of -1.7. This year, he's already sitting at 1.4 WAR. His seven home runs are more than he had in 111 games a year ago. Nobody saw this coming.

Jose Soriano, SP, Los Angeles Angels

Coming into the year, there were no expectations on the Angels at all. That included a notable lack of expectations on Soriano. After all, a season ago, he had a 4.26 ERA in 169 innings pitched.

All he's done in 2026 is become the statistically best pitcher in all of baseball. Through four games, he's pitched to a 0.33 ERA, a 4-0 record and has allowed just one run. It's almost impossible to imagine keeping that pace for the rest of the season, but for now, he's one of the best surprises.

Andy Pages, OF, Los Angeles Dodgers

Now in his third MLB season, Pages has flashed the talent he's showing off in 2026 before. However, he's also been largely overlooked because of the sheer amount of talent on the Dodgers' roster. It's hard to ignore him now, though.

Pages has 24 hits, 1.5 WAR and a 1.181 OPS. All of those currently lead MLB. It's a pace that just about nobody can expect Pages to keep up, but it's also impossible to ignore in April.

Sandy Alcantara, SP, Miami Marlins

There was a point in Sandy Alcantara's career when he was seen as one of the great up-and-coming pitchers in all of baseball. Injuries, particularly Tommy John surgery that cost him 2024, seemed to derail that, though, and he struggled during his 2025 return campaign to get back to his previous Cy Young levels.

It appears Alcantara has found his previous success again. He's now pitched 30.1 innings in four starts, including a complete game shutout. That's the most innings of any pitcher in baseball. Alcantara has done that against a 2.67 ERA and has looked excellent in the process.

Daniel Morrison

Dan Morrison is a writer originally from Massachusetts, now residing in Florida. He spent four years at On3, working on the National News Desk there. Prior to that, he’s also contributed at Underdog Dynasty.

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