Sandy Alcantara
STAYS HOT
Sandy Alcantara is a former Cy Young award winner that almost just threw his second complete game shutout of the season in back-to-back games. He has been unbelievable. Yes, his competition has not been astounding, but Sandy is a pitcher with a game plan and that is saying something. Alcantara is a player who lives in the zone pitching to contact and with weaker opponents he can do that with no problem at all. Alcantara is smart and can use that to pitch against stronger opponents more effectively. You may not get 8 innings out of every start, especially against the stronger lineups in major league baseball, but at the same time he can still be effective. The only stat that may worry you about Alcantara is his strikeout percentage, but like I said, he is doing that on purpose to get deeper into games.Â
Sandy is going to be the anchor of the Miami Marlins rotation in 2026 and I am excited to have him back looking like his old self. Getting deep into games and pitching to contact. This is important for the aging right hander as he stays true to himself as a starting pitcher.
Jose Soriano
STAYS NOT
Jose Soriano is a guy who has been looked at as a potential top-25 starter in the game for awhile now, but just has not quite put it into full fruition yet. Soriano has been a quality starter in the majors, but never a stud. Through the first three games of the season Soriano has looked like a true stud. Soriano has given up one run in 20 innings of work this season. He is also just barely averaging over a strikeout an inning which is a great sign. He was just under that mark for the last two seasons. Soriano is a player I believe will be successful this season. He had 15 Quality starts last season, which is much better than many out there, but I do not believe he will continue at that pace. Jose Soriano will take a step up and be a high 3’s ERA, but no one and I mean no one can keep at his historic three start stretch. He also has been incredibly efficient over this stretch that has been contributing to his success on the mound.
Jordan Walker
STAYS HOT
Jordan Walker is about as hot as you can be at the plate. He has an MLB leading 5 Home Runs, almost matching his career high for a season in just about 10 games. Jordan Walker has been a player that for years has been hyped up by the media. He is just 23 years old and is primed to have a breakout. He may have just been pushed to the major leagues too early. Now Walker has had struggles throughout his career with strikeouts and that is continuing through this hot early start to the season, but he is walking 10% of the time which is a good sign. I am not sure if his struggles when it comes to strikeouts and Whiff% (both about 25%) will ever change, but every other batted ball data suggests he is basically Aaron Judge in the early part of the season. Walker is in the 99th or 100th percentile in xwOBA, xSLG, AVG Exit Velocity, Barrel %, Hard-Hit%, and Bat Speed. Now I do not expect them to continue at that rate, but could they continue at an 80 to 85th percentile clip? Absolutely and I would expect that. Not to mention he is a fast player that can get you a few swipes if he gets on base.
Taj Bradley
STAYS HOT
Taj Bradley has been unbelievable to start the year with the Minnesota Twins. He has been on the radar since 2023 when he was in the Tampa Bay Rays system. His stuff is elite, but ultimately has not had the security of a rotation spot to this point. Tampa Bay offloaded him at the 2025 trade deadline for reliever Griffin Jax. This a move that shocked everybody as it happened. Both players struggled with their new clubs at the end of that season, but to start 2026, Bradley has been one of the best pitchers in baseball. His strikeout and walk % are tops in the league, but some of his other metrics are lower than other pitchers at his production percentage at this point in the season. I think Bradley will be a good pitcher this season and maintain over a strikeout per inning and be a low 4s ERA pitcher, much better than a season ago, but not staying this hot this season.
Cam Smith
STAYS HOT
Cam Smith was the prized possession of Kyle Tucker from the Houston Astros to the Chicago Cubs. This season Cam Smith is off to a torrid start with three home runs and 3 stolen bases, that would be really something if he could maintain some semblance of that pace throughout the rest of the season. Smith’s bat speed is in the 98th percentile of all major leaguers. He is also walking at nearly a 14% clip. This is great news for Cam Smith and the Houston Astros. His strikeout percentage is still higher than 25%, but I expect his production to continue and completely slide up the Astro’s lineup the rest of the season. He will stay hot in 2026.
