STARTERS: Early-season surprises, 2015

When it comes to starting pitchers, most owners are prepared for early-season surprises. After all, small data samples lend themselves to large swings in surface stats.

That said, it can be easy to get impatient when you have a struggling starting pitcher. Conversely, not all starting pitchers who have started the season strong are worth holding.

A more effective approach is to look at the skills underlying a starting pitcher's surface stats.

Here are a bunch of guys in each league who can be considered early-season surprises in one form or another.

AMERICAN LEAGUE

Chris Archer (RHP, TAM) is showing signs of taking another step forward in 2015. He has a 1.07 ERA and 0.83 WHIP after three starts, and his base skills have been off the...

Almost!

You’re just a few clicks away from accessing this feature and hundreds more throughout the year that have a singular goal in mind: Winning your league. Subscribe to BaseballHQ.com here!

Already a subscriber? Sign in here

More From Starting Pitchers

Cam Schlittler has built upon his late-season emergence with an excellent showing this spring.
Mar 20 2026 3:12am
The tweaked pitch mix of Matthew Liberatore has helped to fuel his electric spring.
Mar 20 2026 3:11am
Braxton Garrett enters 2026 as a premium injury profit play given his excellent pre-injury skills and early favorable ADP.
Mar 14 2026 3:06am
Drew Rasmussen's more good-than-great skills in 2025 suggest his sterling surface stats could be due for big corrections in 2026.
Mar 7 2026 3:09am
Ben Brown might be the best starting pitcher profit play in the game at his current market price.
Feb 28 2026 3:05am

Tools