(*) STARTERS: Early Surprises
Apr 29 2012
Many starting pitchers have fared better than expected in the early going.
Some of these surprises come with strong skill support. Others are flukes.
Identifying the flukes before their results regress can help you avoid bad stats.
Likewise, holding on to guys whose quick starts come with skill support can help you build your starting rotation for the long-haul.
Let's take a look at both groups.
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Bruce Chen (LHP, KC) has a 2.52 ERA and 0.92 WHIP after 25 IP. It'd be easy to dismiss this as a small sample size fluke. But he has been a legit command artist so far: 6.1 Dom, 1.4 Ctl, 34% GB%, 83 BPV. We can't expect any more Dom than what he is showing now, given his 86.1 mph average fastball velocity. He's also...
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
Emmet Sheehan's ugly early stats are hiding an excellent skills collection.
May 16 2026 3:07am
May 16 2026 3:07am
The strikeout stuff of Didier Fuentes could help the 20-year-old emerge as a rotation arm later in 2026.
May 9 2026 3:05am
May 9 2026 3:05am
At age 24, Jacob Misiorowski has been the NL's most skilled starting pitcher over the first month of the season.
May 2 2026 3:09am
May 2 2026 3:09am
José Soriano's dominating start to the season deserves a tip of the cap, and it has been backed by some significant underlying growth.
Apr 25 2026 3:09am
Apr 25 2026 3:09am
Andrew Abbott's poor start to the season can be traced to an absence of strong skills.
Apr 18 2026 3:09am
Apr 18 2026 3:09am
