STARTERS: Very early observations, 2023

It's easy to panic after your staff has a terrible start or two during the first week of the season. It can be similarly dangerous to fall in love with a pitcher who gives you good stats if they were produced without any underlying skill support.

Keeping in mind that we're dealing with tiny data samples, let's take a look at some extreme early-season performances by putting them into the context of our preseason outlooks.

Here is a closer look at several starting pitchers whose first-week performances have been noteworthy.
 

AMERICAN LEAGUE

Jacob deGrom (RHP, TEX) has an ugly 5.59 ERA after two starts, but his skills have been pristine. He has an 18/2 K/BB in 9 IP, command that has led him to a 266 BPV. That aggregate measure has full...

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

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
Ian Seymour's intriguing command pillars make him an excellent LIMA Plan target heading into 2026.
Feb 21 2026 3:07am
Ben Brown's disappointing 2025 season hid a collection of intriguing skills, making him a young starter to watch this spring.
Feb 14 2026 3:05am

Tools