Five Filthy Starters Who Look Great to Start 2026

While some of the most entertaining games of every MLB season are slugfests that end in scores like 15-14 or 28-6, there’s no denying that getting to watch a good pitcher’s duel is one of the best experiences a baseball fan can have. Through roughly ten games, the 2026 season has seen some incredible performances from pitchers whether expected or not, and they’re leading their teams to the top of the standings.

Conventionally, one would expect the reigning Cy Young Award winners to lead the pack, but actually Tarik Skubal and Paul Skenes have had starts where they’ve surrendered 4+ earned runs over five or less innings. They’re still some of the best in the league, but won’t be the highlights of this piece as we’re taking a look at some of the more impressive performances thus far in 2026.

These pitchers are looking to establish themselves as bona fide big-league arms that bring more to the table than had previously been believed. Whether they’ve been in MLB for a few years or are getting their first taste of action at this level, it’s important to give credit where it’s due and recognize the outstanding performers.

Stats updated prior to games on Friday, April 10

HM: Parker Messick, Cleveland Guardians

Cleveland Guardians southpaw Parker Messick really made a name for himself late in 2025 where he made seven starts to the tune of a 2.72 ERA over 39.2 innings, and he’s continued this success into the 2026 season. The most impressive part of his game is his ability to control the strike zone, as illustrated by his minuscule 3.6% walk rate last season.

He’s headlining the Guardians’ rotation so far with an ERA of just 0.82 through his first two starts (one earned run) over 11 innings in which he’s struck out 11 batters and walked just three. Messick isn’t the type of pitcher who will use velocity to get hitters out, as his fastball measures at just 93.1 MPH, but his secondary pitches are very crafty – in particular, a nasty changeup.

Messick has generated a whiff rate of 57.9% on his changeup and he features it frequently against right-handed hitters. He’s notched an excellent 0.91 WHIP and seems to be right on track with his strong debut campaign last year. Messick is still eligible for Rookie of the Year voting and could be a notable name this time around if he can keep this up.

Cam Schlittler, New York Yankees

As if there was any wonder if Cam Schlittler‘s Wild Card Series performance against the Red Sox last year was an outlier, his start to the 2026 season is proof that it wasn’t. In the Wild Card Series, Schlittler shutout the Sox over eight innings of five-hit ball while walking none and striking out twelve hitters.

Over Schlittler’s first three starts of the season, he’s 2-0 with a 1.62 ERA and 22 strikeouts over 16.2 innings. What’s even more incredible is the fact that he hasn’t walked a single batter and this lands him in unmarked territory in franchise history. In the entire history of the New York Yankees, Schlittler is the first pitcher to tally 22+ strikeouts without allowing a walk in their first three games, and he is the sixth pitcher in MLB history to reach these marks.

His fastball is one of the best in baseball right now and it’s not a particularly close race: Schlittler has a whiff rate of nearly 50% on his four-seam fastball (48.8%). When combined with his sinker and cutter, his fastballs compose nearly all of his pitches, as he throws an occasional curveball or slider. He also leads all pitchers in fWAR, becoming the first pitcher to reach 1.0 fWAR in 2026.

Furthermore asserting his dominance, Schlittler hasn’t surrendered a home run yet this season. Among pitchers in 2026 who haven’t given up a home run or walk, his 22 strikeouts dominate the field while no other pitcher has more than eight. He also has an incredible 1.45 xERA, a 0.51 FIP , and a WHIP of just 0.48, all of which lead all starters in MLB. The Yankees have their next ace on their hands and he’s been absolutely lights out already this year.

Chase Burns, Cincinnati Reds

Speaking of fastballs, Chase Burns owns one of the best in all of MLB and it sits comfortably around the 100 MPH mark. Burns was the second-overall pick by the Reds in the 2024 MLB First-Year Player Draft and he’s been a force to begin his big-league career. In 2025, he debuted with a 4.57 ERA over 43.1 innings in which he struck out 67 batters with a 2.65 FIP.

His E-F (ERA – FIP) of 1.92 last year was the 10th-highest ERA/FIP discrepancy in the league among pitchers with at least 40 IP, showing how effective he was. In 2026, he’s already proving himself to be one of the best young arms in the league.

This year, Burns has a 0.82 ERA in his first two starts and 16 strikeouts in just 11 innings. His fastball hits an average of 98.5 MPH and has 18.7″ of iVB (induced vertical break) which puts it in the top-40 fastballs in MLB according to this metric. His tight slider and hard changeup both come in over 90 MPH on average and have whiff rates at or above 50% on the season, so he’s not just blowing hitters away with his fastball.

The Reds are 8-5 through their first 13 games and Burns is a big reason why. With Hunter Greene sitting on the IL to start the season, Burns has stepped up and asserted himself as one of the strongest pitchers in the game. He could very well be on his way to a first All-Star appearance this season if he can keep up this dominance, and the Reds could find their way into the playoffs for the first time since 2020.

José Soriano, Los Angeles Angels

One of the most underrated pitchers in baseball is José Soriano, the ace of the Los Angeles Angels. Soriano has always been good, with a 3.89 career ERA over 324 big-league innings entering the 2026 season, but he’s broken out in a big way this year. Through his first three starts of 2026, he leads the AL in innings pitched (20.0), ERA (0.45), and leads all of MLB in wins (3).

Soriano is one of just four pitchers since 2020 to throw 20+ innings in their first three starts of a season while allowing a single-digit amount of hits. He’s been borderline unhittable so far this season, allowing only one run on a solo home run to reigning NL Rookie of the Year Drake Baldwin.

Thanks to his ‘bowling ball’ sinker, Soriano generates an insanely-high amount of groundballs, and he has a 65.9% groundball rate in 2026, forcing hitters to drive the ball into the ground more times than not. His +8 Pitching Run Value, according to Baseball Savant, is the second-best in MLB to Sandy Alcántara of the Miami Marlins.

His 85.9 MPH knuckle-curveball has generated a 48.6% whiff rate this season and just a .141 opposing xwOBA, making it one of the best pitches in baseball. It’s the only pitch Soriano throws under 90 MPH on average, so batters have to be ready to handle the heat when facing him. He’s been one of the best arms in baseball so far in 2026 and it’ll be exciting to watch him lead this Angels pitching staff going forward.

Emerson Hancock, Seattle Mariners

Not to be confused with fellow Seattle Mariner Colt Emerson, Emerson Hancock is one of the best young arms in the Mariners’ system, and he’s finally breaking out in a massive way after pitching in parts of three big-league seasons prior to 2026. Hancock has only allowed one run in his first two outings of the year and has posted a strong 0.71 ERA over 12.2 innings.

While not boasting the velocity that many of these other top pitchers have, Hancock controls the strike zone alongside the best in the league. He’s struck out 14 batters in his two outings while only walking one hitter. Hancock is the fifth pitcher in Mariners history to reach both of these marks in their first two starts of a season, joining teammates Logan Gilbert and Bryce Miller in this club.

His +4 Run Value on his sinker ties it with José Soriano and Sandy Alcantara for the second-most valuable sinker in baseball this season, and he’s thrown it nearly half as often as either of these pitchers. When adjusted for a 100-pitch span, it’s by far the most valuable sinker according to Run Value (13.7 RV/100).

Opponents are hitting just .146 against Hancock and they have a .192 BABIP, showing how unhittable he’s been so far. Hancock could be the next Mariners homegrown All-Star pitcher alongside his fellow rotation-mates.

Taj Bradley, Minnesota Twins

After struggling for a few seasons to find his place in MLB, Taj Bradley was acquired by the Minnesota Twins from the Tampa Bay Rays at the 2025 trade deadline and has put on a show in a Twins uniform so far this season. While he was rather unimpressive last year following his acquisition, he’s honed his arsenal and is fooling hitters left, front, and center.

Bradley has started three games in 2026 to the tune of a 1.08 ERA in which he’s thrown 16.2 innings with 22 strikeouts and just four walks. His 5.50 K/BB ratio is great on many levels, especially considering that Bradley’s never posted a mark above 3.31 in any other big-league campaign. His main weapon is a nasty splitter that boasted a 31.9% whiff rate in 2025 and has improved to 56.3% through his first three outings of this season.

Among pitchers who have thrown at least 60 splitters, his whiff rate is by far the best in MLB, the next closest pitcher being Kevin Gausman with a mark of 38.9%. His dominance has helped the Twins reach a surprising 6-6 start to the season in spite of low expectations coming into 2026. Bradley has also notched 0.7 fWAR already, the fifth-highest among all pitchers and the third-best among all American League arms.

His fastball has also seen improvements from last season, as he’s generating an average of 19.4″ of iVB on his four-seamer. He throws this pitch almost half the time, and when combined with his hard 90.9 MPH splitter, slower cutter, and nasty curveball, he’s found himself a big-league arsenal. Bradley might establish himself as one of the best arms in MLB this season if his first few outings are any indication.