The opening weeks of the Major League Baseball season bring forth some of the most exciting (and hilarious) discourse every year.

Time and time again, we see superstars get off to horrid starts, we see career-long replacement-level players play at Hall of Fame levels, and we see teams follow similar extremes.

This week was no exception to that rule. While it was one largely owned by top prospects bursting onto the scene, it was also one of immense struggle for former All-Stars and MVPs.

The beauty of baseball is having some idea these early stretches won’t hold up. The other beauty of baseball is not knowing with 100% certainty that is true.

With that in mind, here are some of the standouts from the first week of the 2026 MLB season.

Stars of Opening Week

As mentioned before, young players dominated this week. Some by way of overall production, others through individual moments.

A lot of times, a season is defined by those individual moments, while awards are determined by long stretches of elite play.

Who are some of those players?

Chase DeLauter has arrived. The 24-year-old outfielder absolutely tormented the opening slate of pitchers in 2026. Across his first six games, he only had six hits. Despite that, he slugged .818 with four home runs and a 218 wRC+ across 23 plate appearances.

In his first three games, he hit four home runs and slugged 1.214 in 14 plate appearances.

The Guardians are seemingly always a bat short of doing real damage in the American League. Not only a bat short, but an outfielder short. We don’t have to go back too far to remember the trades for Jay Bruce, moving Jason Kipnis to center field, trading for Yasiel Puig, or trading for Lane Thomas.

DeLauter, if he’s able to maintain that production, can be that missing outfield bat the Guardians have so long coveted.

Yordan Alvarez is back, so good luck American League. The Astros designated hitter played just 48 games in 2025, hitting just six home runs and posting 0.5 fWAR. In his first seven games this year, he’s belted three homers and has 0.8 fWAR.

It just goes to show how much better Houston is when it has its best bat … a novel concept. The Astros are 5-2 and Alvarez has a 302 wRC+ in 32 plate appearances.

The National League Stars You Definitely Expected

If you had money on the Nationals outfielder leading the NL in fWAR through one week, congratulations on the newfound wealth.

Across his first 180 MLB games, Joey Wiemer posted 1.1 fWAR. In five games this year, he has 0.8. Not only does he lead the National League in that metric, he’s tied with Alvarez for the MLB lead.

In 22 plate appearances, he’s slashing .588/.682/1.059 with a 365 wRC+ and reached base in his first 10 trips to the plate.

In addition to Wiemer, the Marlins are seeing a similarly torrid pace out of catcher and first baseman Liam Hicks. Across his first 19 plate appearances, he’s already driven in 12 runs and has a 328 wRC+.

Hicks was a Rule 5 pick last year and had an overall fine 2025 season. In 119 games, he posted a 98 wRC+ to go with six homers and 45 runs batted in.

Miami had six of the top 11 NL rookies in RBI a year ago, with Hicks ranking tied for sixth with teammate Heriberto Hernández. He’s off to an even better start in Year 2 for the 5-1 NL East-leading Marlins.

Cy Sandy is back. The Marlins are 5-1, and Alcantara has two of those wins. Not only does he have two wins, he just got finished throwing the first Maddux of the 2026 season. He’s also allowed no runs across his first 16 innings and the ground balls are back to elite marks.

He’s been awesome, the Marlins have been awesome. After being one of last year’s most exciting second-half teams, they’re roaring out of the gate. If their ace is truly back to being an ace, this may not be a mirage.

Not only is Alcantara dealing, but so is division rival Cristopher Sánchez. Across his two starts, he’s allowed one earned run across 11.1 innings. He’s also racked up 17 strikeouts and 0.5 fWAR; the latter being second in the majors.

After our break from young phenoms, it’d be inappropriate to ignore Jacob Misiorowski’s start to 2026. He’s made two starts and leads the majors with 18 strikeouts despite only 11 innings of work.

Other standouts include St. Louis Cardinals southpaw Matthew Liberatore (1.64 ERA) and Colorado Rockies lefty Kyle Freeland (2.89 ERA).

While Freeland’s ERA is only 31st among starters thus far, any time a Rockies starter has a sub-three ERA it must be appreciated.

Just Baseball Trivia of the Week

Our newsletter will have a trivia question every week to test and expand the baseball knowledge of our subscribers! The answer to the weekly trivia question will be at the bottom of the newsletter each week.

Who leads MLB in home runs?

A) Chase DeLauter

B) Yordan Alvarez

C) Shea Langeliers

D) Oneil Cruz

MLB Gear at Lids

Make sure to get stocked up this MLB season with all of the best gear from our friends at Lids! They’ve got everything you need to rep your team all year long.

Text “BASEBALL” to 29017 for 15% off your next purchase at your local Lids!

Stock Up, Stock Down

📈 Miami Marlins - 5-1, 1st in NL East, No. 2 wRC+ in MLB (139), T-5th in Team ERA (2.83)

📉 Boston Red Sox - 1-5, last in AL East, No. 21 wRC+ in MLB (85), No. 27 Team ERA (4.91)

📈 Houston Astros - 5-2, 1st in AL West, No. 1 wRC+ in MLB (143), T-1st Runs Scored (45)

📉 Detroit Tigers - 2-4, 3rd in AL Central, No. 24 wRC+ in MLB (78), No. 25 in RP ERA (5.82)

📈 Milwaukee Brewers - 5-1, 1st in NL Central, No. 1 Run Differential (+28), No. 3 wRC+ in MLB (136)

📉 San Diego Padres - 2-4, T-3rd in NL West, No. 26 wRC+ in MLB (74), No. 23 in SP ERA (4.50)

Other Headlines

💰 Two top prospects signed huge extensions this week before even debuting at the MLB level! Just Baseball’s fifth-ranked prospect Colt Emerson signed an eight-year, $95 million deal with Seattle. He’s off to a hot start in Triple-A and will be a focal point in Seattle for the next decade. Cooper Pratt inked an eight-year, $50.75 million extension with Milwaukee despite just debuting at the Triple-A level last week and not being a Top 100 prospect for us. Milwaukee has been high on him for quite some time though.

Just Baseball Discord

We have reached nearly 1,000 members of our Discord in just one year and expect another awesome season with our community!

Our Discord channel is the ultimate baseball group chat while also providing exclusive access to Peter’s MLB best bets, Aram’s prospect content, giveaways, and direct connection to the entire Just Baseball staff.

Read all the details about our Discord community here.

Trivia Answer: C) Shea Langeliers

The A’s catcher is off to an incredible start, with his power shining through early.

Just Baseball Merch

Our newest merchandise features retro logos, tv-inspired designs, and the anti wave social club!

We have also restocked on all your favorites including our vintage World Series line, hats, hoodies, City Series line, spring line, and much more.

Check out the full collection of Just Baseball swag here!