Very early sub-indicator surgers, 2026
Apr 27 2026
It's still risky to put significant stock into early-season skills, especially aggregate measures like strikeouts and walks. But looking into the components that drive them can be a helpful early-season exercise, since they represent larger sample sizes.
These three batting sub-indicators are key underlying drivers of a hitter's surface stats:
Chase Rate (Chase %)
Swinging Strike Rate (SwK%)
Average Exit Velocity (EV):
These hitters have shown the biggest increase in average exit velocity so far in 2026 (min 30 PA each season):
| 2025 | 2026 | Δ | ||||||||
| Name | Lg | SwK% | Chase % | EV | SwK% | Chase % | EV | SwK% | Chase % | EV |
| Ezequiel Duran | AL | 11.8% | 37.4% | 85.3 | 13.1% | 33.6% | 92.1 | 1.4% | -3.8% | 6.8 |
| Jac Caglianone | AL | 12.9% | 38.5% | 89.4 | 13.8% | 32.5% | 95.1 | 0.9% | -6.0% | 5.7 |
| Nick Kurtz | AL | 14.2% | 22.2% | 92.7 | ||||||
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