STARTERS: Very early observations, 2021

It's easy to panic after your SP 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 a several starting pitchers whose first week performances have been noteworthy.
 

AMERICAN LEAGUE

José Berríos (RHP, MIN) is fulfilling the preseason breakout potential we identified in him, at least after his first two starts. He is carrying a 20/3 K/BB in 12 IP. His high volume of strikeouts has...

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

Cristopher Sanchez's scoreless streak continues, and it has been backed by top-tier skills and similarly elite skill drivers.
May 30 2026 3:05am
Jacob Misiorowski's skills have become firmly elite so far in 2026.
May 23 2026 3:05am
Emmet Sheehan's ugly early stats are hiding an excellent skills collection.
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
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

Tools