I would like to feature some pitchers who have impressed me with solid numbers and/or future potential at this early point in the season. This is a mix of young and old, kids and veterans, trying to convince me they are fantasy stars. Every year a handful of pitchers break through with a first career year, and early returns suggest these might be some of the more likely.

You might consider aggressively pursuing these arms:

Shohei Ohtani (Dodgers) – His move from the Angels to Dodgers was a huge shift. Many owners won't give that enough attention, and there are still fantasy owners who think of Ohtani more as a hitter than a pitcher. With the Dodgers, I expect his pitching accomplishments to bloom. He has actually shown some growth in the pitching categories. For example, he now averages 98 mph on his fastball, and he is allowing fewer home runs than he did earlier in his career. Consider Ohtani a complete outlier. We may eventually see the occasional two-way player, but finding one capable of producing at his level in both pitching and hitting is rare indeed.

Nick Lodolo (Reds) – Here's a pitcher I've been talking about for a while. Lodolo has been recovering from a blister, so his start this week against Houston will be his first in 2026. He pitched 157 innings last year so he's not starting from scratch. He posted a very respectable 3.33 ERA with an even better 1.08 WHIP. Those were his best numbers in four major league seasons. I see no reason that can't continue going forward. I'm a buyer with optimism.

Michael Soroka (Diamondbacks) – Here's a pitcher I've watched since he broke in with the Braves back in 2018. He had a successful 2019 season and has been injured off and on since. He is off to a 4-1 start with Arizona this year. His ERA of 4.70 is unsightly, but most of that is a result of one terrible outing.

Justin Verlander (Tigers) – He's 43 years old, and you know what? I'm still on board. That makes him old enough to be the father of many pitchers who will take the major league mound this year. He's off to a rocky start (0-1 12.27 ERA), but that is the result of one ugly start and he went on the IL with hip inflammation immediately after. He has been rehabbing and is expected back later this month. Obviously, we want to track his progress but I'm not ready to write him off. He owns a sub 4.00 ERA in two of his last three seasons and yes, I understand that is heavily influenced by a very high percentage of men left on base, but some pitchers always seem to find a way. You don't keep getting the ball over nearly 3,600 innings without a magical touch. I'm game, again.

Bryan Woo (Mariners) – Other M's pitchers seem to draw more attention, but I think Woo would be the first one off the board for me, and so far he's doing a pretty good job of maintaining a solid spot in their rotation. He has a bit better than average stuff with a fastball that sits mid '90s and a couple decent breaking pitches. As long as he throws strikes and stays a step ahead of hitters in the adjustment game, he could be very useful in fantasy, albeit wins could be hard to come by if his teammates don't hit.

Some Notable Rotation Ramblings:

• Will the real Christian Scott please stand up? In his first 2026 start he walked five while retiring just four hitters. He followed that up with five innings allowing no walks. He was more hittable in the follow-up start, presumably focusing more on command and less on pitch movement. He needs a little of both.
• Somebody has to be last, and the guy at the bottom of my list is Austin Gomber of Texas. You would think moving away from Colorado would improve his stock, but the Rangers have already assigned him to their minor league camp.
• Former Cy Young award winner Tarik Skubal has undergone arthroscopic surgery to remove bone chips from his left elbow. Thought to be the primary cause of his lower velocity, the Tigers hope to have him back on the mound in a couple months, but nobody has been willing to commit to that timeline.
• Always looking for a new contributor, the Marlins plan to give Robby Snelling a start later this week. His minor league numbers (1.86 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, 44:15 K:BB through 29 innings) have been pretty impressive, so it's possible this could be an audition for a regular spot in the rotation.

Endgame Odyssey – The Closer Is Back:

The Reds' Emilio Pagan has already suffered his second hamstring strain of the season, leading to an IL stint. My guess is this will lead to save chances for Tony Santillan, but Graham Ashcraft could be part of the mix. After a three-week absence, Jhoan Duran is ready to resume his closing duties in Philadelphia. That will move Brad Keller and Jose Alvarado back into more traditional set-up roles. Continuing the theme of, "The Closer Is Back" Atlanta's Raisel Iglesias is back from what they hope is a minor shoulder injury. Robert Suarez picked up three saves while Iglesias was out, but he'll now return to a set-up role. The Nats Clayton Beeter has been out with right forearm soreness. He has resumed mound work, and I expect him back later this month. I'm guessing he gets the lion's share of save chances while Gus Varland returns to set-up duties. Tampa Bay's Ian Seymour picked up his first save. The southpaw pitched the ninth as he matched up better than Bryan Baker.

Next week we start our series, "Which Pitcher to Roster" a divisional look at the best pitcher to have on each team.