A review of Major League Baseball’s early 2026 season statistics reveals a mix of expected and surprising performances, according to an article published on Apr. 17.
The standings show some teams in familiar positions, such as the Los Angeles Dodgers leading Major League Baseball and the San Diego Padres close behind. However, there are also surprises, with the Minnesota Twins leading their division and teams like the Tampa Bay Rays and Pittsburgh Pirates at the top of their divisions while the New York Mets and Toronto Blue Jays are at the bottom.
Among individual players, Mike Trout of the Angels leads in runs scored with 21. Although Trout has previously led this category four times, his recent history with injuries makes his current performance notable. The article states that “what we’re seeing so far in 2026 is a Mike Trout we haven’t seen in a long time due to injuries.” Aaron Judge of the Yankees is tied for most home runs (eight) alongside Jordan Walker of the Cardinals. While Judge’s presence atop this list is not surprising, Walker’s resurgence after a challenging previous season marks an unexpected development.
Andy Pages leads both batting average (.409) and runs batted in (20), which comes as a surprise given his postseason struggles last year but improved contact rate this season. Oneil Cruz from Pittsburgh has nine stolen bases so far; he had already demonstrated strong base-stealing ability last year.
On the pitching side, Max Fried of the Yankees leads in innings pitched (33 1/3), continuing his role as a workhorse for New York. Jacob Misiorowski from Milwaukee tops strikeouts with 33, maintaining high performance after an impressive rookie campaign. José Soriano stands out by leading multiple categories—earned run average (0.33), walks plus hits per inning pitched (0.67), and opponents’ batting average (.103)—after overcoming two Tommy John surgeries earlier in his career.
In terms of saves, Mason Miller from San Diego continues to dominate as closer without allowing any runs over more than thirty innings since joining last year’s roster; Paul Sewald also shares six saves despite recent challenges before this season with Arizona.
Cam Schlittler has matched his total wins above replacement from all last season within just four starts for New York’s pitching staff—a sign that new leaders may continue to emerge throughout what remains an unpredictable baseball year.
