2026 MLB Power Rankings: Who’s Off to a Hot Start After the First Weekend?

Clearly, we can extrapolate a lot from the first few games of a season. Remember last year when the Brewers started 0-4 with a minus-32 run differential, and then they…uhh, they did what, now? Led all of Major League Baseball in wins? Look, it’s deflating to start a season winless (as the Giants, Diamondbacks, Rockies, Athletics and White Sox have), and it feels more exciting winning the first three games of the year (as the Dodgers, Brewers, Blue Jays, Yankees, Marlins have) than three games in the middle of June. But, as the Brewers example goes to show, it’s best not to overreact or draw any sweeping conclusions over a single series. The Giants probably aren’t going to shatter the record for fewest runs scored in a season, and the NL East isn’t likely to end with the Marlins in first and the Phillies in last. If your favorite team got off to a slow start, don’t let a couple bad games stifle your optimism. For now, all we can do is take what we’ve seen so far in a small sample, try to factor in what we know about the teams and expect moving forward, and do our best to provide a starting point for conversation based on my preseason power rankings. So, without further ado, below are my power rankings after the first weekend of play, which includes at least one player on every team who has jumped out to a hot start. Be on the lookout for new rankings every week, each with a slightly different theme. After only hitting nine home runs last year, Ezequiel Tovar already has his first of 2026. I’m expecting a bigger year ahead for the 24-year-old shortstop. The White Sox have only scored 10 runs, but three of them have come on solo shots from Munetaka Murakami, who has homered in each of his first three big-league games. I can’t expect this to be a good year in Anaheim, but a Mike Trout resurgence? We can all get behind that. He’s 6-for-13 with two homers, seven walks and a stolen base in a sizzling start to the year. Brady House, a 2021 first-round pick, had a .574 OPS with an average exit velocity of 89.8 mph in 73 games last season. This year, three of his four batted balls have been hard hit (95+ mph) while starting the season with an .895 OPS. Joe Ryan had the best start of the weekend for the Twins, firing 5.1 scoreless innings while only allowing one hit. The most intriguing performance, however, might’ve been Taj Bradley, who struck out nine batters in 4.1 innings. Shea Langeliers has started the year 6-for-12 with three home runs; the rest of the team is a combined 10-for-90 (.111) with 46 strikeouts. Well, that was not the start new manager Tony Vitello was looking for. The Giants scored one run…total…in three games against the Yankees. Hard to find a standout there, but I guess we can go with Robbie Ray who gave his team a chance when he allowed two runs in 5.1 innings. Coming off a standout performance against Team USA in the World Baseball Classic, Eduardo Rodriguez held the potent Dodgers offense to one unearned run in five innings in his first start of 2026. The Diamondbacks’ shaky bullpen, however, could not hold the lead. Brandon Lowe provided the boost all Pirates fans hoped to see for the lineup with three home runs in three games. Here’s assuming Paul Skenes won’t get chased in the first inning … maybe ever again? The Rays scored 23 runs in three games against St. Louis…and still lost the series. They have five players with an OPS over 1.000, including Yandy Díaz, who leads MLB with nine hits. Top prospect JJ Wetherholt homered in his first career game and then walked the Cardinals off with a win one day later. Also keep an eye on Jordan Walker, who’s 4-for-10 with a homer and two doubles to start the year. Sure, it was against the Rockies. But Sandy Alcántara didn’t allow an earned run in seven innings in his first start of 2026, and prospect Owen Caissie’s walk-off home run secured Miami’s first 3-0 start since 2009. The Royals dropped two of three games in Atlanta despite Michael Wacha throwing six scoreless innings and Seth Lugo throwing 6.1 scoreless innings in their respective starts. Last year, Randy Vásquez struck out more than five batters in a game just once in 26 starts. He has already accomplished that feat in his first start of 2026, fanning eight batters in six scoreless innings against the Tigers. MLB’s home run leader after opening weekend? That would be rookie Chase DeLauter, who joined Trevor Story as the only players in MLB history with four home runs in their first three career regular-season games. In case anyone missed what Sal Stewart did late last year in Cincinnati, he’s showing why he should be among the top contenders for the NL Rookie of the Year Award this year by starting the season 7-for-10 with a homer, three doubles and three walks. The 22-year-old can flat-out hit. After missing the playoffs for the first time since 2016, a rebound season may depend on the health of Yordan Alvarez, who has already reached base nine times in the Astros’ four games. Cristopher Sánchez struck out 10 in six scoreless innings on Opening Day, securing the only win of the opening series for the Phillies. A better week should vault them back in the top 10, but for now they have to take a hit as the only one-win team in the NL East. Important weekend for the Jakes: After Jacob deGrom was scratched with neck stiffness, Jacob Latz stepped in and delivered four hitless innings in a Rangers win. Meanwhile, Jake Burger led the Rangers on the weekend with six hits and two home runs. If anyone’s going to challenge Tarik Skubal for the Cy Young Award this year, Garrett Crochet is as good of a bet as anyone. Crochet struck out eight in six scoreless innings in his 2026 debut. Meanwhile, Wilyer Abreu kept building off a standout World Baseball Classic with two home runs on the weekend. The offense overall, however, managed just 10 runs over three games in Cincinnati. While the first starts of the year didn’t go well for Matthew Boyd and Shota Imanaga, 2025 Rookie of the Year runner-up Cade Horton kept his arrow trending up by securing the Cubs’ lone win of the weekend, allowing just two runs in 6.1 innings. In case anyone needed a reminder of what Trevor Rogers did last year (1.81 ERA in 18 starts), the Orioles lefty fired seven scoreless innings in his first start of 2026. If the Braves want to bounce back, a rebound from Michael Harris II will be crucial. So far, so good. He had four hits and a home run in the opening series. For a team that didn’t do anything to change its lineup, there was a lot of faith placed in top prospect Kevin McGonigle. He spent the weekend demonstrating why, joining Billy Bean as the only players in Tigers history with four hits in their MLB debut. One night later, McGonigle broke a tie game in the eighth inning with a two-run base hit to lift Detroit to victory in San Diego. For all the standout prospect performances over the weekend, there were also a handful of players turning back the clock. Christian Yelich’s pinch-hit go-ahead homer in the eighth inning Sunday finished off the Brewers’ sweep of the White Sox, and he went 6-for-10 in the opening series. Coming off two seasons in which he was a below league average hitter with the White Sox, Luis Robert Jr. has started his Mets career 5-for-11 with a home run and more walks (3) than strikeouts (2). Strong start to the Brendan Donovan era in Seattle: He became the first player in franchise history to hit a leadoff homer on Opening Day, and he has started his Mariners career 6-for-14 with two homers. On the pitching side, Emerson Hancock delivered six hitless innings with a career-high nine strikeouts Sunday against the Guardians. While the Yankees wait on Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón, the pitching staff still seems to be in good hands. As a team, the Yankees allowed just one run all weekend to the Giants. Starter Cam Schlittler was especially overpowering, holding the Giants to just one hit while striking out eight in 5.1 scoreless innings. Welcome to Toronto, Dylan Cease. Fresh off securing a $210 million contract, Cease backed up the Blue Jays’ faith by following Kevin Gausman’s 11-strikeout performance with 12 strikeouts against the A’s, setting a record for a Blue Jays debut.  Together, Gausman and Cease became the first duo to strike out at least 11 batters apiece in a team’s first two games in MLB’s modern era. Will Smith was back at it with another game-changing home run, this time providing a go-ahead homer in the eighth inning Saturday on his bobblehead night to finish off a sweep over the Diamondbacks. He also helped navigate a Dodgers bullpen that fired 11.2 scoreless innings on the weekend.