The 2026 MLB season has finally begun and like always, players and teams are performing very well to start to the season. With the well performing teams, there are teams getting off to a rough start. However, the best part of the MLB season is that nobody cares about the beginning of the season in October. With 162 game schedule, teams are likely to have roller coaster seasons.
With that being said, teams and players are showing their potential and what we could see for the rest of the season. On this list, we will be breaking down some of the early storylines headlining the sport today. Whether the reasons are good or bad, that is for us to decide.
Throughout the season, I will be recreating this article to give fans a glimpse of what is happening during a long, 162-game schedule. Let’s dive in.
*Research will becoming from MLB.com and Baseball Reference.
Jordan Walker is Finally the Hitter We Were Promised
The St. Louis Cardinals’ development of Jordan Walker has been a main talking point for fans since Walker debuted in 2023. Before his rookie season, Walker made the switch from third base to right field with Nolan Arenado locking down the hot corner. Walker’s rookie season was solid offensively, finishing with a stat line of .276/.342/.445 and 113 OPS+.
Questions rose about launch angle and defense, forcing St. Louis to continue to option Walker down to Triple-A to figure out the power and defense throughout 2024 and 2025. The bat regressed tremendously, and finished this two year stretch with just eleven home runs. With such poor defense and underwhelming offense, Walker had yet to finish a season with positive WAR. However, the start of the 2026 season has been exactly what fans have been waiting for.
At just 23-years old (turns 24 in May), Walker has finally hit his stride offensively. He is slashing .315/.375/.685 through his first 19 games. He has found his power stroke, leading the league with eight home runs and is on pace for a career season. Walker currently has 1.7 WAR and could become the power hitter St. Louis has been hoping for. Everyone expected a rebuilding season for St. Louis, but the play of Jordan Walker has St. Louis playing competitive baseball in the 2026 MLB season.
Lights Out in Anaheim: Why Nobody Can Touch José Soriano
Heading into the 2025 season, Jose Soriano did not have high expectations. He debuted in 2023 for the Los Angeles Angels and had become a solid rotational arm. He debuted as a reliever, throwing in 38 games and finishing with a 3.64 ERA. However, things changed in 2024 for Soriano as Los Angeles transitioned him into a full-time starter.
2024 was a great year for Soriano, finishing with twenty-two starts and a 3.42 ERA. Los Angeles failed to find consistent success, but Soriano was slowly growing into a good, full-time starter. The 2025 season was another year of solid baseball, starting in thirty-one games, a career high. Soriano finished the season with a 4.26 ERA and an ERA+ of 98. Most people expected the same Jose Soriano, but he has turned into an ace which Los Angeles has desperately needed.
Soriano is off to an incredible start to the 2026 MLB season. 5-0 record, 0.28 ERA, only one earned run, 39 strikeouts, and an unreal 1570 ERA+. These numbers are not sustainable, but Soriano is proving that he can be a terrific pitcher in the MLB. With no long-term options within the starting rotation, Soriano could be the future ace for the Los Angeles Angels. It doesn’t matter how Los Angeles performs, Soriano could be an incredible piece for the future after the 2026 MLB season.
Precision on the Big Screen: The ABS System is 2026’s Hero
Heading into the 2026 MLB season, fans were curious of how teams would manage the ABS Challenge System into games. Whether they would have catchers as the primary challenge users or if pitchers would be allowed to, most teams have shown how they are going to use the challenge system to their advantage throughout the season.
It is becoming a huge success. Fans and players have nothing but good things to say about it, evening the playing field with umpires dictating the game. We are learning some interesting things about the difference of how pitchers and catchers see the strike zone.
There are twelve teams that have yet to have a pitcher challenge calls, no pitcher has challenged more than one call, and many teams only have one pitcher challenge. Leading the league in challenges as a batter is Gary Sanchez, challenging ten pitches with five successful. Six catchers have double-digit challenges, with Salvador Perez leading the way with twenty-one challenges and 76.2% success rate.
The ABS Challenge System is a success, and most teams are relying on their catchers to make the decisions on challenging calls. Major League Baseball has some made questionable decisions, but the past few rule changes, like the pitch clock and ABS Challenge System, have been a huge success. Baseball is in a great direction after the 2026 MLB season.
