Top MLB Surprises So Far: Hitters and Pitchers Exceeding Expectations

It's officially May, which means it’s tougher to use the small sample size explanation for players who have gotten off to surprisingly fast starts. 

Here’s our lineup and pitching staff comprised of pleasant surprises.

C: Dalton Rushing, Los Angeles Dodgers

As a former second-round pick of the Death Star Dodgers, Rushing is almost disqualified as a surprise. But seven homers in 46 at-bats — three more than he had in 142 at-bats as a rookie last year — as the backup to Will Smith, a potential Hall of Fame-bound catcher, supersedes his draft/prospect status.

1B: Ildemaro Vargas, Arizona Diamondbacks

Vargas, a career .249 hitter entering the season, has a hit in all 25 games in which he’s played — 15 games longer than his previous longest streak and tied with Joe Torre for the third-longest season-opening hitting streak of the last 90 years. Vargas has also seen time at six positions. He should be the captain of this team.

2B: Jeremiah Jackson, Baltimore Orioles

Jackson’s strikeout-to-walk ratio (22/2 in 96 plate appearances) may make a full breakout unlikely. But with five homers and a .748 OPS, the former second-round pick of the Los Angeles Angels as an 18-year-old in 2018 is doing a terrific job filling in for the injured Jackson Holliday.

3B: Amed Rosario, New York Yankees

Ryan McMahon is finally stirring at the plate and still offers plus-defense, so Rosario’s early burst (four homers, 13 RBIs and an .828 OPS) will probably go down as the highlight of his season. But he’s another example of Brian Cashman’s ability to find useful short-term solutions.

SS: Mauricio Dubon, Atlanta Braves

With two utilityman Gold Gloves on his mantle, Dubon is well-known for his defensive prowess at a variety of positions. But he’s provided some unexpected offense — his .743 OPS would be the highest of his career — while holding down short as Ha-Seong Kim recovers from a finger injury.

OF: Carlos Cortes (Not The Sacramento Athletics), Troy Johnston (Colorado Rockies), Leody Tavares (Baltimore Orioles)

Anyone hitting .400, even in just 65 at-bats, is worth noting — especially Cortes, a 28-year-old who hit .254 in 648 minor league games. The Rockies look like a functional big league team thanks to savvy pickups like Johnston, a waiver wire claim who is also 28 and hitting .315 in his first extended big league action, Tavares was a two-time top 100 prospect in the late 2010s who has forced his way into a near-everyday role with the Orioles thanks to an .820 OPS that is nearly 300 points higher than last year’s mark.

DH: Dominic Smith, Atlanta Braves

Smith has four homers in 64 at-bats — one fewer than he had in 204 at-bats last year — while drawing 18 starts at DH as Atlanta waits for Sean Murphy to return. His first round-tripper, a walk-off grand slam hit fewer than two weeks after Smith’s Mom died, might be the most moving homer of the season.

Rotation: Bryce Elder (Atlanta Braves), Davis Martin (Chicago White Sox), Landen Roupp (San Francisco Giants), Jose Soriano (Los Angeles Angels), Michael Soroka (Arizona Diamondbacks)

These five pitchers are 21-4 with a 1.90 ERA after going 35-47 with a 4.43 ERA last year. Each hurler is between 26 and 29 years old, so there’s plenty of reason to believe this year’s improvements — and in the case of Soroka, good health following a pair of seasons lost to Achilles injuries — are sustainable over the long haul.

Closer: Bryan Baker, Tampa Bay Rays

Baker is 31 and pitching in a late-inning role for the Rays, who change closers like the rest of us change socks. But closers are falling apart all over the place, so Baker’s seven saves — three more than he had entering the season — make him our ninth-inning guy by default.