Blue Jays: Kazuma Okamoto might already be a star
Forget settling in, Okamoto is already taking Toronto by storm. Okamoto’s stardom from Japan has carried right over to Major League Baseball with the Blue Jays and in his first week, he’s already shown exciting power paired with solid defense in the field. John Schneider is already using him as a moving piece up and down the lineup, anywhere from second to seventh, and continues to speak about how Okamoto “fits” what the Blue Jays are trying to build. Yes, there will be growing pains along the way and countless new pitchers to adapt to, but Okamoto’s first impression couldn’t be going any better. — Keegan Matheson
Orioles: Pete Alonso is living up to the hype
The O’s opening homestand was a bit uneven, but Alonso is already providing a steady presence in the heart of the order. No surprise, right? This is why Baltimore went big and signed the Polar Bear to a five-year, $155 million contract over the offseason. The 31-year-old slugger hit a go-ahead RBI single in the seventh inning of Sunday’s 8-6 win over the Twins, and two days later, he swatted his first Orioles homer, taking former Mets teammate Jacob deGrom deep in an 8-5 loss to the Rangers. Alonso is hitting .304 (7-for-23) over his first six games for the O’s. — Jake Rill
Rays: Yandy Díaz and Jonathan Aranda can hit, too
There has been a lot of hype around Junior Caminero, for obvious reasons. He hit 45 homers and drove in 110 runs last season, and he’s one of the most electric young players in baseball. Opponents have approached him with an appropriate level of care to start the season, pitching around him whenever possible, and he’s walked six times in six games. But hey, the guys hitting in front of him are elite in their own right — arguably two of the best pure, well-balanced hitters in the sport. Díaz has 12 hits and six RBIs in Tampa Bay’s first six games, and Aranda has gone 7-for-23 (.304) with two homers. The Rays’ lineup has looked better than expected as a group so far, but it all starts with those two and Caminero atop the order. — Adam Berry
Red Sox: Roman Anthony is human
Considering that Anthony is all of 21 years old, the amount of expectations that have been put on him to carry the Red Sox in a post -Rafael Devers and post-Alex Bregman world has been a little much. It does speak to Anthony’s immense talent and poise. However, that doesn’t mean there aren’t some lumps still to be taken. After getting three hits and reaching base four times on Opening Day, Anthony went 1-for-18 in his next four games. However, Anthony did go home on a positive note with a pinch-hit homer in the ninth in Wednesday’s loss in Houston. One thing that will help take pressure off Anthony is for Boston’s other key hitters — beyond Wilyer Abreu — to start producing. — Ian Browne
Yankees: ‘Pen pals pitching in
On paper, the bullpen appeared to be the Yankees’ biggest question mark entering this season. The early returns looked strong: 11 scoreless innings across their season-opening sweep of the Giants, with just five hits allowed. David Bednar picked up two saves, Camilo Doval looked dominant in a pair of scoreless appearances, and Jake Bird’s wicked movement has been impressive — Aaron Judge said that if Bird keeps looking like this, he could become a breakout star of the relief corps. They tossed three shutouts in their first five games, a feat that hadn’t been done since 1943 (Cardinals). — Bryan Hoch
Guardians: The offense is a work in progress
One week is too small of a sample to draw any final conclusions, but the Guardians’ lineup is off to a slow start. Cleveland, which has a lot of continuity from a 2025 mix that collectively struggled, entered Wednesday slashing .188/.269/.305 with 17 walks and 65 strikeouts through six games before scoring four runs in their win over the Dodgers. Chase DeLauter (who appeared to avoid a serious injury after fouling a ball off his left foot on Tuesday) was responsible for each of the club’s’ first four home runs. The Guardians have faced some tough starting pitching against the Mariners and Dodgers, but certainly have plenty of room for improvement at the plate. — Tim Stebbins
Royals: The rotation looks solid again
The Royals felt good about their five starters along with all the depth heading into the season, but you never really know how it’s going to play out. Well, the first week showed why the club had a lot of optimism in the first place. Cole Ragans was hurt by the long ball on Opening Day, but the swing and miss stuff was still there. Michael Wacha and Seth Lugo followed that up by pitching scoreless gems of six and 6 1/3 innings, respectively. And Kris Bubic gave the fans something to cheer about for six strong innings in the home opener Monday. The Royals will go as far as the rotation takes them this season. So far, so good. — Anne Rogers
Tigers: Kevin McGonigle is already a focal point
It took less than a week for McGonigle to advance from a 21-year-old rookie infielder to a hitter that opponents plan around. McGonigle had four hits and two doubles in his MLB debut, added a go-ahead hit the next night, then moved up from sixth to second in the Tigers’ lineup a few days later. Add in some solid play in the infield, and McGonigle is fast becoming a key cog in Detroit’s quest for a third consecutive playoff berth and their first division title since 2014. — Jason Beck
Twins: The bullpen is starting to take shape
Through the first four games, Kody Funderburk pitched three times, while neither Zak Kent nor Cody Laweryson got an appearance. Funderburk is clearly very trusted, and it appears they’re funneling the ninth to Cole Sands. Justin Topa is the other trusted righty besides Sands, while as expected there’s a decent amount of faith in all of the lefties. It’s not all sorted out but it’s a bit clearer than it was. — Matthew Leach
White Sox: Munetaka Murakami is as good as advertised
By his own admission, the left-handed-hitting first baseman from Japan has plenty of work to do as he begins his Major League career. In fact, Murakami has focused more on early shortcomings and the process for improvement even when opening weekend accolades were heaped upon him. But Murakami became the first player in White Sox franchise history to have a home run in each of his first three big league games, not to mention producing a hit in each of his first five, an RBI in four of those five and showing great patience at the plate with a walk in three of those five. He appears to be a needed bonafide power source. — Scott Merkin
Angels: The old Mike Trout looks back
Trout is a three-time AL MVP and an 11-time All-Star but hasn’t been selected to a Midsummer Classic since 2023 because of a recent spate of injuries, including knee problems in each of the last two seasons. But Trout is finally healthy and back to producing at an elite level. Through his first seven games, he has a 1.007 OPS with two homers, three RBIs and two stolen bases. His speed is also back, as he’s matched his stolen base total from last year in 130 games and has returned to his natural position of center field. If he can stay on the field, he could be in for a monster year. — Rhett Bollinger
Astros: A healthy Yordan Alvarez is a difference-maker
Alvarez was held to only 48 games last year, missing 100 games with a hand injury and then the final couple of weeks of the regular season with a sprained ankle. The Astros have made keeping Alvarez in the lineup a priority, and his red-hot start to the season provided a reminder of his impact. Through seven games, Alvarez is slashing .417/.563/.917 with three homers, six walks (three intentional) and four strikeouts. With Alvarez leading the way, the Astros scored at least six runs in five consecutive games from Saturday through Wednesday and are averaging 8.6 runs per game in that span. — Brian McTaggart
Athletics: Shea Langeliers looks like an MVP-type hitter
Cal Raleigh established himself as the top hitting catcher in baseball last year, but Langeliers is making an early case to wrestle that title away from him with a scorching hot start, with his five home runs tied for most by a primary catcher in his team’s first six games of a season. It’s only one week, but Langeliers has been performing as one of the top sluggers in baseball dating back to the 2025 All-Star break. — Martín Gallegos
Mariners: Cole Young and the bottom of the order has pop
Seattle’s thumpers — Cal Raleigh, Julio Rodríguez and Josh Naylor — are a combined 7-for-78 (.090), the type of production that probably would’ve led to a brutal Opening Week in the win column. Yet, the Mariners were able to withstand those struggles and manage a 3-4 record thanks to the Nos. 6-9 hitters. Entering Wednesday, that group combined for an MLB-best .897 OPS in that stretch. And there are signs that this could be legitimate, especially the showing from the 22-year-old Young, who’s continued from a stellar Spring Training. — Daniel Kramer
Rangers: Brandon Nimmo is having a real offensive impact
The Rangers acquired Nimmo in a one-for-one trade with the Mets that sent Marcus Semien to New York this offseason, just a small part of trying to revamp an anemic offense. In just six games, that impact has been felt at the top of the lineup, as Nimmo’s approach has percolated throughout the lineup. He fights off pitches, he draws his walks, he swings at strikes, he does everything that new manager Skip Schumaker wants from the lineup. — Kennedi Landry
Braves: Rotation concerns have been quieted
The Braves got what was expected when they had José Suarez start the fifth game of the season. But each of the first four starters have been solid and it looks like Martín Pérez will be a good replacement when that fifth spot comes up again on Sunday. Reynaldo López’s fastball was back in the mid 90’s and Spencer Strider could be just a week or two away from being activated. Depth remains a concern, but so far, so good for a group that lost four pitchers to injuries during Spring Training. — Mark Bowman
Marlins: The bullpen is legit
Pete Fairbanks, who signed a franchise-record deal for a reliever, has gone 2-for-2 in save situations. The surrounding cast has been just as strong. Miami’s bullpen owns the lowest ERA (0.51) and the second-fewest walks in the Majors, and has yet to surrender a long ball. Marlins relievers were able to sit back and relax on Wednesday, when starter Sandy Alcantara tossed a