Now that we’re almost two full weeks into the season, some trends are starting to develop. Rather than just a couple of good or bad games, players are starting to stand out with exciting hot streaks and concerning slumps. It’s still too small a sample to blindly trust every statistic we see, but this is the time of the year that can make or break your fantasy season. Adding a player on a hot streak that turns into an eventual season-long breakout can be the difference between winning your league and coming up just short.
In this series, we take a look at some unexpected players who have been performing exceptionally as of late and discuss whether they can keep it up. Is this just a flash in the pan that will be forgotten a couple of weeks from now, or did these players make legitimate changes that could make them potential fantasy stars?
Jordan Walker, OF, STL
Jordan Walker was gaining some sleeper appeal this offseason after going to Driveline and reportedly making an adjustment to his swing. Of course, not every player who goes to Driveline turns into an instant success overnight, so we just had to wait until the season started to see how it played out. At least so far, all signs are pointing to a huge breakout for the 23-year-old. Through 12 games in 2026, he is slashing .295/.367/.682 with five home runs, which is already one short of his home run total in 111 games last year. The raw power has always been there for the slugger, as his 78.1 mph bat speed last season was one of the fastest in the league, but he’s never been able to translate that into in-game home runs.
That has seemingly changed this year, though. Although it’s a small sample, there are some clear signs early on that his new swing could be working. At least so far, he is getting much more optimal launch angles at a consistent rate and getting the most out of his swing, which have been some of his biggest weaknesses throughout his career so far. He posted an 18.1% squared-up rate (2nd percentile), a 29% launch angle sweet spot rate (5th percentile), and a 47.5% groundball rate in 2025. This season, he’s now at a 26.4% squared-up rate, 42.9% sweet spot rate, and 35.7% groundball rate. That has allowed his natural power to do some serious damage, translating to a 25.0% barrel rate and .712 xSLG.
Verdict: Legit. Walker was one of the most highly regarded prospects in baseball for a reason, and he would have had way more hype this season as a 23-year-old if he had spent the last three seasons in the minors. It is a very impressive feat to be advanced enough to make your major league debut as a 20-year-old, and it very well could have just taken the youngster a few years to catch up in development to compete at the major league level. He also has flashed a 95th-percentile sprint speed this season, and a 20-homer, 10-steal season could easily be in the cards for the slugger, with upside for even more. He should be a priority add in all leagues, regardless of size and format.
Cam Smith, OF, HOU
Keeping with the post-hype sleeper trend, Cam Smith is another player who had a ton of hype last year before disappointing as a rookie. You could snag him at the very end of drafts this year as a result, and so far, he’s put up a .273/.385/.523 slash line with three homers and three steals through 13 games. His latest home run was especially monstrous, sending it 462 feet at a 110.9 mph exit velocity. It was at Coors, which likely added some distance, but it was a display of some serious power either way. That wasn’t just something he lucked into, either, as his underlying metrics back up a potential power breakthrough on the horizon. After putting up a great but not elite bat speed of 74.5 mph last season, that mark is all the way up to 77.6 mph this season, which ranks in the 98th percentile of the league.
He has also put up a 93rd percentile sprint speed and has made it clear he is willing to run in the early going. There’s real 20-20 upside here, and it’s promising to see that the Astros had the confidence to give him everyday outfield at-bats from the jump. The 23-year-old slashed .313/.396/.609 in the minors in 2024 when he was one of the most hyped up prospects, and this bat speed increase could be the catalyst for a massive 2026 breakout.
Verdict: Mostly legit. I do believe that the increase in power is legit, but there are still some concerns with Smith’s profile. His plate discipline could be improved, as he still is chasing pitches outside of the zone at a 33.1% clip and whiffing at a 32.7% rate. Additionally, while his maximum power outputs have been impressive, his average exit velocity is still only 88.2 mph, and his squared-up rate is 17.0%. These things could all contribute toward a slump that takes him back closer to who he was in 2025, but in truth, the sample size is too small to make any definitive conclusions from any of these stats. I would prefer Jordan Walker, and am not 100% convinced of a Cam Smith superstar breakout, but I trust the bat speed increase and also believe he should be added in all leagues.
José Soriano, SP, LAA
José Soriano has been one of the most dominant pitchers in the early stages of 2026, allowing only one earned run on seven hits and six walks with 21 strikeouts over 20 innings. His most impressive performance was on Monday against the Braves, when he struck out 10 batters over eight one-run innings. The righty’s strikeout rate has jumped up from 21.0% last season to 29.6%, and his walk rate has dipped from 10.8% to 8.5%. Of course, that could just be early-season variance, but he has made some legitimate changes to his pitch arsenal that could be the cause of his success.
As is apparent in the table above, Soriano was essentially a two-pitch pitcher in 2025. His sinker and curveball were thrown a combined 75.8% of the time, with his splitter, four-seamer, and slider mixed in sparingly. While his curveball usage has stayed similar so far in 2026, the 27-year-old has significantly upped the usage of his four-seam fastball, from 8.6% to 22.3%. Add in some slight increases to his splitter and slider as well, and suddenly, hitters have to do much more guessing at the plate in terms of what pitch could be coming. These changes have made the sinker more effective when it is used, as the whiff rate has increased from 16.1% to 28.9% this season.
Verdict: Somewhat legit. While I do believe that these changes will help Soriano in the long run, and I think he will outperform what his ADP was, I don’t buy this performance as a potential difference-making fantasy option. I expect hitters to adjust to his new arsenal as time goes on, and this uptick in strikeouts still won’t fix the inflated WHIP that he is likely to carry. He is one of the most prolific groundball pitchers in the league, which can lead to quite a few hits, especially with a subpar defense backing him up. Just like last season, he will provide a good number of scoreless outings and will look great when everything goes his way, but there will likely be an equal number of starts where his propensity for walks and bad BABIP luck from groundballs will ultimately offset his ratios to an unimpressive spot. He is definitely worth picking up and starting, but it’s best to view him as a solid top-60 fantasy starter, rather than a budding ace.
