It’s still early in the season and award races have barely begun to take shape, but there have already been some incredible breakout performances from a handful of emerging stars around the league. Some of those stars have done enough to warrant some legitimate discussion in some of MLB’s major award races. Of course, we’re only a quarter of the way through the season. Not every early breakout player will be able to sustain this level of performance throughout the full 162-game gauntlet, but that doesn’t mean their strong starts aren’t worth celebrating. Let’s take a look at some of the biggest breakout stars across MLB and whether they can realistically contend to win one of the league’s most prestigious honors if they keep up their hot start.Ben Rice, YankeesYankees 1B Ben Rice leads all of MLB with a 190 wRC+. | Brad Penner-Imagn ImagesBen Rice has looked like a true MVP-caliber player through the first quarter of the MLB season. Rice hit his 16th home run of the season in Tuesday’s win against the Blue Jays, and through 44 games he’s slashing .297/.397/.691 with 33 RBIs and 25 walks. He leads MLB with a 190 wRC+ and .450 wOBA and he’s seeing the ball better, evidenced by his improved 13.6% walk rate, up from 9.4% last season. Rice ranks near the top of the league in xwOBA (99th percentile), xBA (93rd), xSLG (98th), average exit velocity (95th), barrel percentage (97th) and hard-hit percentage (96th). That’s the batting profile of an elite hitter, and Rice has looked the part of one early in the regular season.Jacob Misiorowski, BrewersBrewers star Jacob Misiorowski leads MLB with 88 strikeouts. | Benny Sieu-Imagn Images“The Miz” turned heads across MLB as a rookie when he first displayed his flamethrower of an arm. He racked up 87 strikeouts in 66 innings last season, making 14 starts and logging a 4.36 ERA while earning a suprise All-Star appearance. He’s taken his game to a whole new level in 2026. This year, through 10 starts, Misiorowski leads MLB with 88 strikeouts in 57 innings and owns a pristine 1.89 ERA. He’s logged 25 more strikeouts and four fewer earned runs than reigning NL Cy Young winner Paul Skenes in the same amount of starts and just two more innings pitched. He’s built a legitimate candidacy to claim the award as his own this season, though he’ll have to maintain his torrid pace to do so. Shea Langeliers, AthleticsShea Langeliers is having a career year for the Athletics in 2026. | Bill Streicher-Imagn ImagesLangeliers is tied for the American League lead in hits with 58 and owns a .982 OPS while playing solid defense behind the plate. He ranks sixth in MLB with a 2.5 fWAR and ranks in the 98th or 99th percentile in xwOBA, xBA and xSLG, indicating his success at the plate is anything but a fluke. His 170 wRC+ is third in MLB and is higher than fellow backstop Cal Raleigh’s was during his historic 2025 season. Can Langeliers keep this up? His underlying metrics suggest he can, and if he’s able to continue at this pace he’ll be right in the mix of the AL MVP discussion come season’s end. Cam Schlittler, YankeesYankees ace Cam Schlittler has been MLB’s best starting pitcher in 2026. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn ImagesCam Schlittler has looked like a true ace through the first two months of the 26 season. He’s been absolutely dominant on the mound for the Yankees, leading MLB with a 1.35 ERA and a 0.783 WHIP. In 10 starts, Schlittler has surrendered just nine earned runs and has only allowed multiple runs in a game on two occasions. Of his 10 starts, six have been scoreless. He became the first Yankees pitcher in franchise history to record a sub-1.40 ERA with 65-plus strikeouts in his first 10 starts. One of the keys behind Schlittler’s early success has been the development of his cutter, which has become the best pitch in his arsenal in 2026. His 1.83 FIP suggests he’s not getting overly lucky on the mound, and is a good indication that he’ll be able to stick around in the AL Cy Young race. More MLB from Sports IllustratedAdd us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow