Last baseball season, torpedo bats (remember those?) stole the show on opening weekend. They were all anyone could talk about.
But time – and technology – marches on. So what do we have dominating the discourse after the first series of games in 2026? ABS challenges, of course!
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If the idea is to get the important balls and strikes calls correct, we’re off to a good start. Except for Twins manager Derek Shelton, who was tossed from a game on Sunday, March 29, for arguing an overturned Ball 4.
That incident sparked a memorable call from Orioles TV announcer Kevin Brown, who exclaimed: “He’s arguing with the robots! You can’t defeat the robots!!”
Meanwhile, fantasy baseball managers are waging their own battles with technology as the season gets rolling. Are my projections on target? Is this guy’s hot start a fact or fluke? Why didn’t the computer give my top waiver pickup? In the search for just a fraction of the clarity ABS provides, it’s time to recognize how easy it is to overreact to the small samples of the early season. Our annual Tuffy Awards shine a spotlight on the lesser-known players off to hot starts who will raise fantasy managers’ expectations, and then predictably return to a near-replacement level of production. The inspiration for the awards is unheralded Chicago Cubs outfielder Karl “Tuffy” Rhodes, who hit three home runs off Dwight Gooden on opening day in 1994.
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Fantasy teams who grabbed Rhodes off the waiver wire saw him hit .234 with five home runs from that point forward.
So with a mix of caution and skepticism, we begin our quest to uncover this year’s Tuffy.
They might be legit
Not every unexpectedly fast start is necessarily a fluke. There are always a few early-season waiver wire pickups who remain productive all year. Here are a few worth taking seriously.
OF Chase DeLauter, Cleveland Guardians. The No. 16 overall pick in 2022 out of James Madison made his MLB debut during last year’s playoffs. Then in his first official at-bat with the Guardians, he took the Mariners’ Logan Gilbert deep – and seemingly never stopped slugging. After one series, DeLauter led the majors with four home runs.
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The 24-year-old has always been a highly regarded prospect, but persistent foot injuries have kept him from playing more than 57 games in any of his three pro seasons. Through it all, he’s consistently posted excellent numbers. It’s time DeLauter takes a big step forward.
3B Munetaka Murakami, Chicago White Sox. There was plenty of skepticism this offseason that Murakami’s outrageous power numbers in Japan would translate to the majors, where he’d see many more power arms. The former Triple Crown winner and Japan Central League MVP seems to have adjusted pretty well though, with three solo homers in his first three games. There are still concerns about his contact rate and propensity to strike out, but he did have as many walks as strikeouts (four) in his opening series.
SP Jose Soriano, Los Angeles Angels. We all should know better than to get too excited about Angels pitchers, but Soriano thrived in his first opening day start. He averaged 99.1 mph on his fastball – up 1.2 mph from last year’s average – in tossing six scoreless innings against the Astros. He also allowed just two hits and struck out seven.
Near-Tuffys
SP Emerson Hancock, Seattle Mariners. In the final game of opening week, Hancock stopped the Guardians (including DeLauter) cold. Sure, the chilly temperatures may have helped, but he struck out nine and allowed just one walk in six no-hit innings before departing. This performance came out of nowhere after Hancock posted ERAs near 5.00 while bouncing between Seattle and the minors the past two seasons. The former first-round pick should make a few more starts before Bryce Miller is healthy, but it’s hard to see him doing this again.
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SP Randy Vasquez, San Diego Padres. In his first two seasons with the Padres, Vasquez averaged fewer than six strikeouts per nine innings with swinging-strike rates below 8.5%. In his first start of 2026, he fanned eight Tigers in six frames with a 14.3% swinging-strike rate. Like Hancock, Vasquez did gain more than a tick on his fastball from last season, but let’s see if it sticks.
SP Eric Lauer, Toronto Blue Jays. After fellow starters Kevin Gausman and Dylan Cease combined for 11 ⅓ scoreless innings against the Athletics, Lauer followed with four more of his own before allowing a two-run homer in the fifth. What was most eye-opening though: nine strikeouts in 5 ⅓ innings. Jumping on the Jays bandwagon is easy at this point, but Lauer’s time in the rotation will only last until Trey Yesavage returns from a shoulder strain in a couple weeks.
2B David Hamilton, Milwaukee Brewers. One glance at the half-week stolen base leaders reveals Hamilton ahead of everyone with three. (On pace to top 70!) But Hamilton had just four at-bats and eight plate appearances in the Brewers’ opening series while platooning with Luis Rengifo at third base. If you need speed only, he swiped a total of 55 over the past two seasons in part-time duty with the Red Sox. But he won’t give you anything else.
3B Ben Williamson, Tampa Bay Rays. Also getting off to a hot start with his new team, Williamson went 5-for-9 and scored four runs in his first three games. Known primarily for his glove, he’s part of a platoon at third and will only see part-time at-bats until Gavin Lux returns from the IL Williamson has just one home run in 286 career at-bats through Sunday.
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And the 2026 Tuffy Award goes to …
Nationals outfielder Joey Wiemer, right, celebrates a three-run homer against the Cubs that scored teammates Brady House and Daylen Lile. Wiemer recorded six hits in his first six at-bats of the 2026 season.
OF Joey Wiemer, Washington Nationals. It’s hard to be any better than Wiemer was in going 6-for-6 with a couple of walks and two home runs to start the season. The 27-year-old journeyman is playing for his fourth major league team in four seasons. On a rebuilding Nationals squad, it’s no surprise he went undrafted in just about every fantasy league after hitting .150 this spring.
Wiemer’s roster rate will skyrocket this week after he homered on opening day and followed it up with three-run blast on Sunday. But those heroics came against a pair of left-handed Cubs starters. He isn’t going to take away playing time from a true young talent like Daylen Lile in right field or a defensive whiz like Jacob Young in center.
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Wiemer is a nice story, but one we’ve seen many times before at this time of year.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fantasy baseball Tuffy Awards highlight 2026 opening-week anomalies
Read the full article here