To say that this has been a weird April across Major League Baseball would be an understatement. Several expected playoff contenders have fallen flat, while the league’s youth has taken over in force. However, what’s interesting about this month is that teams’ starting pitcher ERA totals are up. Thirteen clubs have sub-4.00 rotation ERA figures, compared to 15 this time last year.
And, several big names have some catch-up work to do heading into May.
A brief glance at 2025
Last season, between the start of the 2025 campaign and April 29, there were 119 starting pitchers who threw at least 25 innings. Out of those individuals, 55 (46.2%) had an earned run average of 4.00 or greater.
The list of pitchers who had a 4.00+ ERA at this time included pitchers like Kevin Gausman, Gavin Williams, Tanner Bibee & Framber Valdez, individuals whose ERA stabilized as the year went on. However, some, like Aaron Nola & Zac Gallen, did not. Then, there were the likes of Cole Ragans, Chris Sale, and Corbin Burnes, all of whom suffered significant injuries last year.
Now, 2026
This time around, 123 starting pitchers have thrown at least 25 innings. And, 51 of those (41.5%) have an ERA of 4.00 or greater. In terms of total numbers, ERAs by and large are roughly where they were last season. The problem is the sheer number of high-end pitchers who’ve run into trouble this season.
Cole Ragans has been one of baseball’s most mercurial pitchers. While he did have a problem with the home run ball last season, his BB/R rate was mostly fine in the first month, with one below 3.33. This season, Ragans is presently sitting with a BB/9 of 6.00 and a HR/9 of 2.3.
Some of that, to be honest, has been luck. Take, for example, this home run conceded to Ben Rice. It’s a 95 MPH fastball inside, and a pitch that could get a jam shot in some instances. But for a hitter sitting on it, it can be hit — and it was.
Kyle Bradish (5.1 BB/9) had his own walk problems during April. The same can be said for power pitcher Bubba Chandler, who dealt with the same thing last season in Triple-A.
There are also the “big” names, like Logan Webb, Jesus Luzardo, Nathan Eovaldi, Luis Castillo, Trevor Rogers, and Garrett Crochet, all of whom were going in the top 100-125 but all have higher-than-expected figures.
Webb and Luzardo have both been victims of circumstance. Webb’s secondary stuff has been hit more than normal this season, while Luzardo’s been a plus strikeout pitcher this season.
There’s also Crochet, who bottomed out earlier this month but rebounded this past weekend against the Orioles. However, he’s now on the IL.
Lastly, below-average swing-and-miss pitchers like Noah Cameron & Andrew Abbott have seen dips in run prevention, as well.
So, what’s the point of all this? Simply put, there are a lot of pitchers you should not give up on, even after a rough first month. Yes, this hasn’t been an easy April to navigate through, especially if you drafted two of the following pitchers.
But it’s a marathon, not a sprint. And if last year was any indication, the good pitchers tend to have things even out.
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