Major League Baseball is now roughly six weeks into the 2026 season, and teams have surged out to strong starts. At the same time, several stars have already taken early leads across the game’s key statistical categories.

Many of these leaders are familiar names fans expect to see at the top. Whether it’s Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees or Cleveland Guardians star José Ramírez, stars are stars in this game. However, a few unexpected players have also emerged as early standouts among MLB’s statistical leaders.

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With approximately 21 weeks remaining in the season, these categories will play a major role in shaping the race for individual awards. Honors such as the Cy Young Award and the Babe Ruth Home Run Award closely track the pitching and hitting metrics highlighted below.

Offensive Leaders

Batting Average
NL: Ildemaro Vargas (1B), ARI — .382 AVG.
AL: Ben Rice (1B), NYY — .343 AVG.

Home Runs
NL (3-way tie): Matt Olson (1B), ATL; Kyle Schwarber (LF), PHI; Mickey Moniak (LF), COL — 11 HR.
AL (2-way tie): Aaron Judge (RF), NYY; Munetaka Murakami (1B), CHW — 13 HR.

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Runs Batted In
NL: Matt Olson (1B), ATL — 31 RBI.
AL: Jonathan Aranda (1B), TB — 28 RBI.

Stolen Bases
NL: Nasim Núñez (2B), WSH — 14 SB.
AL (2-way tie): José Ramírez (3B), CLE; José Caballero (SS), NYY — 13 SB.

Pitching Leaders

Strikeouts
NL: Jacob Misiorowski, MIL — 59 K.
AL: Dylan Cease, TOR — 56 K.

Wins
NL: Chris Sale, ATL — 6 W.
AL (2-way tie): José Soriano, LAA; Gavin Williams, CLE — 5 W.

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Earned Run Average
NL: Clay Holmes, NYM — 1.75 ERA.
AL: José Soriano, LAA — 0.84 ERA.

Saves
NL: Mason Miller, SD — 10 SV.
AL: Lucas Erceg, KC; David Bednar — 9 SV.

As MLB enters Week 7 of the regular season, the question remains: can these early leaders maintain their pace? Can they stay ahead of the competition in the race for baseball’s top honors?