As May goes on, the MLB trends season begins to come into focus and establish its true identity.Spring training and April can be deceiving, but by May, performance trends begin to reveal who brigades and players really are. Contenders separate from fakers, rout players crop , and sins come harder to ignore.
With that in mind, then are three notable developments worth tracking.
Kazuma Okamoto conforming to breaking pitches MLB trends
Kazuma Okamoto entered 2026 extensively viewed as a more polished, MLB trends-ready megahit compared to Munetaka Murakami, who was considered the advanced- upside power club. still, early results flipped that anticipation — Murakami has thrived, while Okamoto has demanded time to acclimate with the Blue Jays.
That said, Okamoto’s line is perfecting. After starting the season 13- for- 69(.188) with two home runs over his first 18 games, he has surged to 19- for- 62(.307) with eight homers in his coming 17 contests. His strikeout rate has also dropped significantly, from 32.9 beforehand on to 26.8 during this stretch. He indeed had a name stretch where he hit four home runs in three MLB trends games against Minnesota.
Murakami originally plodded with fastballs, but Okamoto’s early issue was with breaking pitches. In those first 18 games, he managed just a.250 normal and no power against breaking balls, along with a 37 trace rate — well above the league’s morals. Since also, he has made clear progress, reducing his trace rate to 28 and indeed homering multiple times off breaking pitches. His recent overall product against fastballs has also jumped dramatically, including an.833 slugging chance over that span…Read more
A crucial adaptation appears to be his positioning in the batter’s box. Moving further back has given him further time to read pitches, particularly breaking balls. While blockbuster differ in what setup works best, this change has easily served him MLB trends.
Toronto’s offense, which powered a deep postseason run last time thanks to both contact chops and slugging, has not yet reached that same position of power this season. The platoon presently ranks in the lower half of the league in home runs and slugging.However, he could help close that gap, If Okamoto’s advancements continue MLB trends.
Jesús Luzardo’s problems when runners are on base
Jesús Luzardo was acquired by the Phillies after a strong 2025 season with Miami, where he posted a 3.92 period with 216 strikeouts and earned Cy Young consideration. That performance led to a long- term extension, but his 2026 period of 5.09 aesthetics concerning at first regard. still, advanced criteria like his FIP( 2.27) and xERA( 3.16) suggest he has been better than the face figures indicate.
A recreating issue for Luzardo is a sharp drop in effectiveness when pitching from the stretch. This pattern has persisted for multiple seasons. Like utmost ewers, he performs better with the bases empty, but the difference in his case is extreme.
With no runners on, he has limited damage and posted strong strikeout figures. But with runners aboard, opponents hit him significantly harder, with a major jump in slugging and home runs allowed. His strikeout rate also dips slightly in those situations. League-wide, ewers do worsen with runners on, but Luzardo’s decline is far more pronounced than average.
The cause is n’t completely clear. Possible explanations include mechanical differences between pitching from the endgame and stretch, pitch sequencing, or other subtle factors like tilting pitches. Luzardo himself has conceded the issue and emphasized that it’s commodity the platoon is laboriously trying to correct rather than guessing at conclusions.
Despite the struggles, he has shown dominant stretches, including two recent jaunts where he struck out 18 batters and allowed only two runs over 13 ⅓ innings though those came against weaker lineups. His inconsistency when pitching with runners on base continues to be the key factor limiting his overall ceiling MLB trends.
Seattle’s protective collapse
MLB trends The Seattle hearties entered the season as a popular World Series pick, but their 17 – 19 launch and modest 3 run differential have reflected a more inconsistent platoon than anticipated. While they’ve shown flashes — winning six of seven at one point — they lately suffered a reach at the hands of Kansas City.
Seattle’s offense has been roughly league average, and its pitching has been above normal indeed after demesne adaptations. The major issue is defense, where the hearties have been among the worst brigades in baseball.
They rank dead last in Outs Above Average overall, with poor marks both in the infield and outfield. Their protective effectiveness is also near the bottom of the league, converting smaller balls in play into outs than utmost brigades. Opponents are hitting significantly better on ground balls against Seattle than league average, and fly balls are also falling in more frequently than they should MLB trends.
Collectively, only alternate baseman Cole Young has graded as a positive protector so far. Indeed Julio Rodríguez, who has been one of the league’s stylish protective outfielders in recent seasons, has underperformed beforehand in 2026. Other outfielders have also plodded, compounding the issue.
Poor defense does n’t just bring runs directly — it increases pitch counts, extends innings, and puts fresh strain on the pitching staff and bullpen. While help is on the way with Victor Robles returning from injury and anticipated retrogression from some MLB trends players, the overall protective profile suggests a structural weakness.
For a platoon erected heavily around run forestallment, this position of protective decline is a major concern. It may not define their season yet, but it’s a clear problem that will be delicate to fix internally.
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