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5 players off to surprising red-hot starts

Doug Pensinger / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Championships and personal awards aren't won in April, but a solid start to the marathon MLB season never hurts. We're now three weeks into the baseball season, and some players are already well on their way to enjoying breakout seasons.

Here are five big leaguers off to surprising red-hot starts:

Kenta Maeda, Los Angeles Dodgers

The Dodgers were in desperate need of a quality arm after losing Zack Greinke this winter, and Maeda has certainly answered the call. The 28-year-old Japanese hurler joins Fernando Venezuela (1981) and George McQuillan (1907) as the only pitchers in the modern era to throw at least 25 innings in their first four starts while allowing no more than a single run. L.A.'s front office is salivating at the thought of Maeda stabilizing the rotation for the next eight years, but it'll be interesting to see how hitters respond once the book is out on the crafty righty.

IP  W-L ERA WHIP  SO
25.1 3-0 0.36 0.87 23

Trevor Story, Colorado Rockies

Story has started to cool off over the last week, but that doesn't discredit his historic power surge to begin the year. The 23-year-old shortstop, who earned a roster spot this spring after Jose Reyes was placed on paid leave while he deals with his legal issues, became the first player in MLB history to homer seven times in his team's first six games. Even more impressive, only three of his eight long balls have been hit in the thin air at Coors Field.

SLASH HR RBI OPS+ 
.253/.296/.667 8 14 129

Mat Latos, Chicago White Sox

After bouncing around between three teams last year, Latos appears to have found a home in Chicago. The righty, who signed an affordable one-year, $3-million deal with the White Sox prior to the 2016 season, is one of the hottest arms in baseball out of the gate, and has already matched his win total from last year.

IP W-L ERA WHIP SO
24.1 4-0 0.74 0.82 13

Colby Rasmus, Houston Astros

Rasmus has plenty to prove after he accepted Houston's one-year, $15.8-million qualifying offer, and he's already boosted his free-agent value this fall with an impressive power display. The outfielder has stroked four homers in as many games heading into action Monday, including a game-breaking grand slam Saturday that sunk the Boston Red Sox.

SLASH HR RBI OPS+
.293/.440/.707 7 18 222

Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Detroit Tigers

Saltalamacchia's career took a nosedive after winning the 2013 World Series with the Red Sox, but an early injury to Tigers catcher James McCann allowed the veteran backstop to once again find his power stroke. He's playing for the league minimum this year, and adding some impressive depth to an already potent Tigers lineup.

SLASH HR RBI OPS+
.262/.354/.762 6 15 210

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