Through the first week of the MLB season, we've seen why pitchers are more talented than ever.

While we've been dazzled by performances from stars like Shohei Ohtani and Gerrit Cole, there have been other pitchers who showed that they might be taking a step forward. Whether it's an improvement in stuff or command, a pitch arsenal overhaul, or simply making their stateside debuts, there have been a plethora of pitchers who stood out in their first outings of 2023.

Here are some pitchers who had strong debuts and could be primed to take big steps forward in the 2023 season.

Jeffrey Springs, Rays
6 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 12 K (April 2 vs DET)
Springs was one of MLB's biggest surprises last season. A former 30th-round pick who turned 30 in September, Springs found a home with Tampa Bay and was one of the best starting pitchers on an inning-per-inning basis in 2022. His first start of 2023, featuring a career-high 12 K's, only reaffirmed the notion that he might just be legit. The Rays' bullpen ultimately couldn't finish the combined no-hitter but it didn't make Springs' performance any less exciting. The lefty recorded a called or swinging strike on 40.7% of his pitches, his best rate as a Major League starter. Much like last year, Springs rode his dominant changeup to success, generating whiffs on nine of 17 swings against it.

Dylan Cease, White Sox
6.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 10 K (March 30 at HOU)
Cease finished second in AL Cy Young Award voting in 2022 so it's hardly a surprise that he dominated on Opening Day. What was a surprise was Cease's excellent control after he led the Majors in walks (78) last season. For just the second time in his career, Cease had an outing in which he struck out 10 or more batters without walking anybody. He also threw strikes at a 72.1% clip, making it the second time he's thrown strikes more than 70% of the time in a start. It's only one start but if Cease makes meaningful steps forward with the control of his elite stuff, we might be talking about him winning that Cy Young Award at the end of this season.

Kodai Senga, Mets
5.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 8 K (April 2 at MIA)
Senga was one of the best pitchers in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball for a decade before he joined the Mets on a five-year, $75 million deal this past offseason. After starting a bit shaky in his MLB debut against the Marlins on Sunday, Senga flipped the script and dominated the rest of his outing. Senga's stuff was as good as advertised, highlighted by a four-seam that averaged 96.8 mph and his mid-80s ghost fork, which is a unique pitch that operates like a splitter. The latter pitch was responsible for all eight of Senga's strikeouts and was consistently dropping 30-plus inches while also generating some side-arm break. Hitters will adjust but it's clear that Senga's nasty stuff plays in MLB.

Nick Lodolo, Reds
5 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 9 K (April 1 vs PIT)
After posting a 3.66 ERA and striking out 131 hitters in 19 starts as a rookie last year, Lodolo was already viewed as one of the most exciting young starting pitchers. The 25-year-old's first start in 2023 only reaffirmed that belief. While his velocity was down a few mph, Lodolo dominated the Pirates by generating 22 swings-and-misses (45.8 percent of swings against him), both of which were career bests for a single game. His curveball was dominant as usual with a 59% whiff rate but it's the progression of his changeup (four whiffs on six swings) that is even more exciting. After allowing a .336 expected batting average on his changeup last year, the pitch now looks like a real weapon that he can use to mitigate any platoon splits against right-handed hitters.

Pablo López, Twins
5.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 8 K (March 30 at KC)
Outside of bringing back Carlos Correa, acquiring López in the Luis Arraez trade represented the Twins' biggest offseason move. López did not disappoint by tossing 5 1/3 scoreless innings in his Twins debut. Notably, López generated whiffs on 44.7% of his swings, the highest rate of any start in his career. The reason for more whiffs? López's average fastball velocity was up from 92.7 mph in 2022 to 95 mph in his first start and his new sweeper generated whiffs on eight of 11 swings.

Freddy Peralta, Brewers
6 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 7 K (April 3 vs NYM)
This year's Peralta looks much more like the dominant 2021 version who posted a 2.81 ERA and struck out 195 hitters in 144 1/3 innings. While Peralta was still quite good in 2022 (3.58 ERA in 78 IP), his stuff took a hit and led to a 6.5% decrease in strikeouts. In his first start of 2023, Peralta generated whiffs on 34.2% of swings and a 31.8% strikeout rate. Peralta's uptick in whiffs was supported by his underlying pitch metrics. Both the four-seam fastball (+1.1 mph) and changeup (+3.8 mph) were thrown harder and much closer to his 2021 level while his curveball dropped (averaged 56 inches) like we haven't seen since his 2018 debut season. It's the slider that's the most exciting though; he sacrificed three inches of vertical drop for an extra mph of velocity and an additional two inches of horizontal break that made it look like a nasty offering.

Reid Detmers, Angels
4.2 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 7 K (April 3 at SEA)
Detmers had command problems and issued too many walks in his 2023 debut, but it's hard to ignore the uptick in stuff. Originally viewed as a safer, potential mid-rotation starting pitcher, Detmers showed up to Spring Training with a huge velocity increase in part due to his offseason work at places like Driveline. That velocity carried over into his season debut when his 95.3 mph average fastball velocity was 2.1 mph faster than last year while his slider (+3.7 mph), curveball (+1.8 mph), and changeup (+1.2 mph) also showed sizable velocity increases. As a result, Detmers now looks like a guy who can pair big-time stuff with the strong command that he's shown in his professional career. If Detmers can maintain this stuff, the Angels could have one of the best starting rotations in the Majors.

Zach Eflin, Rays
5 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K (April 1 vs DET)
Eflin's three-year, $40 million deal over the offseason represented the largest free-agent deal in Rays franchise history. That investment is off to a good start for both the player and the team. Eflin allowed a lone run in his Rays debut, secured his first win in his new uniform, and made some changes to his pitch arsenal. Of note, Eflin doubled his changeup usage from last year to 12% and nearly doubled his cutter usage. Watch out for the changeup, a pitch that has never really been an out pitch for Eflin. In his first start, the 28-year-old righty added 3.2 inches of horizontal break to it, generating whiffs on five of six swings.

MacKenzie Gore, Nationals
5.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 6 K (April 2 vs ATL)
The 24-year-old Gore was one of many prospects sent to the Nationals in last summer's Juan Soto trade, but he was injured at the time, delaying his Washington debut until Sunday. Gore's early returns in 2023 are certainly encouraging. In his first start, the left-hander stifled a potent Braves lineup. While Gore will need to clean up the four walks he issued, he excelled in other areas. A third of the swings against Gore resulted in whiffs while just two of his batted balls were considered hard hit (95+ mph). A big reason for his strong start could be tied to Gore changing his breaking ball shape. Gore sacrificed a few inches of vertical drop on both his curveball and slider in exchange for roughly 1.5 mph of additional velocity and an extra inch of horizontal break.

Jhony Brito, Yankees
5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 K (April 2 vs SF)
Injuries to Carlos Rodón, Luis Severino, and Frankie Montas created room in the Yankees rotation for someone else to step up. Enter Jhony Brito. The 25-year-old dazzled in his MLB debut. Brito, the Yankees' 27th-ranked prospect entering the season per MLB Pipeline, was a relative unknown heading into Spring Training. Brito certainly opened some eyes Sunday with an electrifying pitch mix that included a mid-90s four-seam fastball and sinker along with a wicked changeup that generated whiffs on half of the 22 swings against it. Since the Yankees don't need a fifth starter their next time through the rotation, Brito was optioned to Triple-A following his start but he'll almost certainly be back in the big leagues soon.

Dylan Dodd, Braves
5 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K (April 4 at STL)
It's almost like the Braves know what they're doing. In his first MLB start, Dodd pitched extremely well against a dangerous Cardinals lineup and picked up his first win. The Braves' 10th-ranked prospect according to MLB Pipeline, Dodd poured in strikes at an elite 71.2% rate and showed a quality three-pitch mix. Dodd pounded the zone with fastballs and was able to expand with his slider and changeup, generating a combined 38% whiff rate on the latter two pitches. Given the Braves' track record of strong player development and uncertainty around several of their starting pitchers, don't be surprised if Dodd gets an extended look to show if this performance was legit.