There’s no denying the fact that the Cleveland Indians‘ starting rotation was the main reason many predicted good things for the team in 2016. Much of this was thanks to Cleveland’s one-two punch of Corey Kluber and Carlos Carrasco. The wild card of the rotation, it seemed, was Danny Salazar.

Over the offseason, the rumor mill featured plenty of talk regarding the Tribe being willing to part with a starter in a trade for more offense. One of the biggest names being discussed was Salazar, who in his three seasons was still struggling with consistency. However, winter came and went with the Dominican still a member of the rotation.

We’ll never know for sure if Salazar’s name really was involved in trade talks. If it actually was, though, the team must be thanking the heavens no deal was made. Salazar couldn’t have started 2016 much better and, at the moment, it looks as though this might be the season he becomes the star many predicted he’d be.

As mentioned, stability has been a bit of an issue for Salazar since being called up back in 2013. Some days he’d be on fire, collecting strikeouts by the dozen. Other days you could tell his control just wasn’t there, which typically resulted in opponents teeing off on him.

The issue had less to do with velocity than it did with pitch-placement. While Salazar could throw fireballs with the best of them, when they were served right down the pipe, opposing hitters had no trouble sending them to the bleachers.

So, while Kluber and Carrasco were seen as sure-things, there were still question marks hovering over Salazar. Though he’s only had two starts on the year, he’s definitely doing his best to erase any doubt there may be.

Salazar has been almost untouchable so far in 2016. In two games, he’s only given up five hits and one earned run. On top of this, he’s collected 16 strikeouts, placing him in the top 10 in the majors in that category. With an ERA of 0.79, Salazar is off to the best start of his career.

Even more important is the fact that, so far, he’s has been given plenty of run support for his efforts. While the Indians’ offense still won’t provide much help for Kluber, it’s averaging 6.5 runs per game in Salazar’s starts.

There are still small things he needs adjust, though. Primarily, Salazar needs to work on his pitch counts. He’s thrown 90-plus pitches in each of his two starts, never going deeper than the sixth inning. It’ll definitely be worth his time to try and trim this down in order to provide more relief for the bullpen.

That said, if that’s the only complaint you can get two games into the season, it’s definitely a good thing. If Salazar can maintain this hot start, it’ll greatly improve Cleveland’s chances this year.

Indians fans have been waiting for Salazar’s breakout season since he made his arrival three years ago. Though it’s still very early, it sure looks like the wait might not be much longer.