A wise man once told me that you never get a second chance to make a first impression. OK, it was the voiceover guy in a Head and Shoulders commercial, but he was pretty convincing. He was also pretty wrong.

Masahiro Tanaka got seven chances (read: innings) to make a first impression during his MLB debut last Friday. It's a good thing, too, because Tanaka got off to a rough start when the first batter he faced, Melky Cabrera, took him deep without even eating pregame steroids (I assume).

Tanaka allowed three runs on several hard-hit balls in his first two innings. Though his splitter was filthy, as expected, his slider was diving into the heart of the plate, making me cringe every time. I won't say this often, but he was actually throwing  too many  strikes, or at least too many strikes in the middle of the zone. It doesn't matter how many nasty pitches you throw, if they are over the plate, major league hitters are eventually going to tee off.

After the game, Tanaka admitted to dealing with nerves early. Who could blame him? It was the rookie's first MLB start and that was  THE  Melky Cabrera standing in the box.

But Tanaka settled down to retire 15 of 16 batters in his final five innings. In all, he struck out eight, mostly with hitters chasing breaking pitches darting out of the strike zone. That's how Tanaka, who was always around the plate with his low-90s fastball, is going to earn his money. Keeping the ball low and moving downward is key to him keeping the ball in the park at Yankee Stadium and the other AL East launching pads.

What impressed me most about Tanaka, besides his vanishing splitter, was his composure and ability to bounce back from a rocky start on the road despite all the nerves and pressure. One of Tanaka's best qualities is supposed to be his fierce competitive streak, and we saw it on full display in Toronto.

While I don't think the strikeouts are always going to be there for Tanaka, especially after hitters see him a few times, it's clear he's major league-ready. As long as he stays out of the middle of the zone and avoids throwing too many hittable pitches when ahead in the count, he should be a solid SP2 for fantasy owners.

Several other starting pitchers had promising, if not stellar, 2014 debuts last week. (But not Clay Buchholz ... good Lord, not Clay Buchholz.) Let's take a look at some of the surprises to see if they could be for real:

James Paxton, Mariners: Paxton had arguably the most eye-opening debut of anyone last week. His seven shutout innings and nine Ks against the Angels landed him on a lot more fantasy rosters. If you got him; congratulations. The lanky, 6-foot-4 lefty throws over the top at such a downward plane that it’s tough for hitters to make solid contact. Mix in the fact he can run it up to 98 when he needs to, and you’ve got a potentially dominant starter. The knock on Paxton has been inconsistency — in terms of velocity and results, not necessarily control — so let’s not get too excited about one start, but he immediately joins the SP5 ranks and has SP3 upside.

Dan Haren, Dodgers: Haren had an impressive Dodgers debut, which might draw some eye rolls from owners whom he burned last season … or the year before. But that strong start is really a carryover from a strong finish last season, when Haren posted a 3.52 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 8.2 K/9 in 14 games (13 starts) after the All-Star break. He’s rediscovered his strikeout pitch, and he’s got great win potential in L.A. This could be the bounce-back year for Haren.

Michael Pineda, Yankees: Pineda’s final stat line from his first major league start since 2011 looks great, but I’m still tempering expectations. His velocity was around 92-93 for most of the game and even though he occasionally touched 94, he’s still below the 95-plus heat we saw from him as a rookie. He was also way too reliant on his nasty slider, which makes me nervous that his elbow could be the next problem. We’ll see if the velocity improves, but without a dominant fastball and a reliable third pitch, it’s going to be tough for Pineda to keep hitters guessing. And we haven’t even started talking about innings limits or AL East lineups/ballparks yet. I think Pineda’s upside is capped at SP3, and that’s being optimistic.

For more insight on starters such as Alex Wood, Tyler Skaggs, Yovani Gallardo and Nathan Eovaldi, as well as middle relievers and closers, read the full  Inside Pitch  column!

Follow @Brad_Pinkerton  and @FantasySourceBB for even more fantasy baseball analysis.