Adam Hodge (@arhodge013) is a lifelong baseball fan and has been playing fantasy baseball for twenty years. He learned that the game is a cruel mistress early on, as he drafted a young Adrian Beltre season after season before giving up on him just before he finally broke out in 2004. A true fantasy baseball junkie, he has won championships in a variety of formats, including rotisserie and head-to-head leagues that have had standard "snake" drafts as well as auction drafts. He lives in eastern Kansas with his wife and baby girl.
Keibert Ruiz (C-WSH) is quite frankly as good of an option as fantasy owners have outside of the top few players at the catcher position. Beyond Salvador Perez, Will Smith, J.T. Realmuto, and Yasmani Grandal, it's a real crapshoot of...
Shane McClanahan (SP-TB) allowed 1 run on 3 hits and no walks while fanning 3 Yankees over 3 IP to close out his 2021 regular season on Friday evening. The 24 year-old southpaw fired 28 of his 43 offerings for...
Ranger Suarez SP-PHI) tossed a complete-game shutout against the lousy Pirates on Saturday, scattering 4 hits and walking none while racking up 7 punchouts. The 26 year-old southpaw needed to throw just 97 pitches to complete the gem, 63 of...
Shane Baz (SP-TB) is slated to start against the Marlins at home on Sunday and you should add and start him if he's available in your league; at time of writing, he's owned in only 15% of ESPN leagues. The...
Cedric Mullins (OF-BAL) went 2-4 with a run scored and 2 stolen bases against Boston on Saturday. The 26 year-old has really emerged in 2021, as he now owns a .302 average to go with 29 dingers, 86 runs scored,...
Shohei Ohtani (SP-LAA) will have his next start on the mound (originally scheduled for Friday) pushed back as he deals with arm soreness; the club has also raised the possibility that he may not take the mound again this season....
Corbin Burnes (SP-MIL) fired 8 no-hit innings against Cleveland on Saturday, walking just one batter while fanning 14. The 26 year-old righty threw 78 of his 115 pitches for strikes in the contest before giving way to Josh Hader, who...
Sean Manaea (SP-OAK) dominated the White Sox on Thursday afternoon, allowing just 1 run on 5 hits and a walk while racking up 9 punchouts. The 29 year-old southpaw tossed 69 of his 101 offerings for strikes in the outing....
Jorge Polanco (SS-MIN) went 2-4 with a homer and 2 RBI against the Rays on Friday. The 28 year-old switch-hitter has really turned it on after an ice-cold start to the 2021 campaign and is now hitting .274 with 25...
Robbie Ray (SP-TOR) defeated Baltimore on Monday evening as he allowed 2 runs on 4 hits and a walk while racking up 10 punchouts. The 29 year-old southpaw fired 62 of his 97 pitches for strikes and surrendered a homer...
Sandy Alcantara (SP-MIA) dazzled against the Reds on Saturday evening as he tossed 7 innings in which he allowed 1 run on 6 hits and a walk while piling up 12 strikeouts. The 25 year-old righty fired 75 of his...
Glenn Otto (SP-TEX) made his MLB debut against Houston on Friday, firing 5 shutout innings in which he allowed just 2 hits and walked none while racking up 7 punchouts. The 25 year-old righty was one of the pieces that...
Ian Anderson (SP-ATL) continued to make progress toward returning to big league action as he fired 4.1 scoreless innings in a recent Triple-A start, scattering 4 hits and a walk while recording 6 punchouts. He appears on track to return...
Jesse Winker (OF-CIN) left Sunday's game against the Phillies after aggravating his intercostal strain and was further evaluated on Monday. The examination revealed that the issue isn't a long-term one, but the club placed Winker on the 10-day IL so...
Triston McKenzie (SP-CLE) took a perfect game into the 8th inning against Detroit on Sunday and he finished the day with 8 scoreless innings in which he allowed just 1 hit and walked none while piling up 11 strikeouts. The...
Nathan Eovaldi (SP-BOS) made a quality start against the Yankees on Saturday as he allowed 2 runs on 3 hits and no walks while racking up 8 punchouts over 7.2 innings of work. The 31 year-old righty fired 82 of...
Freddie Freeman (1B-ATL) went 2-3 with a homer and 2 RBI on Saturday against the Rays. After a slow start to the season, the 31 year-old is now batting .285 with 21 dingers and 54 RBI across 397 plate appearances....
Robbie Ray (SP-TOR) was dynamite against the Rays on Sunday afternoon as he tossed 7 shutout innings in which he allowed just 1 hit and 1 walk while racking up 11 punchouts. The 29 year-old lefty fired 71 of his...
Jonathan Schoop (1B-DET) went 2-4 with a homer, a walk, and 3 RBI against the White Sox on Saturday. The 29 year-old is putting together his best season since 2017, when he hit .293 with 32 homers and 105 RBI...
Bobby Bradley (1B-CLE) went 2-3 with a pair of solo homers in the first half of Wednesday's doubleheader with Detroit. The 25 year-old has provided plenty of pop since being recalled from Triple-A, as was hitting .265 with 8 homers...
Shohei Ohtani (DH-LAA) went 3-4 with a double, a triple, a homer, a walk, a stolen base, 2 runs scored, and 3 RBI against the Rays on Sunday. The 26 year-old is breaking out in a big way in 2021...
Corbin Burnes (SP-MIL) earned a quality start against the Rockies on Friday afternoon as he allowed just 1 run on 3 hits and 2 walks while striking out 7 over 6 innings of work. The 26 year-old righty threw 61...
Carlos Rodon (SP-CHW) was effective again, this time allowing 1 run on 3 hits and 3 walks while recording 8 punchouts over 7 innings on the mound against Houston on Friday. He tossed 67 of his 106 pitches for strikes...
Marcus Stroman (SP-NYM) earned the W against the Padres as he allowed just 1 run on 6 hits and a walk while recording 8 punchouts over 6.1 innings of work. He threw 57 of his 85 pitches for strikes and...
Max Scherzer (SP-WSH) left Friday's start against the Giants after recording just one out (on 12 pitches) because of an apparent lower-body injury. The 36 year-old ace was in the midst of a rebound season, as he now owns a...
Dylan Cease (SP-CHW) dazzled against the Tigers on Sunday afternoon, tossing 7 shutout innings in which he scattered 5 hits and a walk while racking up 10 punchouts. He tossed 67 of his 99 pitches for strikes in the outing....
Max Scherzer (SP-WSH) threw 7.2 strong innings against the Phillies on Friday, allowing just 1 run on 5 hits and a walk while racking up 9 strikeouts. He tossed 70 of his 108 pitches for strikes in the contest. The...
Lucas Giolito (SP-CHW) dazzled against the Orioles on Sunday as he gave up 1 run on 3 hits and 3 walks while racking up a dozen punchouts over 7 innings of work. The righty threw 70 of his 108 offerings...
Adbert Alzolay (SP-CHC) earned the win against the Reds on Friday afternoon as he tossed 5.2 scoreless innings in which he gave up 5 hits and walked 3 while fanning 6. The 26 year-old righty tossed 65 of his 103...
Blake Snell (SP-SD) lasted just 3.2 innings against the Brewers on Monday evening as he gave up 5 runs on 5 hits and 3 walks while fanning 7. The 28 year-old southpaw threw just 45 of his 81 pitches for...
Austin Riley (3B-ATL) went 3-4 with a pair of longballs, a double, and 3 RBI against the Pirates on Friday. The 24 year-old is now hitting .310 with 7 homers, 15 RBI, and 25 runs scored through his first 173...
Ian Anderson (SP-ATL) fared well against the Brewers on Saturday as he gave up just 1 run on 2 hits and 4 walks while fanning 4 over 6 innings of work. The young righty tossed 61 of his 110 pitches...
Kevin Gausman (SP-SF) was stellar against the Pirates on Friday, as he allowed just 1 run on 5 hits while walking none and racking up a dozen strikeouts over 8 innings of work. He tossed 70 of his 96 pitches...
Jacob deGrom (SP-NYM) left Sunday's start against the Diamondbacks after 5 innings as a precaution because of tightness in his right side. His last start was scratched because of a similar issue that was eventually diagnosed as lat inflammation. Before...
Pablo Lopez (SP-MIA) stifled the Nationals on Friday, as he tossed 7 scoreless innings in which he scattered 6 hits and 2 walks while striking out a pair. He was efficient, as he needed just 79 pitches to get through...
Byron Buxton (OF-MIN) stayed red hot as he went 5-5 with a homer, 2 doubles, and a stolen base against Cleveland on Wednesday. The 27 year-old is nicely building upon his encouraging 2020 campaign and is now batting a robust...