MLB Player News
-
Pete Alonso 1B | BAL
Mets' Pete Alonso: Blasts first homer of season
Alonso went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's 2-1 loss to the Marlins.
All three runs in the game came on solo shots, with Alonso launching his first long ball of the season in the ninth inning off A.J. Puk. The slugging first baseman hit 40 homers in 2022 and is up to 147 through 532 games in his big-league career, and given that he already has a 53-homer campaign on his resume, it's not out of the question the 28-year-old will be chasing 200 late in the season.
-
Dominic Smith 1B | ATL
Nationals' Dominic Smith: On base three times Thursday
Smith went 2-for-3 with a walk and a run scored in Thursday's loss to Atlanta.
Not much went right for the Nationals on Opening Day, and an argument could be made that the team's best offensive player was the Sun after Washington's first two hits came on pop-ups that got lost by Atlanta fielders. Smith is a credible alternative though, as he reached base three times in his Nats debut. The 27-year-old has seen more than 200 plate appearances in a season only once in his career, but he should get every chance to fulfill the promise he flashed on occasion as a Met after being a first-round pick in 2013.
-
Paul Goldschmidt 1B | NYY
Cardinals' Paul Goldschmidt: Notches steal Thursday
Goldschmidt went 2-for-4 with a double, an RBI, a stolen base and a run scored in Thursday's 10-9 loss to the Blue Jays.
Goldschmidt's always had pretty good speed and instincts for a first baseman. He swiped seven bags over 151 contests last season, though his days of challenging for 20 thefts could be behind him despite MLB's offseason rule changes. The reigning NL MVP will look to follow up Thursday's performance with another strong campaign, and hitting in the heart of a strong lineup should help him produce in the standard roto categories.
-
Elehuris Montero 1B | COL
Rockies' Elehuris Montero: Goes deep in opener
Montero went 2-for-5 with a solo home run in Thursday's 7-2 victory over the Padres.
Montero put the icing on the cake for the Rockies in the seventh inning, slamming a solo homer for the final run in a 7-2 win. The third baseman went deep six times in 185 plate appearances in his rookie 2022 campaign, and he hit 28 homers between Double-A and Triple-A in 2021. He appears to be Colorado's primary third baseman, so he could have some sneaky fantasy appeal given that he plays half of his games at Coors Field.
-
C.J. Cron 1B | BOS
Rockies' C.J. Cron: Crushes two Opening Day homers
Cron went 4-for-5 with two home runs, a double and five total RBI in Thursday's 7-2 win against San Diego.
Cron was arguably the offensive standout of Opening Day, as he was the only player in the league to go deep twice. The veteran first baseman put the Rockies on the board with a first-inning single, gave the team a 4-2 lead with a fifth-inning three-run homer and went deep again with a solo shot in the seventh. Cron has hit 25-plut homers in each of his last four full seasons (excluding the shortened 2020 campaign), and he appears well on his way to putting up big power numbers again in 2023.
-
Garrett Cooper 1B | ATL
Marlins' Garrett Cooper: Touches up Scherzer for long ball
Cooper went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Thursday's 5-3 loss against the Mets.
Cooper got the Opening Day start at first base, batting third against Mets ace Max Scherzer. He only notched one hit, but that hit was a two-run shot off Scherzer to tie the game (briefly) in the sixth inning. Injuries have ravaged his career, but Cooper has shown over the years that he can be productive when he's upright.
-
Alec Bohm 3B | PHI
Phillies' Alec Bohm: Takes deGrom yard
Bohm went 3-for-4 with a double, a two-run home run, three RBI and two runs scored Thursday against the Rangers.
Despite a number of key absences, Bohm was still hitting seventh in the Phillies' Opening Day lineup. Despite that, he played a major role in the team's offensive output as he slugged a two-run home run off Jacob deGrom in the second inning. Three frames later he delivered an RBI single. Bohm took a step forward in his production in 2022, and he'll be looking to make the next leap in his development in the current campaign.
-
Spencer Steer 1B | CIN
Reds' Spencer Steer: Pops Opening Day homer
Steer went 1-for-2 with two walks and a solo home run in Thursday's loss to the Pirates.
Starting at third base, batting seventh, Steer provided the Reds' only long ball on the afternoon. He was lifted for a pinch runner after grounding into a force out in the bottom of the eighth inning. The 25-year-old has a lot to prove at the major-league level, but it's nice to see the patience and power show up early, carrying over from a strong spring.
-
Rhys Hoskins 1B | CLE
Phillies' Rhys Hoskins: Undergoes surgery
Hoskins had successful surgery to repair his left ACL on Thursday.
The announced recovery time was seven-to-nine months, which all but rules Hoskins out for the entire 2023 campaign. He'll head into the offseason as a free agent.