Jose Alvarado Showing Strong Velocity In Spring Training

Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher Jose Alvarado seems to have good velocity on his sinker as he prepares for his first season in Philadelphia. Alvarado is in the mix for late-inning work with fellow newcomer Archie Bradley and Hector Neris. Bradley is considered the favorite for the closer job, but manager Joe Girardi hasn't disclosed much […]

Matt Chapman Leading Off On Wednesday

Oakland Athletics third baseman Matt Chapman will lead off and handle DH duties in Wednesday's Spring Training game against the Brewers. Chapman has been hitting well thus far in spring including blasting a homer to dead-center in Tuesday's contest. The A's have an opening at the top of their order after Marcus Semien left in […]

Christian Yelich Excited For "Fresh Start" After Down Season

Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich is excited to get a fresh start in 2021 after struggling for most of the pandemic-shortened campaign. Fantasy managers that used a top-five pick were let down as Yelich limped to a .205 batting average and a .430 slugging percentage, a far cry from his league-leading .671 mark in 2019. […]

Marcell Ozuna Batting Cleanup In Grapefruit League Game Sunday

Atlanta Braves outfielder Marcell Ozuna is batting fourth in Spring Training action on Sunday. Ozuna re-signed with the Braves this offseason and fantasy managers should be excited to see what he can do in a full season in Atlanta's stacked lineup. In 2020, Ozuna blasted 18 homers and racked up 56 RBI which ranked third […]

Paul Goldschmidt Batting Third In Spring Training Action Sunday

St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Paul Goldschmidt is batting third for in a Spring Training game against the Astros on Sunday. Goldschmidt is off to a slow start this spring reaching base just once through seven plate-appearances. Goldschmidt is batting in front of newly acquired third baseman Nolan Arenado who should provide lineup protection for […]

Corbin Burnes Fires Two Scoreless Frames On Friday

Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Corbin Burnes threw two shutout innings with five strikeouts and one walk in a Cactus League game versus the Rockies. Burnes was one of baseball's breakout hurlers last year posting a 2.11 ERA with 88 strikeouts in only 59 2/3 innings. Burnes' improvements are supported by a pitch-mix adjustment as he […]

Matt Olson Homers In Cactus League Action Friday

Oakland Athletics first baseman Matt Olson went 1-for-2 with a home run and a strikeout in a Spring Training game against the Angels on Friday. It was a typical game for the lefty slugger who mashed 14 homers last year, but also batted .195 thanks to an uncharacteristic amount of strikeouts. Olson's K-rate spiked to […]

DJ LeMahieu Reaches Three Times In Spring Training Action Friday

New York Yankees second baseman DJ LeMahieu went 2-for-2 with a walk in a Grapefruit League contest Friday against the Tigers. The reigning AL batting champ picked up right where he left off last season when he posted a career-high .421 on-base percentage. In two seasons with New York, LeMahieu has silenced all doubters who […]

Spencer Howard Impressive In Spring Debut

Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Spencer Howard fired a clean inning with two strikeouts in his Grapefruit League debut versus the Pirates. Especially encouraging for the Phillies' top pitching prospect was his four-seam fastball which averaged 96 MPH on Friday after sitting at 94 MPH for most of last season. Howard is competing for a spot […]

Max Fried Scratched From Start Due To COVID-19 Protocol

Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Max Fried was scratched from his scheduled start on Friday due to being exposed to COVID-19, according to ESPN. Fried has not tested positive for the virus but will need to quarantine for a few days before he can make his Grapefruit League debut. The 27-year-old lefty is coming off a […]

Liam Hendriks Looking To Bring Intensity To Chicago

Chicago White Sox relief pitcher Liam Hendriks hasn't appeared in a Cactus League game yet, but his presence has been felt in camp thanks to his intense demeanor on the mound. The Aussie closer signed a $54 million contract to come to Chicago and help give the team a "killer instinct" after Chicago limped to […]

Corey Seager Keeping Focus On Winning Ahead Of Free Agency

Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager said his focus is on this season and would rather not talk about his upcoming free agency after the season. Seager said all he wants to do is help the Dodgers win back-to-back World Series titles and, "Let the chips fall where they may," after the season. Los Angeles […]

Scott Kingery Homers In Spring Training Game Thursday

Philadelphia Phillies infielder/outfielder Scott Kingery hit a solo home run to lead off Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Yankees. Kingery is trying to earn a starting job after batting just .159 in 36 games last season. Kingery had severe symptoms during a battle with COVID-19 last July and also missed time with a shoulder […]

Odubel Herrera Homers In Spring Training Game Thursday

Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Odubel Herrera homered in Thursday's spring training game versus the Yankees. Herrera hit a moonshot off Deivi Garcia to lead off the bottom of the second inning after gunning down a runner at the plate to end the top of the frame. Herrera's presence in Phillies camp has been controversial following his […]

Andrew Knapp To See Expanded Role In 2021

Philadelphia Phillies catcher Andrew Knapp will see an expanded role this season, even when J.T. Realmuto is healthy, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. Knapp has been working as the team's top catcher as Realmuto deals with an injury, though reports indicate Realmuto is still on track for Opening Day. Knapp is a light-hitting backup catcher […]

Zach Eflin Impressive In Spring Debut

Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Zach Eflin threw two scoreless innings in his Grapefruit League debut Wednesday against the Tigers. Eflin struck out three, including back-to-back strikeouts to end a dominant first inning where he needed just 11 pitches. The 26-year-old righty is coming off a strong season where he posted a career-best 3.97 ERA and […]

Matt Chapman Returns To Lineup As DH

Oakland Athletics third baseman Matt Chapman (shoulder) was the team's designated hitter in a spring training game versus the Reds on Monday. Chapman went 1-for-3, which included roping a double to the gap, before being lifted from the game. Chapman had offseason shoulder surgery and the A's are slowly working him back into shape, with […]

Alec Bohm Goes Hitless In Spring Debut

Philadelphia Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm went 0-for-3 in his first Grapefruit League action on Sunday against the Tigers. The former top-prospect batted an impressive .338 last season with a .400 on-base percentage. The average was aided by a .410 BABIP, but Bohm displayed impressive batted-ball skill posting a 10.3 percent barrel rate and a […]

Ivan Nova Clobbered In First Spring Start

Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Ivan Nova allowed five runs while only recording one out in his Grapefruit League debut on Sunday. Nova allowed a home run on his first pitch of the game and things went downhill from there as the veteran couldn't escape the first inning. The Phillies inked Nova to a minor league […]

Adam Haseley Homers In First Grapefruit League Game

Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Adam Haseley homered in his first at-bat of Spring Training to make the first move in the battle for the job in center field. With most of the Phillies regulars out of the lineup, Haseley batted leadoff and lined an opposite-field home run on the second pitch of the game. The 24-year-old […]

Sean Manaea Focusing On Health, Confidence In 2021

Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Sean Manaea is entering his sixth MLB season and believes he took the steps necessary this offseason to stay healthy and lead the starting rotation. Manaea is two years removed from surgery that caused him to miss most of 2019 and said he changed his offseason routine to focus on his […]

Mark Canha, Ramon Laureano Candidates To Lead Off For A's

Oakland Athletics outfielders Mark Canha and Ramon Laureano were mentioned by manager Bob Melvin as candidates to lead off this season, according to MLB.com's Martin Gallegos. Marcus Semien has been entrenched as Oakland's leadoff hitter for three straight years and scored 240 runs in that span, tied for 11th in baseball. Semien's replacement, Elvis Andrus […]

Mickey Moniak A Possibility For Job In Center Field

Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Mickey Moniak shouldn't be ruled out for the starting job in center field with manager Joe Girardi saying, "I think if you're in camp, you're in the mix," according to MLB.com's Todd Zolecki. The starting center field job in Philadelphia is wide open with Adam Haseley, Roman Quinn, Scott Kingery, and even […]

Aaron Nola Aiming For 200 Innings This Season

Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Aaron Nola expects to pitch on normal rest this season and wants to make 33-plus starts. Nola said he's preparing his body for a typical workload which he defined as, "Get past the 200-inning mark and 30 starts," according to MLB.com's Todd Zolecki. That's a lofty goal coming off the pandemic-shortened […]

Zack Wheeler Feels Good After Fingernail Surgery

Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Zack Wheeler said he feels 100 percent healthy after throwing bullpen sessions in Spring Training. Wheeler ripped a fingernail on his pitching hand last September that caused him to miss a start. This is the second time in his career Wheeler had this surgery and said it is not affecting him […]

Didi Gregorius Expected In Camp On Friday

Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Didi Gregorius is expected to report to camp on Friday, according to Scott Lauber of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Gregorius has been out due to visa issues, but manager Joe Girardi said this shouldn't affect his ability to be ready for the season. Gregorius had a solid first year in Philadelphia slashing .284/.339/.488 […]

Phillies Have Expressed Interest In Jake Odorizzi

The Philadelphia Phillies have checked in on free-agent starting pitcher Jake Odorizzi, according to Jon Heyman of MLB Network. The Angels, Red Sox, and others are also reportedly in the mix to sign the veteran righty. Injuries limited Odorizzi to 36 2/3 lackluster innings last season, but he was an All-Star in 2019 and still […]

Rhys Hoskins Medically Cleared For All Spring Training Activity

Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Rhys Hoskins (elbow) has been medically cleared for all baseball activity following offseason elbow surgery. Hoskins was expected to be back for Opening Day, but it's good news he was able to participate in the team's first full-squad workout. Hoskins was one of the hottest hitters in baseball when the injury […]

Phillies Are Still Hopeful For Scott Kingery

Philadelphia Phillies utility man Scott Kingery has had anything but a normal start to his big-league career. The former top prospect signed a six-year, $28 million contract before playing an MLB game and has been largely disappointing in three years since making the Phillies. Last season, Kingery was to abandon his super-utility role and settle […]

Sean Murphy Reports To A's Camp

Oakland Athletics catcher Sean Murphy (lung) reported to camp with the rest of the pitchers and catchers. Murphy, who had offseason surgery to repair a collapsed lung, told manager Bob Melvin, "I feel great right now," and is expected to be back by Opening Day. Melvin told reporters last week the hope is Murphy can […]