I Heard They Recently Decided to Add More O’Hoppes
An insane game between the Astros and Angels ended in insane fashion Sunday afternoon when Los Angeles catcher Logan O’Hoppe ripped a Josh Hader pitch to the wall in left field. Houston leftfielder Trey Cabbage leaped and caught the ball only to have it fall out of his glove when he landed on the wall, giving O’Hoppe and the Angels a walk-off two-run HR. The blast capped off a 4-for-5 game for the 24-year-old catcher, who has been a rare bright spot for the AL West’s last place team. Traded by the Phillies in August 2022 for Brandon Marsh, O’Hoppe has built off his promising 2023 rookie season to hit .269/.322/.446 with 8 HRs so far in 209 plate appearances. Solid defensive catchers with power can play a long time in the MLB and it looks like the Angels have a good one in O’Hoppe.
Let’s see how the other hitters did Sunday
Carlos Correa (MIN): 3-5, 2 R, 2 RBI, 1 BB.
A two-run single by Carlos Correa in the bottom of the 10th helped cap off a seven-run inning for the Twins en route to an 11-5 victory over the Pirates. While not putting up earth-shattering numbers, Correa is hitting a solid .265/.335/.441 and has been an anchor in the middle of a Minnesota lineup that is still finding itself.
Marcus Semien (TEX): 1-3, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, 1 SB.
The Rangers got the scoring started early on Sunday, knocking around Giants starter Keaton Winn for five runs in the first two innings, including a two-run HR from Marcus Semien. His 11th HR of the season, Semien would later add a stolen base as well. The 33-year-old looks like he will be approaching 30 HRs again this season and continues to be one of the better hitting 2B in the game.
Keibert Ruiz (WAS): 1-3, HR, 1 R, 4 RBI.
A seven-run 4th inning for the Nationals was headlined by Keibert Ruiz’s go-ahead three-run HR and the Nationals were able to hold on for an 8-5 win over Atlanta. Just his 4th of the season, Ruiz has had a relatively disappointing 2024 after hitting .260/.308/.409 with 18 HRs and a miniscule 10.3 K% last season. Washington’s lineup has shown a lot of promise over the last month or so and if Ruiz can find some of that 2023 magic, he can be a valuable fantasy asset at catcher.
Adley Rutschman (BAL): 3-5, HR, 1 R, 6 RBI.
Speaking of valuable fantasy assets at catcher, wow what a day for Adley Rutschman. The Orioles superstar smashed a game-sealing 8th inning grand slam and knocked in a career-high six runs to lead his team to victory. Baltimore is just a flat-out juggernaut offensively and Rutschman is a big reason why.
Tyler Freeman (CLE): 2-4, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI.
Cleveland utility man Tyler Freeman continues to prove his value to the team and he did so in a big way on Sunday, hitting a go-ahead three-run HR in the top of the 7th inning that would prove to be the difference against Miami. Freeman is now up to 6 HRs to go with 8 stolen bases at the top of the Guardians lineup and has been a nice surprise for the 1st place team.
Jake Rogers (DET): 2-4, HR, 1 R, 3 RBI.
It was a great day for catchers on Sunday and Detroit backstop Jake Rogers provided a big three-run HR during the team’s eight-run 5th inning against Milwaukee. Known more for his outstanding defensive ability, Rogers showed some pop in 2023 with 21 HRs in just 365 plate appearances. If your starting catcher in fantasy goes on the IL or you are hunting HRs in DFS, Rogers is not a bad option.
David Hamilton (BOS): 2-5, HR, 1 2B, 2 R, 1 RBI, 1 SB.
With all of the injuries that have plagued the Boston Red Sox in 2024, they needed somebody to step up and David Hamilton has done a good job of that. The 26-year-old has exceeded expectations, hitting .282/.339/.436 and now has 3 HRs and 13 stolen bases. Hamilton was electric in AAA last season with 17 HRs and 57 stolen bases, so he could be an interesting player to monitor over the rest of the season.
Jose Altuve (HOU): 4-5, 1 HR, 2 R, 3 RBI.
Jose Altuve just loves to rake on Sundays apparently, because I feel like I do a writeup for him every week. He is now up to 10 HRs on the season after a 4-or-5 day in the Astros loss. Aside from the Dodgers, no team has a better 1-2-3 than Houston’s Altuve, Tucker and Alvarez.
Jake McCarthy (ARI): 3-4, HR, 1 R, 2 RBI, 1 BB.
Jake McCarthy’s tantalizing combination of power and speed is what has gotten him in the lineup for Arizona and his performance over the last few weeks is what will keep him there. After his two-run 2nd inning HR spurred the D’Backs six-run frame, McCarthy is now hitting .282/.404/.385 with three HRs and six stolen bases over the last 15 games. Keep an eye on McCarthy as he can help your fantasy team in a number of different ways, especially if the Arizona offense as a whole starts to pick it up.
Photo by Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire | Adapted by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns on Twitter/X)