Shohei Ohtani delivered in front of a sold-out Tokyo Dome as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Yomiuri Giants 5-1 in an exhibition matchup Saturday.

The three-time MVP recorded one hit in two at-bats — a two-run home run during a five-run Dodgers third inning off Giants pitcher Shosei Togo. The 391-foot blast came after Michael Conforto led off the inning with a solo blast and before Teoscar Hernández capped the scoring with a two-run shot of his own.

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“With so many fans in the stands, it really felt like I’ve come back [home] after a long time,” Ohtani told Japanese reporters, via MLB.com. “I think it was a great at-bat.”

The Dodgers are in Japan ahead of next week’s season-opening Tokyo Series, which brings games against the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday and Wednesday. Yoshinobu Yamamoto will square off against Shōta Imanaga in the teams’ first meeting, and Rōki Sasaki will make his MLB debut against Justin Steele in the second game.

Before he joined the Los Angeles Angels ahead of the 2018 season, Ohtani played in Japan with the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters.

The Dodgers finish their two-game exhibition schedule with a game Sunday against the Hanshin Tigers.

Lakers coach JJ Redick lately has repeated a lyric from an old Jay-Z song: “It was all good just a week ago.”

Entering Friday’s game against the Denver Nuggets, things were not good for the Lakers. They entered on a three-game losing streak. They were down three starters in LeBron James, Rui Hachimura and Jaxson Hayes. A fourth, Luka Doncic, was sitting out on the second night of a back-to-back. Two more key rotation players, Dorian Finney-Smith and Gabe Vincent, also were unavailable as they managed long-term injuries.

A week ago the Lakers were mostly healthy, flying to Boston on an eight-game winning streak. A week ago they were climbing the standings, not sliding.

Read more:Luka Doncic’s 45 points can’t save Lakers from third straight loss, but hope lies ahead

But even if the personnel didn’t mirror the Lakers of a week ago, at least the energy did Friday, the team pushing the Nuggets over four quarters before making one too many mistakes in a 131-126 loss.

“I’m proud of the group for the level of fight and resiliency,” Redick said.

Nuggets stars Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic ran a pick and roll, opening up Murray for a clean look at a three-pointer with 5.6 seconds left. Like he has so many times against the Lakers, the point guard hit the big shot.

Austin Reaves, who capped his rookie season with a 31-point triple-double in Denver, nearly led the Lakers (40-25) to the upset, scoring 37 along with 13 assists and eight rebounds. Dalton Knecht, starting near his hometown, had his most points since mid-November with 32, and Shake Milton scored 16 off the bench.

Knecht scored his final two points on a dunk and landed awkwardly on his back and head. He was able to stay in the game.

“I told him in the huddle, I said, ‘Hey, if you want to shoot it, shoot it. I don’t care if you shoot it 35 times, we’re going to need every bucket you can get,’” Reaves told Knecht. “So he’s a hooper.”

Read more:Lakers newsletter: What’s going on with all the Lakers’ injuries?

The Lakers led by three in the final minute before a Jokic three-point play and Murray’s triple. All five starters scored in double figures for Denver (43-24).

Reaves, who had to ice his right wrist after the Lakers’ loss in Milwaukee on Thursday, said he wasn’t sure he’d play, but ultimately the chance to compete carried him.

“We know when we’re full healthy and got everybody on the team that we have a really good chance to beat anybody,” Reaves said. “I just see this group, coming together, locking in on one common goal and that’s to win. And tonight I think is the biggest testament to that. Very shorthanded and went and played a really good basketball team with probably the best player in the world. And went toe to toe and had an opportunity to win it and just didn’t execute the last 50 seconds.”

He played 39 minutes.

“Certainly asked a lot of him on the second night of a back-to-back, not just the 40 minutes, but just the vast majority of playmaking duties,” Redick said. “And I thought he did an outstanding job.”

The Lakers had a chance to force overtime but they couldn’t get the inbounds pass to Reaves, with Russell Westbrook getting the steal and dunking in the final seconds.

Before the game Redick again sounded optimistic about the Lakers getting more help over the next week, when the team plays five games in Los Angeles, including a pair of back-to-backs Sunday and Monday and Wednesday and Thursday to wrap a stretch in which they’ll play six times in eight days.

The Lakers are the first team since 2022 to have six games in eight days, playing a makeup of a game with the San Antonio Spurs that was postponed during the wildfires in January.

They head back to L.A. on a season-worst four-game losing streak, with full health still some time away.

“We went 0-4, so it’s a pretty bad trip. But … JJ said, ‘A week ago, everybody’s like Lakers in five.’ So we just don’t listen to any of it,” Reaves said.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

The fantasy baseball season is among us, and it’s a glorious time. This is the truest fantasy sport in a lot of ways. It demands the most decisions and knowledge of the most players, and it’s tied to the longest season. For those reasons, the winner of a fantasy baseball league is mostly determined by skill. Six months is an awfully long time for flukes and bad bounces to even out and iron out.

That said, the preparation for a fantasy baseball season can be intimidating. So many decisions, so many options. : C | 1B | 2B | 3B | SS | OF | SP | RP]

My early picks will focus on power-speed combos, while still keeping an eye towards batting average. And obviously, you want dynamic players on top-tier offenses. There are very few players who check most of all of these boxes, so the supply will deplete quickly. That’s all the more reason why I’m not taking a pitcher in the first couple of rounds — the dramatic offensive dropoff is something to be mindful of. Hopefully, I draft in a slot where I can get at least three major impact bats.

And a word about draft slot — if you get your choice on your draft position, take one as early as possible. The talent drop-off is most significant early, and then becomes unrecognizable as the draft goes along. Consider: the fifth-round results of almost any draft would still look plausible if you flipped them upside down. You would never say that about the first round. Although, there’s also something to be said for being in the middle of a draft order, where you never are that far removed from your next pick, but regardless I want you to land an above-fold draft slot if at all possible.

Here’s how I consider every position with respect to depth.

— Catcher is deep, especially if you only need one starter. Even if your league requires two, you don’t need to panic. I will not break the seal here, there’s no need to. Try to pay attention to catcher-eligibles who pick up at-bats at other positions; this makes their volume more appealing and also saves them some physical wear and tear from the demanding catcher position.

— First base and third base are top-heavy. You probably want a starter at both slots in single-digit rounds.

— Shortstop is the fun zone, absurdly deep, but because so many of the best players have shortstop eligibility, you’ll likely consider one early, too.

— Second base is average depth. Not a panic position, not a blowoff position.

— With outfield, it comes down to how many you need. If it’s just three, the living is easy. Four, you shouldn’t feel taxed. Five, you’ll want to try to get a collective group that avoids platoons and bad batting slots, though a heavy-side platoon hitter can be acceptable if your league has daily or at least bi-weekly transactions. I view platoon bats as problematic in leagues that only allow once-a-week roster moves.

Strategy is nice, but sometimes it’s easier to have the names, the Glengarry Leads. Here are some of my favorite targets, round by round, both hitters and pitchers.

Round 1: Bobby Witt Jr. (his hand/wrist should be fine) early, Gunnar Henderson middle, Francisco Lindor second half. Kyle Tucker, assuming the Astros didn’t know something when they traded him away.

Round 2: Lindor if he ever slips. Yordan Álvarez. Jackson Chourio.

Round 3: Austin Riley is a snap-call here. I’ll maybe consider Logan Gilbert, though I’d prefer to wait for something similar, later. Matt Olson, if he slips. In some deeper leagues, I might take Olson or Riley in Round 2.

Round 4: A good time to lock in that SP1. George Kirby would have landed here if not for his shutdown. But the pitching names around him all make sense, too (King and Valdez will be staples in my portfolio this year). And as always, you have to consider any Round 3 name brand who slipped for some reason; that’s the understood rule of value drafting, no matter where in the proceedings you are.

Round 5: I need to have a pitcher if I start with four bats. Otherwise, one of those Util/OF cheat codes would make a lot of sense here. I’m also not opposed to considering them in the fourth round.

Middle-Round Targets: Hunter Brown, any Seattle rotation guy, Bryan Reynolds, Mark Vientos (dynamite lineup), Riley Greene, Vinnie Pasquantino, Jake Burger, Alex Bregman, Seiya Suzuki.

Later-Round Targets: Xavier Edwards (will run as much as he wants), Isaac Paredes, Yusei Kikuchi, Seth Lugo, Bryson Stott.

After pick 200: Spencer Arighetti, Gleyber Torres, Michael Toglia, Kyle Finnegan, Josh Jung, A.J. Puk, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (ultimate boring vet), Mackenzie Gore, Willi Castro (get one of these versatile guys for your bench every year), Tyler Soderstrom, Victor Robles.

Some players I’m fading at ADP

Jacob deGrom (it’s head over heart; I have one keeper share and I’ll limit it to that), Mike Trout (Byron Buxton has a similar upside — and downside — and is over 100 picks cheaper), Ronald Acuña Jr. (he’s already told you he doesn’t want to run that much; believe him!), Willy Adames (bad park change and pressure of new contract; San Francisco also doesn’t want to run); Xander Bogaerts (career arc headed in wrong direction, and park takes a tax), Randy Arozarena (in a dangerous age pocket and park will drive him crazy).

Speed Round: Leftover Tips & Tidbits

— If you can find a friend who shares a similar baseball view to you, co-managing is forever a cheat code. You have a buddy to share the fun and the work, and someone else who always cares about your team. It needs to be the right fit, but if you can find it, I promise you the winning odds just improved.

— I’ve never seen a team as playoff-guaranteed as the 2025 Dodgers, barring a catastrophic run of bad luck. With that in mind, I’m especially concerned about how load management might affect their in-season usage. Only Gavin Stone (140.1) and Tyler Glasnow (134) made it past 90 innings for L.A. last year. With every hiccup of elbow and shoulder, the team is going to play it safe. I also think this will affect the position guys, too; it’s one reason why I (mildly) faded Shohei Ohtani this year, as amazing as he is.

— Never forget that by staying the course in August and September — when football comes into play and life often gets in the way — you can count on passing some disengaged fantasy managers. Working hard usually pays off in this pursuit. (All the more reason to get a partner, right?). Don’t be discouraged by a slow start. And make sure you’re still hitting your routines in September, even with football dominating the sporting landscape. You’ll be rewarded.

— When I need observational help with my teams, I lean on certain industry and offline friends, mindful that they specialize in different things. Of course, I listen to everyone I respect but I make my own decisions. I encourage you to do the same thing.

— Right before my key drafts, I’ll take one more look at the projected lineups. Although those preseason lists are often speculative and always subject to in-season change, I want to avoid platoons and 7-8-9 guys whenever possible.

— Yahoo has more position flexibility than any other provider in the industry, but I still want a few Swiss-army knives on the roster. If you’re trying to break a tie, an extra position is often a good way to do that.

— Take immediate note of the waiver calendar and cadence when your league assembles. It’s very easy to miss the critical first waiver or FAB period because you weren’t ready for it. Life is complicated and dynamic for everyone. Don’t count on remembering anything. Make sure it’s all in your online calendar.

— When ERA and WHIP don’t tell the same story, trust the WHIP.

— Unless your closer is a fire-breathing dragon, try not to watch him pitch. It’s just going to stress you out.

— New metrics enter baseball every day and some of them are wonderful. We’re adding a bunch of flashy bells and whistles to the Yahoo interface this year, too. But never forget walks and strikeouts are the first thing to look at for any pitcher, and for most of the hitters, too. The K/BB ratio is the water of baseball stats.

— Every year a bunch of unknown relievers become useful in our game, in part because more wins are being filtered back into the bullpens. A few weeks into the season, look for these guys. Don’t worry if you don’t know the name or if they were bad in the past. Several of these emergences will be real, and it’s a potential way to help your ratios at the cheapest acquisition cost.

— Never forget we’re playing a game about a game. It’s supposed to be fun. I know for most of us it’s more fun when we win, but I’m not opposed to making sure I have a local player or two, just for kicks. These players might be in your life for the next 6-8 months. You want to be smart about it, but it’s totally okay to play favorites.

I’m here to share the ride with you. Catch me on at X/Twitter (@scott_pianowski) or on Blue Sky (@pianow.bsky.social) and let’s talk some ball.

Once upon a time, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was arguably the most exciting prospect in MLB, leading a pack of legacy kids who were ready to take the league by storm. Fantasy baseball managers, in turn, were just as excited to be able to draft Guerrero onto their teams.

Vladdy is entering his seventh season in MLB, and while he’s been a star, he hasn’t exactly achieved the true superstardom many have had him tabbed for.

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But perhaps last season was a sign of Vlad Jr. putting things all together. When he was first being hyped as a young prospect, the thought was that he’d be the rare combination of batting average and power that you don’t see much in today’s MLB.

After back-to-back down seasons, Guerrero delivered an eye-popping .323 batting average and 30 home runs in 2024. If he’s able to build off that production entering just his age-26 season and a contract year, watch out.

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Guerrero headlines our analysts’ first baseman rankings for 2025:

Who is your top first base target this season?