Hunter Greene

Hunter Greene threw two very impressive games last week. On Monday, April 7, he went 8.2 innings against the San Francisco Giants giving up 4 hits, 1 walk and 0 earned runs. This earned him the win.

Greene earned his second win of the week on Sunday, April 14, in an outing against the Pittsburgh Pirates that, in some ways, was even more impressive. He went 7 full innings giving up just 2 hits, 1 walk, and, again, 0 earned runs. "Of his 98 pitches, 71 were strikes. That included first-pitch strikes to 18 of his 24 batters."

For the week, Greene ended up with 2 wins, a very impressive 0.51 WHIP, and a 0.00 ERA. Nicely done.

Congratulations, Hunter Greene! You are my MLBoyfriend of the week.

Joey Votto

Something a little different this week, but not totally unprecedented... This week's MLBoyfriend did not play a single inning of Major League Baseball, but I couldn't let the retirement of long-time MLBoyfriend favorite, Joey Votto, pass without posting an appreciation of him.

For those, who don't know Joey Votto, here's a fan-created post with just a few of the moments that made many of us fall for him.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Joey Votto (@joeyvotto)

If you have a bit more time, here's a some of Votto's career highlights on the field.

And here's Joey being Joey when he's not between the lines.

I won't go through all the stats and awards, but let's just say there's a good case for Joey Votto making it into the Baseball Hall Of Fame. FWIW, he's also a favorite of the gays. I'll just post of few of the many cute pics I found of him while "researching" this post. Did I mention that he's very handsome?

Congratulations, Joey Votto! You are my MLBoyfriend of the week.

I'm sad to see you go, but I love to see you walk away.

Rece Hinds

Rece Hinds put up some monster numbers last week. He went 11 for 26 at the plate for a .423 batting average. His OPS was even more impressive 1.656--with 1 triple, 3 doubles and 5 home runs. He scored 7 runs and batted in 11.

As if that weren't impressive enough, it was Hinds first week playing Major League Baseball. He started off scorching hot. He is the first player in MLB history to hit 5 extra-base hits in his first two games.

Then, just a couple of days later, Hinds hits the first grand slam of his career.

This was all enough to earn Rece Hinds the National League Player of the Week Award. If you add in how handsome he is, it's more than enough to win him the MLBoyfried of the Week Award as well.

Congratulations, Rece Hinds! You are my MLBoyfriend of the week!

Elly De La Cruz

Elly De La Cruz is the second member of the Cincinnati Reds squad that I've featured in as many weeks. I usually like the spread the wealth around a bit more--but the Reds have been hot and so have their players.

De La Cruz had a game on Monday, April 8th. The switch hitter hit two homers--one from each side of the plate. As if that weren't enough, the second was an inside-the-park home run. Let's go to the tape.

That was just how De La Cruz started the week. He kept going strong and ended up with 8 hits, 8 runs, 4 home runs, 7 RBI and a stolen base. His batting average for the week was .348 and he had a 1.313 OPS. Nice work.

Congratulations, Elly De La Cruz! You are my MLBoyfriend of the week.

Spencer Steer

Spencer Steer started the week off strong. On Monday, April 1st, he hit a grand slam that won the game in the 10th inning.

They're actually screaming 'woo' for Spencer's first career grand slam. pic.twitter.com/KncuYu9gN9

— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) April 2, 2024

Steer ended the week with a .409 batting average and .500 OBP. He hit one double, one triple and 3 home runs giving him a very impressive slugging percentage of .955.

I'm not the only one who noticed Steer's stats. Today, he was named the National League Player of the Week.

Congratulations, Spencer Steer! You are my MLBoyfriend of the week.

Seiya Suzuki

I've been sleeping on Seiya Suzuki for the last couple of years. But no longer.

Suzuki put up some hard to miss numbers last week. He had 12 hits in 27 at-bats for a .444 average. His slugging percentage was even more impressive at .889--with 4 doubles, 1 triple and 2 home runs. Along the way, he scored 5 runs, batted in 10, and stole a base.

If you watch some of Suzuki's highlights online, one thing is clear: he is having a lot of fun playing the game. That makes him a lot of fun to watch.

Congratulations, Seiya Suzuki, you are my MLBoyfriend of the week!

PS: HAPPY BIRTHDAY to MLBoyfriend favorite, Joey Votto! 

Joey returned from the IL to the Reds line-up just in time for his birthday yesterday, September 10th. He celebrated in style with a monster home run. 

This is what the young and hip people do. pic.twitter.com/8BRocLVw1v

— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) September 10, 2023

Elly De La Cruz

I guess it's not a huge surprise that I'd never heard of Elly De La Cruz before this week. He is a rookie after all, so he hasn't had much time to get on my radar. Also, despite my undying love for Joey Votto, I don't really pay that much attention to the Cincinnati Reds.

I think De La Cruz came to a lot of baseball fans' attention with his amazing performance last week. He had 11 hits in 25 at bats for a .440 average. He had 5 RBI--which double his count for the season. Just to top it all off, he had 2 stolen bases.

De La Cruz had his biggest night of the week on Friday, June 23. That night, he hit for the cycle--meaning he got a single, a double, a triple and a home run in the same game. This is one of the rarest achievements in baseball. It's the first time in 29 years that a player for the Reds has done it.

De La Cruz is having a terrific rookie year. He's the first player since the "World Series Era" began in 1903 to have at least 20 hits, 5 stolen bases, and 3 home runs in their first 15 games. I would also like to point out that he is very handsome and has maybe the best hair in the MLB.

Congratulations, Elly De La Cruz! You are my MLBoyfriend of the week. Also, nice job on being named the National League Player of the Week. You richly deserve both titles.

Week 14: Joey Votto

HAPPY CANADA DAY! I'm so happy my favorite Canadian player, Joey Votto, is on a hot streak, so I can name him my MLBoyfriend. Last week, Votto had four runs, one home run, and two RBIs. He had a .368 average and .955 OPS. He even had a stolen base--his second of the season.

Votto's biggest night of the week came on Friday, June 28. He had four hits in the Reds' victory over the Cubs--and one of those hits was the 1,800th of his career.

Joey Votto singles in a run for career hit No. 1,800! The @Reds veteran's bat is scorching 🔥

Don't miss Cincinnati baseball on FSO & FOX Sports GO: https://t.co/MoMgktwwsD pic.twitter.com/HiALtT5w3X

— FOX Sports Ohio (@FOXSportsOH) June 29, 2019

Best of all, Joey Votto did all this while continuing to be what the kids today call a "zaddy".

Week 13: Joey Votto

HAPPY 150th BIRTHDAY, CANADA!

In honor of our neighbor-to-the-north's sesquicentennial on July 1st, I've chosen Joey Votto, my favorite Canadian baseball player, as my MLBoyfriend of the week. 

Joey Votto didn't just win the prize because he's a Canuck. He had a beauty of a week last week. 

Votto had an amazing .524 batting average and an equally amazing 1.725 OPS with 6 runs, 6 RBIs,  3 home runs and one stolen base.

Joey Votto also gained major points in my book when he dressed as a donkey to drum up votes for teammate and donkey enthusiast Zack Cozart's All-Star campaign. Votto has promised to buy Cozart a donkey if Cozart was selected for the All-Star Game, and now Votto is shopping for one.