Streaming catchers can be a Sisyphean task. Unless you have one of the top catchers, you are left guessing what to do with the position.
Catchers are similar to kickers in fantasy football; you don’t think about your catcher slot as much as the other high-scoring positions, but if you’re looking for an advantage over your competition it makes sense to monitor what is happening. Why wouldn’t you research every position on your team?
We have all been on the losing end of a matchup when we needed just one more hit or one more steal so that deep-cut catcher you just picked up and who homered on Sunday – that guy could deliver you to victory.
So join me gluttons of fantasy baseball punishment and without further ado – let’s kick off this week in streaming catcher land!
Reviewing Last Column’s Picks
Here are the established guidelines from last season for determining whether or not streaming was a “win”, and I’ll leave these up here each week as a reminder.
- When we stream a catcher, we’re not expecting multiple home runs, so a guy hitting .250 is helpful, and I’ll consider that a plus. Anything over .300 is a super plus and a near-automatic win. We must keep in mind the number of plate appearances — under 10 PA diminishes that boost.
- Home runs have a significant impact. If you get two homers from the catcher position, it’s a guaranteed win unless the catcher bats under the Mendoza line. However, if other factors exist, a catcher can still be a streaming win without home runs.
- Counting stats (R+RBI) is the lowest stat consideration because you’re not expecting them from your catcher, and they’re a nice bonus.
With the All-Star break recently occurring, it has been a while since I wrote this column, so as a reminder, these were my streaming picks from the week of June 26th – July 2nd.
12-Team Streamer
Henry Davis, Pittsburgh Pirates
Davis had a great week from June 26th – July 2nd and knocked out eight hits in 22 ABs, good for a blazing .364 average. He also had a .391 OBP during the week with five RBI. Thus far, the Pirates are giving Davis starts in the outfield so that could reduce his wear and tear and keep his numbers looking strong. For the year, he is hitting .275 with two home runs and nine RBI in 26 games. Davis has also stolen three bases already, a bonus for someone at the catcher position. This was definitely a streaming “W”.
15-Team Streamer
Diaz didn’t have the same success as Davis during the last week of June, hitting only .231 for the week with one RBI. Unfortunately it seems I picked the Diaz for the wrong week as he had two home runs and five RBI the following week.
Nate Kosher’s Streaming Record for 2023 Season: 7-7
Notes & Transactions From Last Week
- The Pirates recalled top prospect Endy Rodríguez (ranked #3 in Pittsburgh’s system) and he made his major league debut this week. He has also seen time at second base and outfield in the minors, but will get most of his reps at catcher due to the earlier call-up of Henry Davis.
- Atlanta re-signed Travis d’Arnaud to a one-year contract worth $8 million. D’Arnaud has taken a backseat to Sean Murphy this season, but is a capable hitter who would start on many other teams. He’s hitting .265 with eight home runs and 23 RBI, which is more than enough to be started in two-catcher leagues or deeper leagues.
- The Royals signed the highest-drafted catcher in the 2023 MLB draft this week, when they inked Blake Mitchell to a nearly $5 million dollar deal.
Have more questions? “Catch” up with me on Twitter @NathanielKosher!
This Week’s Streamers
Each week, we highlight a streaming option for a 12-team league and a 15-team league each week. Here are the potential streaming targets for the week of July 24th – July 30th:
12-Team Streamer
Keibert Ruiz, Washington Nationals
Ruiz is currently rostered in 36% of leagues and is someone who has mostly disappointed thus far this season. He originally came to Washington from the Dodgers in the trade for Trea Turner and Max Scherzer and at one time was ranked as the top prospect in LA’s system, so Ruiz’s talent is not the question. The 25-year-old needs to become more consistent to reach the mid-to-upper echelon of fantasy catchers.
However, it appears that things are starting to click for him over the past few weeks. In the month of July, Ruiz is slashing .286/.333/.500 and has knocked in two home runs and five RBI since the All-Star break. He also possesses some speed as evidenced by his six steals in 112 games last year. Ruiz only has one steal this season but if he can mix in some steals and manage an adequate batting average with some occasional home runs he could begin to fulfill that prior potential and turn into a post-hype player.
15-Team Streamer
Blake Sabol, San Francisco Giants
Sabol is appealing due to his dual eligibility (OF & C) and is hitting .256 with 11 home runs and 35 RBI for the season. He’s turned in up another notch in July by hitting .321 with four home runs and nine RBI. This will force the Giants to get him into the lineup somewhere. San Francisco starts off the week with a four-game set against the Reds before heading to DC for a three-game set against the lowly Nats. That should be a prime chance for a big weekend.
Catcher List
A 10-player list of potential streamers by weekly rank is added to each week. To qualify, the catchers must be 50% rostered or less. For example, if Keibert Ruiz is already rostered in your 12-team league, the next in line should be Travis d’Arnaud and so on down the list. Also, 15-team leagues are much deeper, so attention to Roster% is added to the process. The Roster% is based on Yahoo leagues.