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.
I write this column every other week, so as a reminder, these were my streaming picks from the week of August 21 – August 27.
12-Team Streamer
Garver played in six games during the week of August 21st – August 27th and came through as a fantasy differencemaker as he knocked in three home runs and three RBI. He slashed .250/.333/.625 for the week. Now that Jonah Heim is back in the lineup, Heim has been getting the starts at catcher and Garver has been getting the nod at DH. Garver is hitting .267 and is up to 13 home runs and 36 RBI on the year.
15-Team Streamer
O’Hoppe got off to a fast start at the beginning of the season and had four home runs and 13 RBI through his first 16 games before suffering what was thought to be a season-ending shoulder injury.
O’Hoppe surprisingly returned to the Angels lineup on August 18th and it seemed he could be a good waiver wire option if other managers in your league may have missed this news. Unfortunately, he only played in four games that week so it lowered his chances of counting stats. He did hit a solo home run but only managed a .200 batting average for the week – not quite enough for a streaming win.
Nate Kosher’s Streaming Record for 2023 Season: 9-9
Notes & Transactions From Last Week
- The Rays sent Francisco Mejía to Triple-A Durham. Mejía had last played in the majors on July 20th and was hitting .227 with five home runs and 19 RBI.
- Cleveland designated Eric Haase for assignment after only three games played with the Guardians. Haase had spent most of the season with the Tigers. He has compiled a .201 average with four home runs, 26 RBI, and four steals.
- The Yankees called up their 2020 first-round pick Austin Wells from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre ahead of the September roster expansion. Wells’ debut was overshadowed by Jasson Domínguez’s callup but Wells has made an impact during his first couple of games with a hit in his first game and an RBI in his second. Wells hit .240 with 17 home runs and 72 RBI across 96 minor league games in 2023.
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 August 21st – August 27th:
12-Team Streamer
Moreno has been on fire since the All-Star break with a 1.045 OPS, five home runs, and 15 RBI over 22 games. The rookie has shown he can hit during his first full big league season, with a .284 average, seven home runs, and 41 RBI.
During the last week, he is hitting .343 with two home runs. The Diamondbacks square off against the Rockies for a three-game set before heading to Chicago to face the Cubs for a four-game series.
15-Team Streamer
The younger of the two Naylor brothers who play for Cleveland, Bo has recently turned up the heat with three home runs over the past week. He is now up to seven home runs and 22 RBI for the season but is currently owned in only five percent of Yahoo leagues. For those in redraft leagues, he could be a nice streaming addition for a playoff push. And if you play in dynasty leagues and need some catcher help, he could be someone to pick up with an eye toward 2024.
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 Travis d’Arnaud is already rostered in your 12-team league, the next in line would be Gary Sánchez 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.