With the fantasy playoffs fast approaching, how to approach the catcher position might be a tricky proposition for some fantasy managers.
What with Willson Contreras recently landing on the injured list and a variety of starting-caliber fantasy catchers struggling at the plate as of late (among them Will Smith, Sean Murphy, Patrick Bailey, and David Fry), getting quality production at catcher can be key.
Fortunately, a number of catchers have either broken out in their first extended look in the Majors or are posting strong numbers but remain on fewer fantasy rosters than they should be.
Starting catchers who fit either or both descriptions could help turn the tide in weekly matchups and ultimately be the difference between making the fantasy playoffs and winning the fantasy playoffs. These are a few of those catchers.
Remember earlier in the season when Herrera made for an intriguing waiver wire addition for fantasy managers? The 24-year-old hit .275 with a .311 on-base percentage, a 119 wRC+, three home runs, six barrels, a 17.6% barrel rate, and a 47.1% hard-hit rate in his first 45 plate appearances this season through April 17.
There was even a point where both Herrera and Contreras looked like they should be in starting in fantasy lineups.
And while Herrera didn’t homer in his other Major League plate appearances this year (all 156 of them) after that hot start, he logged a productive .271 average and a .342 on-base percentage to go along with four stolen bases and a 96 wRC+.
Prior to being recalled following Contreras’ landing on the injured list, Herrera’s last Major League appearance came on June 18. He’s collected a double, a run scored and a walk in nine plate appearances spanning two games since his return from the minors.
Even if the 24-year-old’s production falls somewhere between his early-season power surge and the stronger on-base percentage numbers he logged following it, the 24-year-old should make for a solid fantasy option for the stretch run.
He’s very much worth adding and starting in any league size or format with more than 12 teams, and is worth a look as a starting fantasy option in most all two-catcher formats, regardless of league size.
There’s also a fairly high chance he’s still available to add to fantasy rosters in your league, with just a 1% rostered rate per FantasyPros data on Wednesday.
Maybe the best hitter on this list, Stephenson has actually hit like one of the best hitters in all of baseball as of late.
Since July 24, Stephenson is batting .317 with a .405 on-base percentage, a 160 wRC+, and six home runs in 116 plate appearances, registering a 9.6% barrel rate and a 41.1% hard-hit rate in the process. Among 164 qualified hitters, only 16 have a higher wRC+ during that span. Among the hitters who don’t? Yordan Alvarez, José Ramírez, Kyle Schwarber and Francisco Lindor to name a few.
That recent run of form alone makes Stephenson worth rostering, especially because the Reds play their next nine games at home, against the A’s, Brewers, and Astros no less. Oakland (third-highest) and Milwaukee (eighth-highest) both rank among the top 10 teams in road FIP this season.
But turn the calendar back even more and you’ll find the stat line of a player who’s quietly been one of fantasy’s best catchers this year.
Since April 27, Stephenson is batting .268 with a .342 on-base percentage, a 122 wRC+, and 14 home runs. Among qualified catchers, the Reds backstop has the following rankings during that span.
And while Stephenson is certainly worth starting at home, his production shouldn’t fall off too much (if at all) on the road either.
A starting option in most all fantasy leagues, especially with Willson Contreras on the injured list and the aforementioned quartet of Patrick Bailey, Sean Murphy, David Fry, and Will Smith struggling as of late. That’s not to say you should be dropping any of those four players, Muprhy and Smith in particular should be on rosters in nearly all fantasy leagues, but Stephenson is very much worth adding and starting in fantasy formats with 12 or more teams with the potential to start in even more shallow formats.
Travis d’Arnaud
Speaking of potentially underrated fantasy catchers, d’Arnaud is enjoying arguably the best power-hitting season of his career.
The veteran is batting .251 with a .307 on-base percentage, 14 home runs, and a stolen base in 277 plate appearances for Atlanta this season. His xwOBA (.345) is on track to be his highest in a full season in the Statcast era, and he’s just four home runs off his career-high of 18. Most crucially, he’s also closing in on the highest number of barrels he’s logged in a season since 2015:
And while d’Arnaud is still in somewhat of a timeshare with Murphy in Atlanta, he’s continued to provide solid power production as of late, collecting a 13.8% barrel rate, a 44.8% hard-hit rate, three home runs, and a .238 ISO in August despite hitting just .190 in 45 plate appearances this month.
Though truth be told, some of that batting average is in part due to a .192 BABIP, pointing to some potential positive regression coming.
Should that positive regression kick in, d’Arnaud is capable of producing the type of numbers that can help carry a fantasy team over the course of a month.
He hit .282 with five home runs, a 157 wRC+, 12 runs scored, 16 RBI, a .310 ISO, and a .950 OPS in 81 plate appearances before May, and turned in a .370 average, four home runs, a 195 wRC+, nine runs scored, 10 RBI, a .283 ISO and a 1.072 OPS in 50 plate appearances during July.
Really, it’s not as much waiting for the positive regression to kick in, but more waiting for his numbers to bounce back.
And even if d’Arnaud doesn’t replicate the lofty production he posted in March, April, and July, even if he can produce at a level reasonably similar to it, he could be a league-winning fantasy catcher in some formats.
Start him with confidence in all leagues with 14 or more teams, and in smaller leagues with two catching spots in the starting lineup. If his production starts to creep up towards what it was at times earlier this season, he’s a must-start across the board in most all fantasy leagues for managers without an elite catcher.
Photos by Icon Sportswire | Featured Image by Justin Redler (@reldernitsuj on Twitter).
Where’s Amaya?