Deep League Catcher Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 19

3 Catchers For Deep Leagues

This week I wanted to concentrate on backstops that are producing on teams that aren't exactly offensive power-houses. All of these guys are worth a look in most 12+ team leagues, all AL/NL-Only and all 2-Catcher Leagues.

Jason Castro - C, Houston Astros

BALLER MOVE: Add in Deep Leagues

ANALYSIS: The Astro's have the brightest future their fans have seen in some time. That being said, they are still quite young. One of the clubs leading veterans at the age of 27, Jason Castro has been getting hot behind the dish for them. While his season slash line still remains at a bleak .231/.297/.393, Castro has been better of late gathering a hit in fifteen of his twenty contests since the beginning of July. He's brought home eleven RBIs in that time, collecting four home runs and six multi-hit games. While Houston's offense can be a bit streaky, Castro has been a fairly consistent piece in it lately making him a candidate as a fill-in or long term solution for fantasy managers in deeper leagues.

Russell Martin - C, Pittsburgh Pirates

BALLER MOVE: Add in Deep Leagues

ANALYSIS: The Pittsburgh Pirates have been somewhat streaky and confusing this season, and while they've been looking better as a whole in June and July,  many Pirates fans are simply hoping the execution continues. One thing nobody has had to question about the Pirates since the beginning of last season is their prowess defensively behind the plate, solely due to the exceptional play of Russell Martin. Russell has gunned down more than 45 attempted runners over a little more than a season and a half to lead the majors in that department.

While his defensive star-power may not be fantasy relevant, it does mean he will get minimum time off for Pittsburgh as they attempt to catch the Brewers down the stretch for the division lead. While Russell isn't exactly lighting it up while at the plate rather than behind it, he's quietly putting together a pretty good season offensively with a .281/.411/.383 slash line.

Tyler Flowers - C, Chicago White Sox

BALLER MOVE: Add in Very Deep Leagues - Continue Scouting in Shallower Leagues

ANALYSIS: His batting surge is truly eye-opening, and his new glasses may have something to do with that. While Tyler Flowers will deny any correlation of his recent uptick in production to his new eye-wear, he has ordered some extra pairs of them, just in case. "I'm not a fool," Flowers said. "I'm going to stick with them."

This may be good news for fantasy managers. Since he first tried these glasses the week before the All-Star break (because he didn't want to put in his contacts), Flowers has gone on a small tear with seven multi-hit games, and two home runs in that time. This hot streak came at a much needed time for Flowers as he was absolutely horrid in May and June after getting off to a hot start to the season. His current little run brings his season slash line to .247/.305/.359 and he should be monitored in most leagues in case this continues.