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In recent years, many fantasy baseball analysts – including yours truly – have wondered about whether the term “sleeper” has much meaning anymore. In an age where there’s more easily accessible information than ever before, it’s unlikely that too many impending superstars are truly flying under everyone’s radar.
That doesn’t mean you can’t still find profitable players – far from it. I just prefer to call them “values.” That feels more like an accurate representation of their status. After all, if you’re an engaged fantasy owner, you probably know all these names. But knowing the names and recognizing their profit potential are two different things.
Over the next several days, I’ll offer my thoughts on potential 2018 fantasy baseball draft bargains at every position. We’ll begin today with a look at catchers whose production could far outstrip their price tags.
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Catchers to Consider in 2018
Welington Castillo, Chicago White Sox
Despite playing in only 96 games last season, Castillo set career highs in home runs (20), runs scored (44), and batting average (.282). He should get the bulk of starts behind the plate for the Sox; while Castillo is a pretty terrible framer, backup Omar Narvaez is even worse and doesn’t have much offensive upside. Betting on another .280 average is probably a bad idea given his contact issues and lack of foot speed, but Castillo is among the better catchers available in the middle-to-late rounds.
Jorge Alfaro, Philadelphia Phillies
One of the top catching prospects in baseball, Alfaro is out of minor-league options, so he’ll open the year in at least a timeshare behind the plate. Whether he establishes himself as the starter and/or a fantasy asset will depend on how much contact he can make at the MLB level. Alfaro didn’t exactly light the world on fire at Triple-A last year, with a .649 OPS and a strikeout rate north of 30 percent. But the power is real, as we saw in his September cameo, and that’s enough to justify a late-round flier.
Robinson Chirinos, Texas Rangers
Wait a second, you mean nobody’s clamoring for a 33-year-old catcher who’s never been a full-time starter? Well, maybe fantasy owners should be showing Chirinos a little more love. He finally looks to have a starting role locked up after solid performances in a timeshare over the last few years. In 2017, he hit a career-high 17 homers and totaled 84 R+RBI in just 88 games while batting a passable .255. Over the last four seasons, Chirinos is a top-5 catcher by OPS (minimum 1,000 plate appearances). A full season as a starter could make him a bargain.
Chris Iannetta, Colorado Rockies
Iannetta returns to Denver for a second tour of duty with the Rockies, which by itself is enough to make him interesting. The 34-year-old played pretty well last season for Arizona, hitting .254/.354/.511 with 17 home runs in just 89 games. It was a return to his early-career levels of performance that neatly coincided with him playing his home games in a hitter-friendly park. They don’t get any friendlier than Coors, and Iannetta likely won’t face much competition for playing time from either Tony Wolters or Tom Murphy.
Chance Sisco, Baltimore Orioles
Sisco will need to prove he can hack it defensively, and that he can hack less often as a hitter after running inflated strikeout rates at Triple-A and in the majors over the last year and change. There isn’t a ton of power in his bat, so Sisco’s offensive contribution will rest on his contact ability. Of course, his 2018 fantasy outlook also rides heavily on Baltimore’s management wrapping their minds around how awful Caleb Joseph is, which they’ve shown no inclination toward so far. But that’s a big part of why he’ll likely go undrafted in your league. Keep an eye on his early-season performance.
