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At long last, the 2025 MLB season is finally underway. After months of draft prep, it's finally time to settle in for the 162-game grind.
While the draft is important, leagues are truly won and lost on the waiver wire. Whether it's finding the next breakout superstar or just finding the right guy to stream for the upcoming week, making the right moves throughout the season will help you climb up the standings.
Although the catcher position is considered one of the weakest positions in fantasy, that allows for more activity on the waiver wire, especially in one-catcher leagues. Streaming the best matchup each week is a viable strategy. With all that in mind, we'll be looking at the best catcher pickups for shallow leagues (30-49% rostered), deeper formats (0-29% rostered), and low-owned players to keep on your watchlist for consideration in future weeks. These are your catcher fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for Week 1, March 31 through April 6.
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Catcher Waiver Wire Pickups for Shallow Leagues
Ivan Herrera, St. Louis Cardinals (33% rostered)
Ivan Herrera was one of the draft season's most popular catcher breakout candidates, yet he is still only 33 percent owned. He looked great in limited playing time in 2024, slashing .301/.372/.428 with five home runs, 37 RBI, 27 runs, and five stolen bases in 72 games. With Willson Contreras moving to first base full-time, Herrera should get most of the playing time behind the dish, splitting starts with Pedro Pages.
Obviously, there's not much of a sample for the 2025 season, but he started strong, going 2 for 3 with a double, a walk, and an RBI. His .293 xBA and .366 xwOBA both represented elite offensive production last year, and he has true top-5 upside at the position if he can carry that into this season. He is right on the fringe of being a top-12 catcher as things stand now, but you risk someone else beating you to the punch if you wait for him to heat up.
Last season, Vlad Guerrero jr. was the only hitter with a higher xwOBAcon and Z-Con% vs breaking/offspeed than Ivan Herrera.
His first double of the year is a 109.3 mph laser off of a 90 mph Louie Varland slider pic.twitter.com/gU8A173rGT
— Jacob (@JacobE_STL) March 27, 2025
Connor Wong, Boston Red Sox (34% rostered)
Connor Wong had a solid season in 2024, batting .280 with 13 home runs, 52 RBI, 54 runs, and eight stolen bases in 126 games. He is one of the few catchers who poses a threat to steal, giving him additional fantasy value. Although it's not likely he will take an additional step forward in 2025, I do like him specifically for the upcoming week.
If you're in the market for a streamer, Wong and the Red Sox are lined up to face two underwhelming pitching staffs this coming week. First, they get three games in Baltimore, tentatively scheduled to bat against Cade Povich, Zach Eflin, and Charlie Morton. Next, the St. Louis Cardinals come to town, bringing Erick Fedde, Andre Pallante, and Miles Mikolas to the bump.
None of those pitchers typically strike fear into the opposing team, with Eflin representing the best of the bunch. The Red Sox should be able to rack up runs, and Wong will certainly be a part of that.
Catcher Waiver Wire Pickups for Deeper Leagues
Alejandro Kirk, Toronto Blue Jays (13% rostered)
Alejandro Kirk was a trendy sleeper pick for two-catcher leagues, but now he is lined up for more playing time with the departure of Danny Jansen. He slashed a disappointing .253/.319/.359 in 2024, but it's tough to forget how dominant he looked in his breakout 2022 season.
He slashed .285/.372/.415 with an elite 13.2% strikeout rate. He looked like an elite option at the position but took a step back in recent years as he lost more and more playing time to Jansen. Now, he just signed a five-year extension with Toronto, and his only backup is Tyler Heineman. Kirk is clearly part of the Blue Jays' long-term plans and should only see limited off-days in 2025.
Even if he doesn't take another step forward, he is guaranteed to be a great source of batting average. ATC is projecting him for a .259 average for the season, which is fifth-highest among catchers. He is a must-own in any two-catcher leagues and is a name to watch in shallower leagues, too.
Miguel Amaya, Chicago Cubs (7% rostered)
Miguel Amaya is the current hot-hand at the position, or as much of a hot-hand as you can be only two days into the regular season. He logged an RBI double in the Tokyo Series and followed it up with a two for five performance on the Cubs' domestic opening day, hitting two more doubles and driving in five runs.
Miguel Amaya makes it a 5-RBI night with this two-run double! #OpeningDay pic.twitter.com/fFIplZ7NEK
— MLB (@MLB) March 28, 2025
The Cubs have pretty good matchups in the upcoming week, getting three games each against the Athletics and the Padres. Especially in their three games in Sacramento, Amaya should be able to take advantage of facing Joey Estes, Luis Severino, and Jeffrey Springs, who are far from being elite pitchers.
With only a seven percent ownership, he wasn't even drafted in a good amount of two-catcher leagues. For those deeper leagues, he is most likely the best streaming option available.
Catchers Waiver Wire Watch List
Danny Jansen, Tampa Bay Rays (3% rostered)
Speaking of Kirk earning more playing time, it's because Danny Jansen is now the starting catcher of the Tampa Bay Rays. In 2024, he slashed .206/.308/.348 with nine home runs in 94 games.
Obviously, that's not much to get excited about, but he has looked better in the past. In 2022, he batted .260 with 17 home runs, 53 RBI, and 38 runs in 72 games. There's really no statistical evidence to say he's going to break out, but sometimes a change of scenery is all a player needs. With new coaches and not much competition for at-bats with backup Ben Rortvedt, Jansen could get back to who he was three years ago.
There's no need to rush to the waiver wire to pick him up now, but definitely keep an eye on him. If he shows notable improvements early in the year, he could be fantasy-relevant in deeper leagues very soon.
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