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Ross Williamson analyzes the top MLB catcher (C) waiver wire pickups and adds for Week 21 of the fantasy baseball season. They are catcher sleepers.
Underwhelming catchers can begin to show life while overachieving catchers can come crashing down to earth. It is the reality of every fantasy position but for the position of catcher it can be an even steeper hill to climb. The consistent days off every week to go along with owners simply not in the market for them can hide true value on the waiver wire.
These are some discount names that should perk some eyes and ears up for owners to add. All ownership figures come from Fleaflicker.
Editor’s Note: to read about even more waiver wire options for catchers, be sure to check out our famous waiver wire pickups list which is a running list that is updated daily.
Waiver Wire Analysis for Catchers
Yan Gomes (C, CLE) - 57% owned
Gomes has been the victim of the injury bug in 2015 and has yet to truly regain his form from 2014 that saw him hit 21 HR and 74 RBI. He has been spelled by fellow C Roberto Perez even with his return from nagging knee and neck injuries which has significantly reduced his value.
However Gomes has turned it on as of late hitting .275 while collecting 11 RBI and 5 XBH including 2 HR. Gomes does have the advantage of hitting 5th of 6th in the lineup most of the time and should continue to see good pitches as opposing teams will pitch more carefully to the upper half of the Indians lineup.
Gomes has proven in the past that he can be a solid hitter as his BABIP has hovered near .350 for most of his career both in the minors and majors. The BA should continue to rise as he gets more comfortable and shakes off some of the rust. His ISO should also climb near .190 where an elite hitter like Lorenzo Cain currently resides. Gomes is on the cusp of breaking out again and you would be wise to go down that path and make him a priority add.
BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues
Mike Zunino (C, SEA) - 7% owned
This player has been such a pariah to many fantasy owners who thought he would be one of the best sleeper catchers in fantasy baseball. His amazingly slow start had owners dumping him fast and letting him figure out his hitting issues safely on the waiver wire or at the minimum the bench.
The K% is at an out of control 34% which makes some owners absolutely refuse to keep reading any more about Zunino.
In fact his numbers across the board have been dreadful to say the least.
Would you believe me if I told you his BB% and Contact% were both higher than they were last year and his BABIP is on pace to also be higher than his 2014 campaign? It might sound like grasping at straws but Zunino is slowly becoming a better baseball player because he has to.
Over the past week he is hitting .313 and has an OPS of .818 and even with his bad play he is still behind the dish for Seattle at least 80% of the time. Owners who held onto him can take a chance on him figuring things out but shallow leagues can probably avoid him for now until he really turns the corner.
BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team / Two-Catcher Leagues
Francisco Cervelli (C, PIT) - 27% owned
Francisco Cervelli has one of the 30 starting gigs as the manager of a pitching staff. Some of those players simply make sure they put their pitchers in the best position to win. They do this by calling a good game and being in sync throughout the game. Others tend to make more noise with the bat and with the glove. Cervelli meanwhile does a little bit of everything.
If you listed all the possibilities of a catcher that was hitting .372 with an OPS over 1.000 and 6 XBH including 2 triples, I doubt Cervelli would be mentioned in the first 10 or 20 names you could think of.
But that is indeed the case for the 29-year-old, who is having a breakout campaign. His BA,OBP,SLG,wOBA and wRC+ are all at career highs and his K% is down by 7%.
Cervelli's ISO is very low but he has shown more plate discipline this year and has harnessed the ability to have the vastly underrated label of having "doubles power." The guy has made believers out of many owners looking to capitalize on his availability or being able to drop a catcher they drafted or picked up that is just not getting the job done.
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team / Two-Catcher Leagues
Blake Swihart (C, BOS) - 4% owned
A few weeks back fellow Red Sox C Ryan Hanigan made this list and Blake Swihart seemed to be fading into the distance. This rookie has decided to turn around and sprint towards proving he deserves to belong.
Recently Swihart has been playing 2 out of every 3 games and producing at a better clip than Hanigan. Swihart is hitting .333 and is the better option going forward as long as he gets the PT. Its not that Hanigan's .294 BA is anything to complain about but Swihart produces more run scoring opportunities and is the more legit threat at the plate.
Swihart must cut down his Pull% of 41% and keep creating solid contact instead of swinging for the fences so much. The OPS of .647 also must get significantly better but he has been improving on that slowly but surely. Early in the season Swihart's BA had bottomed out at .091 but he has made huge strides having it back up to a respectable .259.
He has the capability to have a grand finale in September as the Red Sox are looking forward to 2016 and should give him ample time to fine tune himself into the starting gig again.
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team / Two-Catcher Leagues
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