X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

Fantasy Baseball Advice: Digging Deeper into Fringe Catchers

Click here to read RotoBaller's fantasy baseball advice about fringe catcher options after the first nine weeks, highlighting Gomes, Grandal and Jason Castro.

It's about that time of the season when fantasy managers will start to cut bait on underperforming catchers and look to the waiver wire for some replacements.  Whether you're in a shallower single-catcher league seeking a short-term upgrade, or a two-catcher league looking to replace a guy like Jesus Montero, RotoBaller has got you covered with a deeper look at some fringe backstop options:

Jason Castro (Houston Astro)1. Jason Castro (HOU) – We listed the former Stanford Cardinal on our Ultimate Waiver Wire Watchlist  after a 2-HR game Saturday against Oakland, and the Houston catcher continues to rake. Over the last the past two weeks, he’s the 2nd-ranked catcher (Evan Gattis is #1) on ESPN’s player rater, and he's registered a 483/.556/.862 triple slash with 3 HR in 29 AB.  Sure, the sample size is very small, and the Astros’ offense is no juggernaut (21st in runs scored), but the 2008 first-round pick is getting regular PT, typically hitting third, and is in the top ten in the league for hits and home runs by catchers . His .357 BABIP will certainly drop, but the rest of his numbers are mostly sustainable. Castro's ownership has increased over 13% since Sunday's power breakout, but it still sits below 20%. For owners struggling to find reliable production from their backstop, I would take Castro before investing in any of John Buck, Ryan Doumit, Jonathan Lucroy and Alex Avila.

2. Yan Gomes (CLE) – Not to be outdone by Castro, Mr. Gomes has put up a healthy .333/.364/.810 line in 21 AB over the past two weeks.  His 0.15 BB/K ratio isn’t pretty, and playing time is not guaranteed for the Indians’ backup catcher, but playing in the AL, Carlos Santana might get a few more days DH’ing or at 1B which could create ABs for Gomes. He’s a good source of power (.338 ISO in 2013, and historical ISO regularly above .200 in the minors), and as long as you don’t get penalized for hitter strikeouts, owners in deep or two-catcher leagues should consider taking a flier on the free-swinger.

And then there’s one repeat offender who I’ll mention just in case his return slipped under your radar...

Yasmani Grandal 013. Yasmani Grandal (SD) – We've written about the young San Diego catcher in this space recently, but this should go as a reminder that Grandal was reinstated from the restricted list after his 50-game suspension, and he started Tuesday night. Grandal wasn't tearing the cover off the ball in his 9 “rehab” AAA starts (.306/.342/.389, .083 ISO)-- it could well take a little time to get his legs under him and his timing down.  Nevertheless, I fully expect that he will overtake the slumping Nick Hundley before long, and provide you with above-average catcher production for a 14+-team mixed or NL-only league. It’s unclear how much the PEDs may have helped his solid rookie campaign, but I’m very willing to roll the dice on the sophomore Padre who is owned in just 11% of leagues.

One final catcher note: Don’t necessarily give up on Atlanta’s Evan Gattis, whose ownership is down to 57%. The strong return of Brian McCann isn't making it easy to get Gattis’s bat into the lineup, but he’s still finding a way to produce in a backup role, pinch hitting, and DH-ing in AL parks. Even with part-time ABs, Gattis’s power numbers are valuable (he currently leads all catchers with 12 HR), and you avoid the total drain on your BA you might endure elsewhere.

 

Feel free to email me with any specific questions at [email protected] or follow me on twitter @Roto_hawk. Until next time, Dominate.

==========

For owners looking to stay current on catchers to target, remember to check out our Ultimate Waiver Wire Watch List (updated daily) where you can find great updates and feedback on catchers and all position players from the staff here at RotoBaller.com.

If you want this article and other high-end fantasy baseball analysis delivered to you on a daily basis, sign up for our daily newsletter.

 




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

José Tena

Jacob Young, Jose Tena Sitting Out On Thursday
Kyle Gibson

Dealing With Minor Back Tightness
Triston Casas

Small Mechanical Tweak Working For Triston Casas
Tyler Lockett

Titans Likely To Use Tyler Lockett In The Slot
CJ Abrams

Reinstated From 10-Day Injured List
Washington Commanders

Commanders Trying To Trade Back From No. 29 Pick

Colston Loveland Could Be First Tight End Selected
Eli Morgan

Shut Down From Throwing For 2-3 Weeks

Jaguars Could Be Eyeing Trade Up For Travis Hunter
Javier Assad

Heading To Chicago To Be Examined
Jake Bauers

In Starting Lineup Against Giants

Jayden Higgins A Potential First-Round Pick?
Brandon Marsh

Starting Rehab Assignment On Thursday
Brendan Donovan

Expected To Return On Friday
Breece Hall

Available For Trade?
Patrick Bailey

Getting Breather In Series Finale
William Contreras

Jackson Chourio, William Contreras, Caleb Durbin All Sitting On Thursday
Trent Grisham

Activated From Paternity List
Cleveland Browns

Greg Newsome, Ogbo Okoronkwo Could Be Available Via Trade During The Draft
Tobias Myers

Activated Off Injured List, Starting On Thursday
Arizona Cardinals

Paris Johnson Jr. Completely Healthy This Offseason
Jacob Stallings

Nick Martini Sitting In Game 1
Carolina Panthers

Derrick Brown Expected To Be Ready For Start Of Season
Jorge Polanco

Sitting Against Lefty
Denver Broncos

Broncos Fielding Calls For No. 20 Pick In NFL Draft
David Festa

Optioned To Triple-A

Browns, Giants Both Like Jaxson Dart
Willi Castro

Placed On 10-Day Injured List

Kevin Stefanski Thinks Travis Hunter Can Succeed As Two-Way Player
Hagen Smith

Showing Strikeout Potential At Double-A
Texas Rangers

Kohl Drake Strikes Out 10 On Wednesday
Linus Ullmark

Attempts To Overcome Playoff Struggles Thursday
Robby Snelling

Tallies Nine Punchouts For The Second Time This Season
Anthony Cirelli

A Game-Time Call Thursday
Javier Rivas

Continues Hot Start To High-A Regular Season
Logan Thompson

Comes Up Big In Game 2
Connor McMichael

Strikes Twice In Wednesday's Win
Anze Kopitar

Tallies Four Points In Game 2 Victory
Adrian Kempe

Notches Two Goals, Two Assists In Wednesday's Win
Tyler Seguin

Gives Stars Series Lead With Overtime Winner
Gabriel Landeskog

Delivers Six Hits In First Game Since 2022
NFL

Browns, Giants, Patriots Receive Calls For Picks Nos. 2-4
Tyler Herro

Scores Game-High 33 Points In Wednesday's Loss
Donovan Mitchell

Fires In 30 Points In Game 2 Win
Paolo Banchero

Notches 32 Points In Game 2 Loss
Jaylen Brown

Posts 36-Point Double-Double Wednesday
Jalen Green

Erupts For 38 Points In Game 2 Victory
Brandin Podziemski

Limited To 14 Minutes Wednesday
Jimmy Butler III

Set For MRI Thursday
George Kittle

Wants To Be Highest-Paid Tight End
Tyler Lockett

Joining The Titans

Will Shedeur Sanders' Game Translate To The NFL?
Las Vegas Raiders

Raiders Could Go With Offensive Lineman At No. 6 Overall
NFL

Jaguars, Raiders Looking To Trade Up In First Round
New Orleans Saints

Saints Won't Pick Up Fifth-Year Option On Trevor Penning
Nick Chubb

Not Interested In Retirement
George Pickens

Drawing Trade Interest
Brandin Podziemski

Upgraded To Available
Cam Davis

Looking For Better Fortunes At TPC Louisiana
Michael Porter Jr.

Listed As Questionable For Game 3
Adam Svensson

Making Third Apperence At Zurich Classic
Davion Mitchell

Moves Into Starting Lineup Wednesday
Brandin Podziemski

Picks Up Questionable Tag
Al Horford

Starts Game 2
Michael Porter Jr.

Practices On Wednesday
Jayson Tatum

Out On Wednesday
Isaiah Stewart

May Miss Another Game Thursday
NYI

Cal Clutterbuck Announces Retirement
Pavel Zacha

Recovering From Small Procedure
Nikolaj Ehlers

To Miss At Least Two More Games
Miro Heiskanen

Still Out On Wednesday
John Klingberg

Enters Oilers Lineup For Game 2
Evander Kane

To Make Season Debut Wednesday Night
Gabriel Landeskog

Likely To Play In Game 3
Jaren Jackson Jr.

Posts Team-High 26 Points In Tuesday's Loss
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Notches 27 Points Despite Poor Shooting
Max Greyserman

Aiming For Similar Success At TPC Louisiana
Pascal Siakam

Scores Team-High 24 Points In Game 2 Win
Giannis Antetokounmpo

Posts Big Double-Double In Game 2 Loss
Lee Hodges

A High-Upside Player In New Orleans
PGA

Nico Echavarria Looks To Ride Off Of Elite Putting In New Orleans
Julius Randle

Leads Timberwolves In Scoring In Game 2
Gary Woodland

A Player Worth Watching In New Orleans
Luka Dončić

Luka Doncic Nets 31 Points In Lakers Win
Max McGreevy

Returns To The Zurich Classic Of New Orleans
Rasmus Hojgaard

In Search Of Consistency Ahead Of Zurich Classic
Sam Stevens

A Boom-Or-Bust Candidate In New Orleans
Nicolai Hojgaard

Looking To Turn Season Around At Zurich Classic
John Tavares

Collects Two Points In Overtime Win
Christiaan Bezuidenhout

Looks To Sway A Hot Putter In Teams Favor At Zurich Classic
Frederik Andersen

Posts 40th Postseason Win
Akshay Bhatia

Looking To Bounce Back At TPC Louisiana
Carson Young

Looks To Turn Things Around At TPC Louisiana
Kirill Kaprizov

Leads Wild To Valuable Road Win
Matthew Tkachuk

Returns With Three-Point Performance
Erik Van Rooyen

Looking For Momentum In Louisiana
Anthony Cirelli

Suffers Undisclosed Injury Tuesday
Gabriel Vilardi

May Return To Jets Lineup Thursday
Andrew Novak

Making Start At TPC Louisiana After Near Miss At Harbour Town
Ben Griffin

Making Third Career Start At Zurich Classic
Taylor Moore

Competing With A New Teammate In New Orleans
Wyndham Clark

Making Return To New Orleans
Kurt Kitayama

Teeing It Up Again In New Orleans
Collin Morikawa

Back At Zurich Classic For Fifth Time
Thomas Detry

Making Third Appearance At New Orleans Team Event
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF