RADIO
Welcome, RotoBallers, to my catchers fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for Week 15 of the 2024 MLB season. This week we'll take a look at catchers such as Hunter Goodman, Ben Rortvedt, and Kyle Higashioka. Every week, this article has featured plenty of catchers who fantasy managers should pick up.
Francisco Alvarez was on this list not too long ago and now might be the hottest-hitting catcher in baseball. Patrick Bailey and Connor Wong have also frequently appeared on this list throughout the season. Both Bailey and Wong have now become consistent fantasy options over the past few months.
This week, though, we will look at three different catchers fantasy managers should be looking to add ahead of Week 15 (July 1 to July 7). All three catchers on this list are rostered in less than 15% of Yahoo! leagues, so they should be available in most leagues. As a reminder, all stats in this article are through Thursday's games.
Be sure to check all of our fantasy baseball lineup tools and weekly lineup resources:- Fantasy baseball injury reports
- Fantasy baseball trade analyzer
- Daily MLB starting lineups for fantasy baseball
- Fantasy baseball BvP matchups data (Batter vs. Pitcher)
- Fantasy baseball PvB matchups data (Pitcher vs. Batter)
- Who should I start? Fantasy baseball player comparisons
- Fantasy baseball closer depth charts, bullpens, saves
- Fantasy Baseball live scoreboard, daily leaderboards
Catcher Waiver Wire Adds
Hunter Goodman, Colorado Rockies (11% Rostered)
Colorado Rockies utility specialist Hunter Goodman has struggled at the plate for most of the year. As a matter of fact, his overall numbers are not the best. Goodman currently owns a .198 average with seven home runs, five doubles, and 18 RBI across 32 games in 2024. However, there are things to like about the 24-year-old right now.
For starters, Goodman has been seeing the ball much better as of late. He has tallied a hit in six of the past nine games and three of the last four contests. During that span, the 24-year-old has hit five HRs, one double, and 10 RBI. It has been quite a surprise to see the catcher finally show some of his potential at the plate, which included going 4-for-5 with one double, two HRs, and five RBI on June 15.
Now, there are things surely working against Goodman. He strikeouts a lot (28.3%), and his walk rate (2.8%) almost ranks dead last in baseball. His .198 average on the season is also very worrisome. But it's nice to see his expected slugging (.458) and barrel rate (12.7%) currently rank in the top half of the league.
Hunter Goodman wallops one 447 ft to left field for his seventh home run.
The 24-year-old is now third on the #Rockies in homers.
He’s also Colorado’s first player with five dingers in seven starts since C.J. Cron in 2022. pic.twitter.com/pVGzLbWflX
— Patrick Lyons (@PatrickDLyons) June 23, 2024
It remains to be seen if Goodman can contribute solid fantasy numbers for the rest of the year. There's a good chance that he likely won't. However, given how hot he is at the plate right now, he could be a solid short-term add heading into Week 15. The Rockies also have seven games on the schedule next week (all at home), so the 24-year-old could be in for a nice week at Coors Field.
Ben Rortvedt, Tampa Bay Rays (4% Rostered)
Tampa Bay Rays catcher Ben Rortvedt has actually been a solid fantasy option in deeper formats this year. He ended April with a batting average of .340 and now has a respectable .274 average with three HRs, eight doubles, and 23 RBI across 58 games. Rortvedt won't hit many long balls, but he has shown instances this season where his power is there, especially recently.
The 26-year-old went 2-for-3 with one home run and four RBI on Tuesday to help the Rays beat the Seattle Mariners. Then, last week, Rortvedt went 3-for-5 with one double, one home run, and three RBI against the Pittsburgh Pirates. In between those two games, the young catcher also went a combined 2-for-7 with one double and two RBI on June 22 and June 24.
💣 After Taylor Walls cleared the bases with a 2 run triple, Ben Rortvedt hits a 2 run bomb out of the park.
The Rays have a 6-2 lead in the 6th. pic.twitter.com/Yiu9IRJ4Hq
— Tricia Whitaker (@TriciaWhitaker) June 26, 2024
As a result, Rortvedt is someone who should be on fantasy managers' radar in deeper formats. He is 14-for-39 (.359 average) with three HRs, four doubles, and 14 RBI over his past 12 games and appears to be in a nice groove at the plate. The Rays catcher might not be a long-term option in most leagues. However, with the way he is hitting the ball lately, he is at least worth a waiver wire pickup ahead of Week 15 in 14-plus team leagues.
Kyle Higashioka, San Diego Padres (2% Rostered)
San Diego Padres catcher Kyle Higashioka is another option fantasy managers should consider in deeper formats. With Luis Campusano (thumb) landing on the injured list last weekend, Higashioka has seen more opportunities behind the plate. He has started six of the seven games since Campusano went down with a thumb injury. In those games, he is batting .375 (6-for-18) with one double, three HRs, and 10 RBI.
Of course, it's a small sample size for Higashioka. But he has been on a nice streak at the plate, which included going 3-for-4 with two HRs and six RBI on Wednesday against the Washington Nationals. As long as Campusano is out with his thumb injury, the veteran catcher should be a solid streaming option in deeper formats.
Kyle Higashioka, THE GRAND SLAM STROKA! pic.twitter.com/YVDt5zR5oC
— MLB (@MLB) June 26, 2024
Something to be cautious of, though, before adding the 34-year-old in fantasy is that Campusano could be activated from the injured list as early as next week. If that does happen, Higashioka would obviously lose some fantasy value. Nonetheless, that hasn't happened yet, so the veteran could be a nice add in most 14-plus team leagues right now.
Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App
Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy baseball app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, sleepers, prospects & more. All free!
