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Welcome, RotoBallers, to my catchers fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for Week 18 of the 2024 MLB season. This week, we'll take a look at catchers such as Gabriel Moreno, Shea Langeliers, and Tyler Stephenson.
All three of those catchers are rostered in 40% or less of Yahoo! leagues, so they should be available on waivers if you are looking for a catcher. Moreno, Langeliers, and Stephenson are my top three priorities at the position heading into next week. But if Ben Rice (68% rostered) or Sean Murphy (68% rostered) are still available on waivers, they might be better long-term options.
However, without further ado, let's dive in and look at why Moreno, Langeliers, and Stephenson should be rostered heading into Week 18 of the 2024 MLB season.
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Catcher Waiver Wire Adds
Gabriel Moreno, Arizona Diamondbacks (40% Rostered)
After a strong 2023 season, Moreno was a great late-round target in fantasy drafts this year. He just hit .284 with seven HRs, 19 doubles, six stolen bases, and 50 RBI across 111 games last season. The 24-year-old catcher also showed his potential in the playoffs, where he hit four HRs and drove in 12 runs in 63 plate appearances.
So, heading into the 2024 season, Moreno was a sneaky option at the catcher position. Nonetheless, he struggled to start the year. He had a .230 average with three HRs, 11 doubles, and 26 RBI through June 21 before landing on the injured list with a thumb injury. But since coming back from the IL on July 2, the 24-year-old is starting to show his upside once again.
The Snakes are out in front. 🐍 pic.twitter.com/cb2M3aq0ck
— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) July 19, 2024
Over the past 11 games heading into the All-Star break, Moreno is batting an impressive .308 (12-for-39) with one home run, three doubles, and five RBI. That hot streak at the plate also continued to start the second half, as the young catcher went 3-for-5 with one double, two runs scored, and one RBI on Friday.
With the way Moreno is currently seeing the ball at the plate, he deserves to be added in more fantasy leagues moving forward. While the Diamondbacks catcher has struggled for a large part of the season, it appears he has finally turned a corner after a brief IL stint to nurse his thumb injury. So, managers should look to see if he is available on waivers.
Shea Langeliers, Oakland A's (35% Rostered)
It has surely been an up-and-down year for Langeliers in 2024. He has a high strikeout rate (29.1%), he isn't taking many walks (6.1%), and his .213 batting average does not help his case in fantasy. But managers aren't picking up the A's catcher to walk or maintain a high average, they're picking him up for his power.
That power is a reason why he is a waiver wire pickup heading into Week 18 of the MLB season. Langeliers has 17 HRs with 50 RBI through 82 games this year. Those 17 HRs rank second among all catchers in 2024-- only behind Cal Raleigh's 20 HRs -- and both his 50 RBI and .436 slugging rank sixth at the position.
Most HR among MLB catchers since Shea Langeliers made his MLB debut on Aug. 16, 2022:
1.) Cal Raleigh: 52 HR
2.) Shea Langeliers: 40 HR
3.) Salvador Perez: 39 HR
4.) Adley Rutschman: 37 HR
5.) JT Realmuto: 36 HR pic.twitter.com/X6Dn9XpQJE— Danny Vietti (@DannyVietti) May 30, 2024
Of course, hitting .213 is going to hurt his fantasy value a bit. However, with a little over 60 games remaining in 2024, Langeliers is on pace for 28 HRs and 83 RBI. There's also a good chance he hits those numbers, as his expected slugging (.487), barrel rate (15.5%), average exit velocity (91.2 mph), and hard-hit rate (46.5%) all rank in the 80th percentile or better through the first half.
It's hard to find catchers in fantasy who can hit for power, let alone someone on pace to hit a career-high 28 HRs. That type of power should not be left on waivers, making Langeliers a sneaky catcher option moving forward.
Tyler Stephenson, Cincinnati Reds (26% Rostered)
Stephenson has had his fair share of struggles at the plate this season. He entered the All-Star break with a .245 average, 10 HRs, 16 doubles, and 34 RBI through 79 games. In a lot of ways, it has been a very inconsistent year for the Reds catcher. However, he has been a much more consistent fantasy option recently.
The 27-year-old has tallied a hit in seven of his last eight contests, including three multi-hit games during that span. In those three consecutive multi-hit games from July 9 to July 11 against the Colorado Rockies, Stephenson went 7-for-14 with four HRs, three doubles, and eight RBI.
Tyler Stephenson homers in his third straight game! pic.twitter.com/yNHrNW4w7e
— MLB (@MLB) July 11, 2024
There are a couple of things to like about Stephenson in fantasy at this point in the year. For starters, he starts most games behind the plate. He has started nine of the past 10 games for the Reds. On top of that, his average exit velocity (90.4 mph), barrel rate (9.9%), hard-hit rate (45.8%), and strikeout rate (17.3%) all rank pretty well. As a result, he is definitely a catcher fantasy managers should be eyeing on waivers right now.
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