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Welcome, RotoBallers, to my catchers fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for Week 19 of the 2024 MLB season. This week, we'll take a look at catchers such as Connor Wong, Shea Langeliers, and Austin Wells.
The catcher position has been tough to navigate all year, and it's gotten even tougher as players like Will Smith, Francisco Alvarez, and Cal Raleigh have all struggled lately. Smith is in a 1-for-16 slump, while Alvarez has just four hits over his last 28 at-bats, and Raleigh has failed to total an extra-base hit since July 9.
So, while those players are in slumps, let's look at some catchers fantasy managers can pick up ahead of Week 19. Wong, Langeliers, and Wells could be solid adds in fantasy. All stats in this article are through Thursday's contests.
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Catcher Waiver Wire Adds
Connor Wong, Boston Red Sox (42% Rostered)
Wong has been a consistent fantasy option in 2024 behind his .295 average, nine home runs, eight doubles, and 34 RBI. However, the 28-year-old catcher has been hovering around that 40% mark in Yahoo! leagues for most of the year. That seems too low for a catcher who has hit the ball well all season.
While Wong does not qualify for any stats -- since he has only played in 76 games -- his .295 average is the highest among all catchers with at least 200 at-bats this season. The only thing holding back the young catcher from being rostered in more leagues is his lack of power. He is on pace for just 14 HRs and 51 RBI. But it's hard to overlook his high batting average heading into the beginning of August.
Connor Wong - Boston Red Sox (9) pic.twitter.com/EIsNDynKOC
— MLB HR Videos (@MLBHRVideos) July 23, 2024
Wong might be in a bit of a slump at the plate, hitting just .179 in the month of July. Nonetheless, he has tallied a hit in three of his last four starts and just launched his ninth home run of the year on Monday. It's not easy to pick up a catcher struggling on offense, but every catcher goes through rough stretches over the season. He'll eventually pick things up, so add him before Week 19 begins.
Shea Langeliers, Oakland A's (38% Rostered)
Langeliers was on this same list last week, but it's important to put him on here again. At this point, the A's catcher deserves to be rostered in more than 38% of Yahoo! leagues. He has already hit 19 HRs while driving in 53 runs in 2024. We are not even in August yet, and the catcher needs just four more HRs and 11 more RBI to pass his previous career-highs of 22 HRs and 63 RBI set last year.
Shea Langeliers hits the A’s FIFTH homer of the night! 💪 pic.twitter.com/BEy8SENMPN
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) July 24, 2024
The only thing likely holding fantasy managers back from adding Langeliers in fantasy is his numbers outside of his power. His batting average (.211), strikeout rate (28.2%), and walk rate (6.5%) all rank extremely poor entering Week 19 of the MLB season. However, you aren't picking up the 26-year-old to hit singles and draw walks. You are picking him up for his power.
That power also shouldn't stop for Langeliers in August and September. His expected slugging (.485), average exit velocity (91.2 mph), and barrel rate (15.2%) all currently rank in the 80th percentile or better. So, expect the catcher to finish with above-average power numbers in 2024, as he is on pace for 29 HRs and 82 RBI.
Those types of power numbers should not be on waivers right now. With the A's offense also coming to life, Langeliers could have more fantasy value over the final two months. Oakland has scored at least six runs in six of the last 10 games. As a result, take a chance on the slugger and watch his home run numbers continue to climb.
Austin Wells, New York Yankees (6% Rostered)
Since the end of June, Wells has been one of the few consistent bats in New York's lineup. The 25-year-old is hitting .280 (14-for-50) with five HRs, one double, and 11 RBI over the last 19 games. During that span, the young catcher has also drawn 12 walks while having a 1.029 OPS.
Austin Wells over his last 53 games:
.357 OBP | .463 SLG% | 135 wRC+ | 2.2 fWAR pic.twitter.com/Ji7IKP3tY4
— Fireside Yankees (@FiresideYankees) July 26, 2024
Wells might not be the biggest name in baseball, but he has surely produced at the plate recently. He has moved up in the order, hitting fourth in his last four starts for the Yankees. In those games, he is 5-for-14 with one home run, two RBI, and four walks. With Jose Trevino (left quad strain) currently on the IL, the young catcher is expected to see most of the starts behind the plate.
That makes him a sneaky add ahead of Week 19. He has started seven of the last eight games for New York while launching two HRs during that stretch. Hitting directly behind both Juan Soto and Aaron Judge should also lead to more RBI chances for the catcher moving forward. Given his hot streak at the plate, he's worth an add in some formats.
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