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Welcome, RotoBallers, to my catchers' fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for Week 20 of the 2024 MLB season. This week, we'll look at catchers Austin Wells, Alejandro Kirk, and Joey Bart.
Wells is back on our list once again. While he is rostered at a much higher rate than when he was last written about last week, 36% is still low, considering the impact he has made for the Bronx Bombers over the last few weeks.
Let's see what catchers fantasy managers can pick up ahead of Week 20. Wells, Kirk, and Bart could be solid adds to your fantasy team.
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Catcher Waiver Wire Adds
Austin Wells, New York Yankees (34% Rostered)
Wells returns to the list, jumping to 34% after just 6% rostered last week. He has been performing exceptionally well this season, and his numbers keep improving as he gets more playing time. In 76 games and 263 plate appearances, the catcher is batting .249 with a .347 OBP and .416 slugging. He has eight home runs and 29 RBI.
With Jose Trevino on the injured list due to a quad strain, Wells' batting performance has continued to soar. His contribution has become so significant that it may alter the Yankees' lineup dynamics when Trevino returns, possibly as early as next week. The lefty catcher has even taken over the cleanup spot on most days, a testament to his growing influence.
Wells had already been performing well before Trevino's injury, hitting .306 with a .939 OPS in his last 31 starts (since June 6).
Austin Wells has been awesome pic.twitter.com/xSojT3SIo8
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) August 9, 2024
Alejandro Kirk, Toronto Blue Jays (6% Rostered)
Since becoming the Jays' number one catcher, Kirk has continued to thrive, reaching base safely in nine consecutive appearances, with a .452 average, two doubles, a home run, and nine RBI.
Even though Toronto is out of the playoff picture, they have played decent baseball lately, while keeping an eye on next season and players who can help the ball club going forward. Kirk has made significant improvements from a disappointing season and has proven that he can be the primary contributor in a successful catching duo.
Alejandro Kirk since the ASB:
.326 AVG
.367 OBP
.442 SLG
.809 OPS👍👏🤜 #BlueJays #TOTheCore pic.twitter.com/mqPv7mBTIq
— Scott BlueJaysAlways (@BluejaysAlways) August 9, 2024
Joey Bart, Pittsburgh Pirates (8% Rostered)
In the last 30 days, Bart has a .306 batting average with 13 runs, 4 homers, and 12 RBI. He is slashing .270/.354/.504 for the season with a whopping 137 wRC+. Bart has wrestled the starting position from Yasmani Grandal and has no intention of giving it back.
“The overall tools stand out,” said Pirates manager Derek Shelton of Bart. “He’s a big, physical catcher. That’s important in our game today with the amount of abuse or reps they take. You can tell there is power in there, and we’ve seen it displayed in games.”
Joey Bart does it again pic.twitter.com/F97yAULen5
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) August 3, 2024
Overall, over his last ten games, Bart has a .353 average, with two doubles, two homers, and seven RBI. Since the beginning of July, he has been hitting .278 with a .834 OPS.
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