Logan O'Hoppe (C, LAA) - Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 3

BALLER MOVE: Add in 10+ Team Leagues

ROSTERED IN: 53% of Leagues

ANALYSIS: With starting catcher Max Stassi out for the first month of the season because of a hip injury, the Angels came into the season with Logan O’Hoppe as their primary catcher.

O’Hoppe came over to the Angels in the trade that sent Brandon Marsh to Philadelphia. He would start his Angels tenure in Double-A, where he slashed an eye-popping .306/.473/.673 with 11 home runs in 29 games. The Angels would make him a September call-up, but he had an unspectacular .307 wOBA. While the Angels were likely happy with average offensive production from a non-Ohtani player, they were still taking a gamble by assigning the primary catcher role to a rookie.

That gamble has more than paid off to start the 2023 season. The 23-year-old has appeared in 10 games this year and is slashing .257/.308/.629 with a .385 wOBA, four home runs, 11 RBI, and five barrels.

Your Angels Home Run & RBI leader: @logan_ohoppe 😤#GoHalos pic.twitter.com/KAVnb4p9mP

— Los Angeles Angels (@Angels) April 12, 2023

The New York native leads catchers in average exit velocity at 93.4 MPH. He is also tied for the positional lead in home runs and barrels. He’s also second in RBI, second in SLG%, second in barrels, fourth in wRC+, and sixth in fWAR at the position. Pretty good for a rookie.

That offense production might’ve pushed Max Stassi out of a starting job. The 32-year-old struggled last year with a terrible 63 wRC+ and just nine home runs in 102 games.

However, it’s not all sunshine and roses for the rookie backstop. He currently maintains a 30.8% K rate and a 17.9% SwStr rate as a major leaguer. He has also already amassed -1 framing runs this year.

The pros far outweigh the cons in this situation. The Angels should keep O’Hoppe in the primary catcher role. His high home run ceiling and ability to make good contact put him on track to have a better fantasy season than heavily rostered guys like Salvador Perez and Tyler Stephenson..

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