July 7, 2016

Michael Griffin analyzes the top waiver wire acquisitions at the catcher (C) position for week 14 of the 2016 fantasy baseball season.

It's Week 14 of the season and it's also the final full week before the All-Star Break. I think the All-Star catcher of the waiver wire would be J.T. Realmuto. He went from being an after-thought to crossing our cutoff line not once, but twice. Keep it up, J.T.! We're proud of you here at RotoBaller. A close second would be Stephen Vogt, who has put together a pretty good first half.

I'll be taking an All-Star Break myself. No column next week... I need my rest too! The next one will be the following week and perhaps some new catchers will have started the second half on a hot streak to demand our attention. As always, our cutoff is sub-70% ownership in Fleaflicker leagues.

Editor's Note: RotoBaller has the best Premium MLB Subscription for only $1.99 per week. We have all the tools to help win your seasonal and daily leagues: Hitter & Pitcher Streamers, Matchup Ratings for every player, Sleeper Surgers for AVG, HR, Ks, PLUS Daily DFS Cheat Sheets, Lineup Picks, Expert Lineups, Stacks and Avoids. 

Week 14 Waiver Wire Catchers

Yadier Molina (STL) 66% - Yep. he's back on this list. Poor Yadi. He didn't make the All-Star team either, being stuck behind Jonathan Lucroy and Wilson Ramos as reserves. Make him feel better and pick up the guy who is sixth among all catchers in hits. He's also started July on a good note, getting a hit in three of his first four starts during the month.

Travis d'Arnaud (NYM) 48% - Travis d'Arnaud has been fairly hot since he came back from his injury. He's already collected six hits in July and it's only the sixth day of the month. He could really help your fantasy team if he stays on track and stays healthy. Yes, that second part might be asking a lot, but he could be quite effective if he stays on the field regularly. Just knock on wood every time you start him.

Cameron Rupp (PHI) 14% - It's a mystery why people wouldn't want Rupp to be at least their No. 2 catcher on their roster, if not a No. 1 in a very deep mixed league. He's in the top part of the pack of catchers with 56 hits and his average is up to .282 as of July 5. Still, nearly 85% of people are saying no to the Rupp. Those people could have enjoyed his .400 average over the past seven games.

Kurt Suzuki (MIN) 10% - Suzuki is back for the second time in as many weeks on our list. He's still hitting .283 and while he didn't play twice in the first five days of July, he managed to collect two hits apiece in two of the other games he did sit behind the plate. There's not much power, but that's pretty much been a running theme of all the catchers this season so far. Consider him as a No. 2 catcher at least.

Tucker Barnhart (CIN) 3% - You've got a catcher who's got a decent amount of hits (54) and a good average at .269. Sure, he hasn't been a world-beater when it comes to runs or RBI, but nobody's perfect. He would still be a good backup catcher or second option in two-catcher leagues. He's already garnered seven hits in July in as many days. Sure, six of them were in the span of two games, but nobody's perfect.

Robinson Chirinos (TEX) 2% - After missing most of April and all of May, Chirinos is back on the list. July has been a good month for him, as he's hitting .385 so far. Another good sign - he crushed a three-run homer on Tuesday, off Craig Kimbrel no less. His batting average isn't the greatest, but he's hiked it up from a low of .173 to .215. He may not be a starting caliber catcher in most leagues, but he also makes a decent backup option.

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