The real-life baseball season is just now getting its legs underneath it. With MLB kicking off, fantasy baseball players need to start mining their waiver wires for the next big thing. With baseball being a game-to-game, day-to-day proposition, we’ll keep you on top of potential waiver wire pickups that might be under your radar. Today we look at three catchers owned in 50% or fewer of Yahoo! leagues (with one at fewer than 10%) that might be worth a look. It’s the first week of the season, so you shouldn’t be desperate yet. Consider these more names to keep an eye on in case of injury or bad play.
[Jeff]
Stephen Vogt, Oakland (49% owned)
The two-time all-star had a year-and-a-half of major league success before scuffling down the stretch last year. Now he’s relegated to the wire in most leagues. He has better-than-average plate discipline and a decent average to go with his power. He’s not going to win you your league but don’t forget about him if you find yourself looking for potential replacements. So far this season he’s 2/4 with a home run, so the power should still be there.
Wilson Ramos, Tampa Bay (21% owned)
Ramos is easy to stash because he’s a tremendous upside play that will only cost you a DL slot. One of the issues at catcher is they take too many games off and have trouble amassing plate appearances. The Rays currently have Ramos on the DL, but he will be their DH when he returns. Before going down with injury, Ramos socked 22 dingers last year with a .300+ average. Ramos will only cost you a DL slot for now, but he should be back in June. This could be a league winning move in the first week of the season.
Travis d’Arnaud, New York Mets (7% owned)
If you’re in a deeper league, Travis d’Arnaud might be the catcher you’re looking for. The question with d’Arnaud is health, not talent. He’s missed large chunks of multiple seasons thanks to injury. A shoulder issue last year also affected his performance. He had a torrid spring training, going for the vaunted .300/.400/.500 with two dingers in 45 PAs this spring. You might not need to scoop him up immediately, but he’s worth a look. There is one caveat: he doesn’t catch Noah Syndergaard. You may need to roster another catcher in daily transaction fantasy baseball leagues.