When it comes to fantasy baseball, finding a catcher is much like winning the lottery. As hard as we try, as far as we search, more than likely, we don’t have the ticket that will bring us to the promised land. As we all know, catchers aren’t much to get excited about. It is like tight end in football. If we were honest, we’d just as soon eliminate the entire position. However, that isn’t possible, as catchers are essential to baseball and they’ll be on fantasy rosters as well. What is one to do? Fortunately, this Fantasy Baseball Available Catchers edition has some answers.

As with all of my articles, debate and discussion are highly encouraged. If there are disagreements or selections that I’ve missed, bring them to my attention! Reminder, as in the past, all of the roster percentages are taken from ESPN. Check your own fantasy platforms to see if these players are available.

Tyler Stephenson, Cincinnati Reds, 10.3% Rostered

The first catcher that comes to mind just happens to play in an excellent hitting environment. That player would be Tyler Stephenson. Before taking Sunday off, Stephenson went 0-3 Saturday, which snapped an eight game hitting streak. During that period, he produced four two-hit games while scoring a run in six straight. In a eight game span, Stephenson produced 28 fantasy points.

For the season, he is hitting .262-6-22 with a .330/.429 slash line. Further, he has 114 OPS+ and a .167 ISO. His BAbip (.296) is below the career average (.332), which suggests that even better hitting days are ahead for him. This week, the Reds are off Monday and Thursday, which surrounds a two game home series with Cleveland.

After the Guardians, Cincinnati begins a six game road trip. Stephenson doesn’t take many days off to begin with, but fantasy managers can be absolutely sure, barring an injury, that he will be in the lineup for all eight of those games. With that much certainty, teams needing a catcher can add Stephenson with confidence moving forward.

Connor Wong, Boston Red Sox, 9.8% Rostered

When it comes to players with an inexplicably low roster percentage, none qualify more than Connor Wong. After all, Wong is only hitting .329. Additionally, he exited the weekend with hits in four straight games. For the season, Wong has 55 hits, five homers and 21 RBIs in 167 at bats. He has a slash line of .387/.455 to go along with 36 Ks and 10 BBs.

Further, he has a stellar 136 OPS+. Certainly, his .391 BAbip is unsustainable, but don’t expect it to crater going forward, as it was .341 a season ago. To finish off his stats, Wong has a .126 ISO, while his 19.4 K% is below the league norm (22.7) and his BB% (5.4%) is right in line with his career average (5.8%).

With Boston off Monday, Wong will be in line to start all three games against the Phillies, which begins a six game homestand. Granted, facing Philadelphia with the Yankees is about as tough as it gets, as they have the best records in baseball. Even so, at least Wong will be at home and you can accurately predict when his next day off should be (Friday). At less than ten percent rostered, Wong goes to the top of this Fantasy Baseball Available Catchers edition. 

Ivan Herrera, St. Louis Cardinals, 2.6% Rostered

Next on the Fantasy Baseball Available Catchers edition is a player that may not have season long relevance. That will be determined at a later time. However, even as that is the case, his play demands inclusion. That catcher is Ivan Herrera. The usual starter, Willson Contreras, has been out since he went down with a forearm fracture.

Even when Contreras returns, Herrera may keep the job with his steady play. Until that day comes and the Cardinals make a decision, Herrera should be on the roster of any fantasy manager needing a catcher on the roster. For sure, Herrera has made that a difficult decision with is play. In a recent ten game span, he produced at least two hits in four of them. Further, he scored runs in three of four games.

For the season, Herrera is hitting .260-3-16 with 20 runs in 154 at bats. He has 36 Ks and 13 BBs, and his K% (21.1) and BB% (7.5) are right around the league averages. Finally, he has a 93 OPS+, a .316 BAbip and a .091 ISO.

However, the best news is that unlike most catchers, Herrera is a regular in the lineup. Over the past 14 Cardinals games, Herrera has at least three at bats in all of them. Ultimately, his availability and his bat make Herrera an ideal waiver add at the catcher position.

The Final Word

Thank you for joining me for this Fantasy Baseball Available Catchers edition! As always. debate and discussion are highly encouraged. Agree or disagree with anything in the article? Let’s talk about it.

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