RADIO
Four Catchers for the Final Stretch
I wanted to take the time to follow up on some catchers who are poised to help in our shared quest to get to the promised land. These options could be useful for fantasy managers looking to secure playoff spots in 12+ team leagues.
Travis d'Arnaud - C, New York Mets
BALLER MOVE: Add in Deeper Leagues
ANALYSIS: Travis d'Arnaud has been on a tear since late June, and there's no reason to believe this won't continue into the fantasy playoffs.
After starting out August 0-for-10 (his only tough stretch since June 24th), he's collected a hit in eight of the Mets' ten games since, including three home runs and four walks. It speaks to the surrounding lineup that he could only muster three RBI in that time, all coming off solo shots.
Even still, his power potential and the fact that his average isn't too big of a drag make d'Arnaud worth a look in most deep mixed leagues, and a must-own in NL-Only formats.
Stephen Vogt - C, Oakland Athletics
BALLER MOVE: Add in Deeper Leagues
ANALYSIS: In a story that's eerily similar to d'Arnaud's, Stephen Vogt was on fire for some time but then started off August in terrible fashion. Vogt ended up going 0-for-17, but he too has since hit three bombs in his resurgence over the past eight games. He's gotten a hit in seven of those, while managing to rake in eight RBI and seven runs in that time.
It's easy to see the benefits of a better lineup around him in Oakland, and his position eligibility is another bonus, so as long as he continues to get the playing time, he's worth an add in most 12+ team leagues.
Russell Martin - C, Pittsburgh Pirates
BALLER MOVE: Add in Deeper Leagues
ANALYSIS: Another backstop who has been lighting it up since June is Russell Martin, and he's continued to do so even with McCutchen out of the lineup. Martin has notched hits in ten of the eleven games he's played in for Pittsburgh in August, adding nine runs, nine RBI and seven walks in that time.
His defensive prowess will ensure he gets ample playing time while the Pirates are in the middle of a bitter pennant race. Martin is having a career year offensively, and it would only benefit one of the best defensive catchers in the league to continue the hot bat at the end of a contract year.
Kurt Suzuki - C, Minnesota Twins
BALLER MOVE: Add in Deeper Leagues
ANALYSIS: Even with the Twins being 11.5 games out of the final wild ward spot, Kurt Suzuki continues to have one of his better years offensively. With a hit in six of his last eight games, including three multi-hit games, three RBI, four runs and one home run in that time, Kurt looks to be poised for a nice little run for the final few weeks of the fantasy regular season.
Just this past Saturday, Suzuki was hard on himself after his error allowed the Royals to take a 1-0 lead, but he then slid home past his counterpart Sal Perez and later added a solo-bomb to ensure the 4-1 victory. He's helping the Twins get some much needed wins, maybe he can help in similar fashion for fantasy managers.
