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Analysis of five catcher fantasy baseball targets to draft in the mid rounds. Potential 2024 fantasy baseball sleepers and undervalued C to target in drafts.
Welcome officially to the 2024 fantasy baseball season! Spring training is in full force, and fantasy managers are gearing up for another exciting season in MLB. Once you reach the middle rounds of drafts, everyone is looking to draft players who can provide a great return on value. You can start taking calculated risks on emerging prospects, overlooked veterans, players returning from injury, or even players with some playing time concerns out of the gate. The early rounds are critical, and the late rounds are where you can take your chances on dart-throw sleepers, but the middle rounds can make or break your roster.
Today, we're looking at some middle-round catchers for you to consider drafting in your season-long leagues this season. Are their ADPs undervalued? Will they make significant fantasy contributions and become a priority mid-round draft target? Read on to see our take.
Our editors have hand-picked these specific MLB players for your draft prep enjoyment. Usually only available to Premium subscribers, the five outlooks below are meant to give you a taste of the in-depth analysis you receive with our industry-leading 2024 Draft Kit. Be sure to subscribe today to start reading all of our in-depth 2024 player outlooks and many other premium articles and tools, including Team Sync, the Live Draft Sync assistant, Custom Rankings Service, and so much more -- available exclusively in our 2024 Draft Kit.
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Francisco Alvarez, New York Mets
New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez was one of the better all-around catchers in baseball last season. His 2.7 fWAR tied him for eighth among catchers, even if his elite defense was the main factor. However, the bat has plenty of room to grow. In his age-21 season, Alvarez swatted 25 home runs, second most among big-league backstops.
However, he also hit just .209 with an 8% BB%. His .222 BABIP was the lowest mark among the 31 catchers who made at least 300 trips to the plate in 2023. He posted a low BABIP despite ranking in the 66th percentile in average exit velocity and 70th in hard-hit rate. Speaking to his walks, let's consider that Alvarez walked in a whopping 17.1% of his 199 Triple-A plate appearances in 2022 while consistently posting big-time walk rates throughout his minor league career.
He's currently the 10th catcher being taken off the board around pick No. 141 in March. Still, with better batted-ball fortune and a reversion to his elite patience, he could creep toward the top five among big-league catchers in his sophomore season.
-- Brenton Kemp - RotoBaller
Logan O'Hoppe, Los Angeles Angels
Los Angeles Angels catcher Logan O'Hoppe was a name to keep in your back pocket to open the 2023 season. A power-hitting option at catcher, he had something to prove before being trusted but had the potential to do so. A .283/.339/.547 slash line through the team's first 19 games was a great start. He was hurt during that 19th game, however, tearing the labrum in his left non-throwing shoulder. The 23-year-old would be out of action until Aug. 18. He didn't set the world on fire in August but hit nine home runs in September, finishing the year with 14.
O'Hoppe is ranked 173, with a rising ADP of 151 in March. He ended with a .236/.296/.500 slash line in 51 games for the Halos in 2023. A projection with slightly higher average and on-base numbers but a lower slugging percentage is a good starting point for the backstop. His .264 ISO from 2023 would have placed him 10th in the league if he had enough at-bats to qualify.
Steamer and FanGraphs project him for a .212 ISO in 2024. However, while he may not push for the home run lead at catcher, it's feasible that the youngster pops 20-plus long balls if he plays an entire season's worth of games. RotoBaller ranks O'Hoppe 12th among all backstops, and he has the potential to finish in the top 10 in 2024.
-- Justin Raffone - RotoBaller
Jonah Heim, Texas Rangers
Texas Rangers catcher Jonah Heim enjoyed a breakout campaign last season as he set career bests in all major statistical categories while backstopping the Rangers to a World Series championship. The first-time All-Star batted .258 with a .739 OPS and swatted 18 homers en route to finishing as the fifth-best catcher for fantasy in 5x5 roto formats.
Heim benefited from playing for a star-studded Rangers team as he scored 61 runs, and his 95 RBI were 15 more than any other catcher. A look under the hood fully supports Heim's breakout as his hard-hit rate (38.5%), average exit velocity (91.4 mph), and barrel rate (8%) were all the better than MLB average.
Entering his age-28 campaign, Heim again projects as a top catcher for fantasy as he's slated to get everyday at-bats for one of the best lineups in baseball. Even if Heim regresses slightly from last season's peak performance, he should still deliver solid production from the catcher spot thanks to elite plate discipline.
He struck out under 20 percent of the time each of the past two seasons while posting a sturdy 8 percent walk rate, so expect plenty of runs and RBI as part of a great Texas lineup. Draft Heim confidently as your starting catcher, near his average draft position of 166 in March.
-- Mike Schwarzenbach- RotoBaller
Cal Raleigh, Seattle Mariners
Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh delivered for fantasy managers again in the 2023 season. In his age-26 season, Raleigh slugged 30 home runs, with an increased .232 average (versus .211 in 2022). He ranked fourth among all MLB catchers in plate appearances with 569 and first in home runs.
He walked a little more, struck out a little less, and struggled with a .645 OPS against left-handed pitching. Nonetheless, the switch-hitter's elite defense kept him in the lineup almost every day, with designated hitter duties baked into his usage.
Raleigh's 57 home runs over the past two seasons are 11 more than the second-ranked catcher, Salvador Perez. He is currently the seventh catcher being taken off the board around pick No. 133 in March.
RotoBaller ranks him at 168th overall, but at the end of the day, prospective fantasy managers can bank on heavy usage and plenty of power from the 27-year-old, who increased his counting stats across the board in 2023.
-- Brenton Kemp - RotoBaller
Gabriel Moreno, Arizona Diamondbacks
Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Gabriel Moreno had a tale of two seasons in 2023. The highly-touted prospect endured a mid-season slump before a shoulder injury sidelined him for most of July. Upon returning, the 23-year-old caught fire, slashing .313/.383/.512 with five home runs and 24 RBI in the second half.
Moreno carried this momentum into the postseason, where he swatted four more homers and routinely batted high in the Diamondbacks' order. It was an impressive showing for a young player who had previously only seen 69 MLB at-bats.
Heading into 2024, Moreno will undoubtedly see the vast majority of playing time behind the plate for Arizona. It is also reasonable to expect him to continue to develop as a hitter as he gets more big-league reps. While his raw power potential is limited, his contact skills offer fantasy managers steady ratios with enough counting stats to be a comfortable season-long starter.
RotoBaller currently ranks Moreno 157th overall, which places him as the ninth-highest catcher and around his 155 NFBC ADP. ATC has Moreno playing 130 games, projecting him to slash .286/.345/.415 with 13 HRs, 56 RBI, and six steals. Moreno offers a high fantasy floor at a fair ADP for 2024 with the potential to climb even higher with some subtle improvements at the plate.
-- Raymond Harrison - RotoBaller
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