Fantasy Baseball Catcher Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 20 (2024)

August 4, 2024

Joey Pollizze's fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for catchers in Week 20 of the 2024 MLB season. Consider adding and streaming these free-agent hitters.

Welcome, RotoBallers, to my catchers fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for Week 20 of the 2024 MLB season. This week, we'll take a look at catchers such as Austin Wells, Freddy Fermin, and Dillon Dingler. 

Wells is certainly establishing himself as a strong fantasy option moving forward, while Fermin and Dingler might be better options in deeper formats. However, all three of these catchers have been hitting the ball well and contributing for fantasy managers recently. 

So, let's dive into why fantasy managers should be picking up Wells, Fermin, and Dingler ahead of Week 20. All stats in this article are through Thursday's games. 

Catcher Waiver Wire Adds

Austin Wells, New York Yankees (30% Rostered)

Wells was on this list last week, but it's important to put him on here again. He has been one of the best fantasy catchers over the past month and continues to see most of the starts behind the plate with Jose Trevino (quad) on the injured list. Since June 29, the Yankees catcher is hitting .288 (21-for-73) with six home runs, two doubles, one triple, and 16 RBI.

The 25-year-old has also been even better on offense over the last 15 games, hitting .313 with four HRs, one doubles, one triple, and 11 RBI. Those numbers at the plate have led to Wells scoring the second-most fantasy points by a catcher in the last 14 days -- only trailing Houston Astros catcher Yainer Diaz. As a result, he is a strong add in most 10-plus team leagues ahead of Week 20. 

Austin Wells while playing catcher since April 24 (entering tonight):

50 G, .277 BA, .858 OPS, 143 wRC+, 8 HR, 21 RBI, 23 R

His OPS and wRC+ are the highest of anybody with 110+ PA at catcher in that span … numbers that will rise after tonight. pic.twitter.com/XNuHM2ftSq

— Max Goodman (@MaxTGoodman) July 30, 2024

It has been impressive to see what Wells has been doing offensively as of late. He has started 12 of the past 14 games for the Yankees while totaling 12 hits over his last eight starts behind the plate. Catchers are very inconsistent, but the 25-year-old has everything managers are looking for in a fantasy catcher. He plays almost every day and hits in the middle of New York's lineup. So pick him up amid this hot streak at the plate. 

Freddy Fermin, Kansas City Royals (4% Rostered)

Fermin has been overlooked in fantasy for most of the year because of his playing time. He has only appeared in 69 games this season due to Salvador Perez's presence. But the 29-year-old should be considered in deeper formats ahead of Week 20 -- thanks to his strong numbers in July. 

Fermin hit .346 (19-for-55) with two HRs, one double, and eight RBI across 18 July games. The only downside of adding the Royals catcher in fantasy is his playing time, as he sits at least two times per week. However, he has been seeing much more opportunities behind the plate with Perez getting reps at both designated hitter and first baseman. The 29-year-old has started seven of the past nine games for Kansas City. 

Among catchers with at least 200 ABs, here is where Freddy Fermin ranks:

AVG - .308 (1st)
OBP - .357 (5th)
SLG - .442 (11th)
wOBA - .347 (6th)
wRC+ - 121 (6th)
fWAR - 1.9 (12th) #Royals

— Jack Johnson (@JohnyJ_15) August 2, 2024

If Fermin is playing two of three games every series, that is certainly good news for his fantasy value moving forward. He might not be the biggest power hitter in baseball. However, it's hard to ignore his .308 average across 227 plate appearances in 2024. With the way the catcher has been hitting at the plate recently, he's worth a potential add in 14-plus team leagues.  

Dillon Dingler, Detroit Tigers (3% Rostered)

When the Detroit Tigers traded away Carson Kelly at the trade deadline, it opened up a spot for Dillon Dingler on the team's active roster. Dingler is the Tigers' No. 12 prospect, and the young catcher was tearing it up at Triple-A Toledo before being promoted. He was hitting .308 with 17 HRs, 15 doubles, and 52 RBI across 71 minor league games this season.

That power is exactly why Dingler should be added in fantasy heading into Week 20 of the MLB season. There's no doubt that the 25-year-old has a ton of offensive power, which has been on display all throughout his minor league career. He hit 26 combined home runs in 2021 and 2022 before reaching 16 HRs and 52 RBI last year across three levels (Single-A, Double-A, and Triple-A). Now, fantasy managers are hoping that power can transform over to the majors. 

First career hit and RBI for Dillon Dingler 👏 pic.twitter.com/qTYTAMtuiM

— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) July 30, 2024

While Dingler has only appeared in two games so far, he should definitely be on fantasy managers' radar. In his first career game, he went 1-for-3 with one double and one RBI. With the Tigers heading toward another losing season, look for them to prioritize giving their young catcher a ton of starting reps down the stretch. 

There's not much power at the catcher position this year, so if you need someone who can hit some home runs over the final two months, Dingler could be a solid pickup. He hit 59 HRs across 352 minor league games while averaging a respectable .257 batting average. So, take a chance on the rookie in most 12-plus team leagues. 

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