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Joey Pollizze's fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for catchers in Week 22 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 22 of the 2024 MLB season. This week, we'll take a look at catchers such as Shea Langeliers, Joey Bart, and Adrian Del Castillo.
All three of these catchers have been hitting the ball well as of late and are great pickups as we look ahead to next week. With catchers like Logan O'Hoppe, Francisco Alvarez, and J.T. Realmuto struggling at the plate, Langeliers, Bart, and Del Castillo could be solid replacements in Week 22.
So, let's dive in and take a look at why fantasy managers should be picking up Langeliers, Bart, and Del Castillo this weekend. All three catchers are rostered in under 40% of Yahoo! leagues. If you have any other waiver wire questions about the catcher position, feel free to reach out to me on X (@joeypollizze). All stats in this article are through Thursday's games.
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Catcher Waiver Wire Adds
Shea Langeliers, Oakland A's (38% Rostered)
Langeliers has been a frequent catcher on this list over the past few weeks, but it's important to mention him again amid another hot streak. This past week, the A's catcher went 4-for-4 in two separate games. On August 10, he went 4-for-4 with four singles. Then on August 13, he went 4-for-4 with two doubles, one home run, and four RBI. With the A's offense also picking it up as of late, the 26-year-old slugger should be added in more leagues ahead of Week 22.
The main reason why fantasy managers should be targeting Langeliers on waivers is because of his power potential. He has already hit 22 HRs this season, which is tied for the second-most among all catchers with Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez. That puts him on pace for 30 long balls in 2024. No player on pace for that many home runs should be currently on waivers.
Something not many have noticed this year.
The A’s Shea Langeliers has 22 homers and a 2.1 bWAR. Quickly becoming one of the more productive catchers in the league.
— Trevor May (@IamTrevorMay) August 14, 2024
Langeliers won't hit for the highest average as he entered Thursday's contest with a .224 average. However, he makes up for it by his home run numbers. The young catcher has hit five HRs since the All-Star break. So, make the move now and add him before your league mates do.
Joey Bart, Pittsburgh Pirates (19% Rostered)
The talent has always been there for Bart. He was selected with the second overall pick in the 2018 MLB Draft by the San Francisco Giants and was eventually the team's top prospect back during the 2020 season. He was set to be Buster Posey's replacement whenever the veteran retired. However, his stint in San Francisco didn't exactly pan out.
He hit just .219 with 11 HRs and 38 RBI across 162 games with the Giants from 2020 to 2023 before San Francisco traded him to the Pittsburgh Pirates in early April. That change of scenery has certainly helped Bart, as he is having a strong season at the plate in his first year with the team. The 27-year-old is batting .273 with 11 HRs, six doubles, and 33 RBI across just 54 games in 2024.
It really is a Bart summer 🟩
Joey Bart gives the @Pirates the lead with a 2-run blast! pic.twitter.com/WHuOv4Fi3t
— MLB (@MLB) August 8, 2024
It's crazy to see what Bart has been doing offensively this season. He has also been one of the hottest-hitting catchers recently, hitting .333 with five HRs and 13 RBI since July 26. As a result, take a chance on the Pirates catcher ahead of Week 22 of the MLB season. He has a hit in 14 of his last 17 games and that type of consistency at the catcher position could be important for fantasy managers down the stretch.
Adrian Del Castillo, Arizona Diamondbacks (4% Rostered)
If starting catcher Gabriel Moreno (groin) never went on the injured list with a groin injury, Del Castillo likely wouldn't have gotten a chance to show his potential at this point in the season. The Diamondbacks' No. 14 prospect, though, has come in and immediately put up solid numbers.
He is 8-for-20 in his first five major league games while hitting one home run, two doubles, and five RBI. It's surely a shocking start to Del Castillo's MLB career, but for those who have been following the young catcher closely in Triple-A, this is not that surprising. The 24-year-old hit .319 with 24 HRs, 36 doubles, and 70 RBI across 100 games at Triple-A Reno this season.
A lifetime of hard work all led to this moment. 👏
Adrian Del Castillo has his first @MLB hit and RBI! pic.twitter.com/Vj2Sbt6JLC
— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) August 7, 2024
Will Del Castillo be a consistent fantasy option for the rest of the season with Moreno likely out for the next couple of weeks? It remains to be seen. However, given how the Diamondbacks catcher has looked at the plate in his first few major league games, he's worth a shot in deeper formats. It's best to roll with him while he is this hot offensively.
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