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Things Are Heating Up
June is now halfway over, and we’re coming up on the midpoint of the MLB season. Where does your team stand? Need to replace an injured catcher? Looking for a reliable backup?
RotoBaller has you covered with analysis on three catchers who may be free agents in your league, who you can target off the waiver wire in Week 11 of fantasy baseball.
Editor’s Note: to read about even more waiver wire options for catchers, be sure to check out our famous waiver wire pickups list which is a running list that is updated daily. You can also download ourwaiver wire iPhone app for free, and easily stay updated.
Waiver Wire Adds for Catchers
Russell Martin, Toronto Jays – Owned in 45% of FleaFlicker Leagues
BALLER MOVE: Add in All Formats
The fact that Russell Martin isn't owned unanimously at this point is just wrong. He's currently ranked as the top fantasy catcher in the league and could easily finish the season in the top five. Yes his recent hot stretch has catapulted him above the likes of Buster Posey, Derek Norris, and Stephen Vogt, but Martin could still easily finish the season at a similar pace to what he's on now. He's currently racked up ten homeruns, 36 runs, 32 RBI, and 23 walks.
Not nearly enough has been made of the fact that Martin moved from one of the worst stadiums for right-handed power to one of the best. It took some time for him to acclimate, as his month of April was just atrocious when he finished with more walks than hits for the month. But May and June have been a completely different story. Martin smashed a game-winning solo home run in the 11th inning to power the Blue Jays to a victory over the Red Sox on Saturday, so the hot streak is still in full swing. Even once this blistering stretch subsides, Martin will remain of the leagues best backstops for fantasy and could easily finish the season with 20 bombs and 55+ runs and RBI.
Travis d'Arnaud, New York Mets – Owned in 24% of FleaFlicker Leagues
BALLER MOVE: Add in Most Formats
Travis d'Arnaud has now returned as the New York Mets starting catcher, he was hitting .317 with a .892 OPS this year in 11 games before missing nearly two months on the disabled list. The fact that the Mets demoted Anthony Recker in order to keep Keven Plawecki around is a bit of a scare-off here. But if d'Arnaud comes anywhere close to his early season production, he won't get more than one or two days a week off.
The Mets have cooled off significantly from their early season outburst. They now rank in the lower half of nearly all offensive categories, but d'Arnaud could be the spark this offense needs to get closer to where they were before he hit the DL. He had a bit of a breakout year in 2014 with 13 dingers in 421 plate appearances. Even with the time d'Arnaud has already missed, he could still get to double digit homerun totals and respectable numbers in other counting stats by the time the seasons over.
J.T. Realmuto, Miami Marlins – Owned in 4% of FleaFlicker Leagues
BALLER MOVE: Add in Deeper Formats, Most Two-Catcher Leagues
The Miami Marlins surprised a lot of people earlier this year when they DFA'd Jarrod Saltalamacchia. He had two years and $15 million left on his contract, leaving a lot of fans scratching their heads. The 24-year-old Realmuto wasn't complaining, however, as he was promoted to the team’s No. 1 catcher. Even though Realmuto is primarily known for his defense, he’s showed decent contact ability in the minors and nearly identical splits against both left- and right-handed pitchers.
He hasn't been doing too poorly against big-league pitching either, with a slash line of .246/.272/.392 without crazy BABIP luck. Let's keep in mind, he has just 13 Triple-A plate appearances to his name, so he’s going to be a bit raw in his first go-around in the majors. But if he can continue to do what he's been doing at and behind the plate, then the future is looking pretty bright. So while his game will progress, he's currently only an option for fantasy managers in 12+ team leagues who are struggling at the position. But all managers should keep an eye on him to see if his consistency improves.
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