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Riley Mrack lists catchers who are potential fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups or add targets for Week 26. Consider adding or streaming these free agent options at the C position in mixed leagues and two-catcher formats.
If you're reading this, you're likely in your head-to-head league final or making one last final effort to catapult up the standings of your roto format. With one week remaining in the long grind of the fantasy baseball season, we've reached a point with our catcher waiver wire article where we look solely at possible streamers for the final push.
As some teams opt to rest their players for the postseason, and with rosters filling up with young September call-ups, we have to iron out who will get the most bang for our buck. The final week can be as unpredictable as Week 17 of the football season, but we'll sift through a few players with favorable matchups who can help you bring home the championship trophy.
It's been a fun year helping you all make sense of fantasy baseball's most volatile position, and I wish you luck the rest of the way!
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Single Catcher Targets Adds
Robinson Chirinos (C, HOU) - 43% Owned
Robinson Chirinos is looking to cap a terrific debut season with the Houston Astros. What better way to finish it off than a juicy six-game slate versus the bottom-tier pitching staffs of the Mariners and Angels. Chirinos has hit well of late with a .270 BA since the All-Star Game and an even more impressive .310 in the month of September. After a 17-homer campaign in 2017, 18 bombs in ’18, fate should have it that he hits two more over the final week to finish with 19 homers in ’19.
Chirinos has ceded more playing time over to Martin Maldonado with the regular season winding down, so be cautious he won’t receive as many at-bats as some other backstops down the stretch. Even if he gets in only three starts, two of which likely against left-handers, he can post up a few more late counting stats on this top-3 offense as the team looks to lock down home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. Chirinos will take his Jekyll/Hyde .278/.444/.481 slash line and 151 wRC+ against southpaws into this week, making him a viable streamer to help you bring home the hardware.
Roberto Perez (C, CLE) - 21% Owned
With the Cleveland Indians still in the Wild Card hunt, Roberto Perez won’t see much time on the bench as they look to lock down a playoff spot. With six games left on the docket, and just a half-game separating them from the Rays, the club will roll out their best lineup every night which will include the 30-year-old backstop. Perez has surprised many people this season belting 23 big flies with 45 runs, 62 RBI, and a much-improved .235 BA as the team’s bonafide number one catcher. He struggled following the All-Star Game, but he’s picked up the slack over the last few weeks.
Perez has hit a superb .340 in September with a pair of homers and 12 RBI in 16 games this month. Dating back over the last 10 days he’s batted an equally as hot .333 with multi-hit games in four of his previous seven contests. The trend is sure to continue this week with a three-game set with the White Sox, followed by a trip to face the Nationals who may be resting their best starters with a potential Wild Card Game on the horizon. Regardless, Perez will face two lefties this week who he’s had more success against (.252/.350/.480) as he looks to polish off a stunning breakout campaign.
Yan Gomes (C, WSH) - 11% Owned
Yan Gomes burned his owners through the first five months of the season, but he could make up for it with a big week still left in the tank. The Nationals and Phillies are the only two NL teams with seven games remaining thanks to a doubleheader that will be played today. With Kurt Suzuki yet to start a game since September 7, Gomes will continue to hold the reigns on the job as the squad looks to plant themselves as the top Wild Card seed.
After splitting time with Suzuki all season long, Gomes has improved with everyday at-bats as he’s slashed .292/.375/.636 with four long balls and nine RBI in 13 games since taking over the full-time gig. The 32-year-old has also racked up multi-hit games in four of his last six contests, proving to be one of the team’s hottest hitters in recent days. Owners looking to ride the hot hand of a player who could have the most plate appearances this week should have faith in Gomes to help you make a late-season climb on the standings board.
Two-Catcher League Options
Tom Murphy (C, SEA) - 9% Owned
If there’s one catcher who can make a difference in the final week, it’s got to be Tom Murphy. The former Rockies prospect has had incredible home run streaks this season that has forced the Mariners into giving him more playing time over the last two months. As the backup to Omar Narvaez, Murphy received sporadic playing time throughout the first half, but has still managed to post an outstanding 18 taters, 40 RBI, and a .276/.326/.548 slash line through 270 PA. The pop in his bat has resulted in his movement up the batting order to the five-spot where he can cash in more base runners with his power.
With six games remaining all at home and with a couple of left-handers slated to toe the T-Mobile Park rubber, the stars are aligning for a late-season power surge for the 28-year-old. Murphy will be fortunate to start three of these games, but he should get the nod against the southpaws like he has all season. Among all players at the position, he sits second in the majors versus these hurlers in home runs (11) wRC+ (186) and SLG (.696), all behind Twins breakout Mitch Garver. Murphy may not get as many ABs as other catchers, but he’s proven before he can make them count as well as anybody.
Zack Collins (C, CWS) - 0% Owned
Quietly going under the September call-up radar is White Sox catcher Zack Collins. The 24-year-old’s major league numbers don’t look appetizing through 22 games with a woeful .143 BA and an even more disastrous 39.8% K-rate. Perhaps the growing pains are starting to subside with Collins currently riding a five-game hitting streak with a pair of round-trippers in this span. The club has started him nearly every day either behind the plate or at the DH spot, and with nothing left to lose this season, he’ll continue to get the chance to prove himself before the year wraps up.
Collins impressed through 88 Triple-A games this season, racking up 19 home runs and 74 RBI while holding a commendable .282 BA. With seven games still left to play for the Pale Hose, the rookie makes an intriguing deep-league flier with five right-handers set to face off against the team. Collins’ left-handed bat posted a .306/.433/.589 slash line in Triple-A versus righties, compared to a .224/.327/.447 line against southpaws. He’s continued to do damage against these hurlers at the majors with all three of his long balls coming off righties. Look for Collins to keep his hot streak going as he vies for a 2020 roster spot.
More Waiver Wire Pickups and Streamers
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