Deep League Catcher Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 17

July 24, 2014

RotoBaller analyzes the top waiver wire pickups at the catcher position for week 17. These catcher sleepers can have an immediate impact on your fantasy team.

Fantasy Baseball Catchers for the Second Half

Now that the second half of the season has started, we're inching closer to the trade deadline and playoffs for MLB and fantasy managers alike. Nobody wants to use the proverbial "bandaid" with stop-gap players all season, so here are some deeper league catcher sleeper options that will remain fantasy relevant the rest of the season and in most leagues can be found on the waiver wire.

Wilson Ramos - C, Washington Nationals

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues

ANALYSIS: The Washington Nationals have their prized outfielder in Bryce Harper back, and since then, Wilson Ramos has been on a tear, albeit while being demoted to batting 8th in the lineup. In fact, since May 22nd Ramos has gotten a hit in all but three of the games he's participated in, including twelve multi-hit games in that span.

And speaking of Span, Denard's consistent bat behind Ramos does help his opportunity to score runs until they decide to move Wilson back to the heart of the order. Also, keep in mind that Ramos went bananas on the entire league last year after the all-star break and was a huge sleeper coming into 2014. He has the raw goods to be a top 5 catcher in fantasy baseball for the rest of the season.

While Ramos is owned in the majority of leagues, fantasy owners should take advantage of other managers' impatience if he was dropped. He's on fire and it's hard to imagine the Nats keep him that low in the lineup much longer, only increasing the need for him to be owned in all leagues until performance dictates otherwise.

Kurt Suzuki - C, Minnesota Twins

BALLER MOVE: Add in Deep Leagues

ANALYSIS: The Flyin' Hawaiian..... O..... I already used that "joke"? Well Kurt Suzuki is worth a second look for a couple of reasons. He's continuing his career year with four multi-hit games in his last nine contests, he's in a contract year, supposedly has been stubborn in negotiations with the Twins as he wants to test free-agency this offseason, and finally, he's a popular trading block candidate due to his contract situation. While the Twins offense is better than expected, Suzuki's fantasy value would increase in say the Angel's or Tiger's lineup.

Currently boasting a .305/.364/.389 batting line in 82 games, it's not right that Suzuki is only owned in 36% of Yahoo leagues. He's worth a pickup in most 12+ team leagues at this point.

Yasmani Grandal - C, San Diego Padres

BALLER MOVE: Add in Very Deep Formats, NL-Only Leagues

ANALYSIS: Okay so this one's a bit of a reach, but the former 12th overall pick by the Cincinnati Reds, Yasmani Grandal, is hitting .289/.373/.533 in 51 plate appearances in the month of July. This comes after a horrid May and June, but that may be explained by the change in his stance that Grandal implemented in early May. The decision behind the change in stance was due to performance, as well as putting less stress on his right knee, which isn't a bad thing as far as injury risk is concerned.

Grandal has collected a hit in seven of the Padres last eight games, including a home run in each of the last two. While the strikeout rate is a bit concerning, his AVG should continue to climb from it's current bleak .214 state as Grandal continues to get more comfortable in his elevated swinging position. Look for Yasmani to continue to build on his hot streak and show why he was once so highly regarded.