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Welcome officially to the 2024 fantasy baseball season! Late-round picks in fantasy baseball can often be the difference between a mediocre team and a championship contender. While it's easy to get caught up in the excitement of selecting big-name players early in the draft, finding those hidden gems in the later rounds is equally essential. As a fantasy manager, it's crucial to do your due diligence and research these overlooked players' statistics, injury history, and current team situation. While taking a chance on a player based on a hunch or a cool name may seem appealing, making informed decisions that increase your chances of success is the wiser strategy. With careful consideration and some luck, these late-round picks could be the key to unlocking your team's full potential.
Today, we're looking at some late-round catcher options for you to consider drafting in your season-long leagues this season. Are their ADPs undervalued? Will they make significant fantasy contributions and become a priority late-round draft target? Read on to see our take.
Our editors have hand-picked these specific MLB players for your draft prep enjoyment. Usually only available to Premium subscribers, the five outlooks below are meant to give you a taste of the in-depth analysis you receive with our industry-leading 2024 Draft Kit. Be sure to subscribe today to start reading all of our in-depth 2024 player outlooks and many other premium articles and tools, including Team Sync, the Live Draft Sync assistant, Custom Rankings Service, and so much more – available exclusively in our 2024 Draft Kit.
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Austin Wells, New York Yankees
New York Yankees catching prospect Austin Wells made his MLB debut in the 2023 season and didn't look out of place in doing so. In a small 75 plate-appearance sample, Wells clubbed four home runs and produced a .367 xwOBA alongside 13 RBI in 19 games. He appeared in the three minor-league levels in 2023 before heading to the Bronx as he hit .240 with 17 home runs, seven stolen bases, and a .775 OPS in that time. With Kyle Higashioka now a member of the Padres, Wells, and veteran Luis Severino are set to share duties behind the plate in New York.
Trevino struggled mightily at the plate before a wrist injury ended his season after just 55 games in 2023. However, he is an excellent defender, which will lead to solid playing time. ATC projects Wells to get more usage than Severino while hitting .232 with 13 HR, four SB, and a .719 OPS in his rookie season. He is currently being taken off the board at around pick No. 326, as he is best left for two-catcher leagues unless he can earn additional playing time and create more value for himself in the 2024 season.
-- Brenton Kemp- RotoBaller
Luis Campusano, San Diego Padres
After missing almost the entire first half of the 2023 season, Luis Campusano announced himself as a fantasy viable catcher in the second half. In 49 games across the season, he hit .319/.356/.491 with seven homers, 30 RBI, 27 runs and no stolen bases. While his batting average doesn't appear to be sustainable over an entire season, it is worth noting Campusano had a .305 xBA (expected batting average). That was also his main attribute in the Minor Leagues. In 167 Triple-A games, Campusano had a .297/.366/.513 slash line with 30 homers. Across all Minor League levels, Campusano hit .300/.369/.473 (387 games).
Thinking he can put up a ~.280 batting average in a Major League season is hardly a stretch. That is not something you will get from the position outside the top-tier catchers. Only three catchers with at least 350 plate appearances last year had a batting average better than .280. His Minor League numbers and seven HRs in 49 MLB games suggest Campusano can hit 20 homers in a full season too. Campusano is generally undrafted in one-catcher leagues but makes an ideal late-round option. He's a lock in two-catcher leagues and can become a top-10 catcher in 2024.
-- Jamie Steed - RotoBaller
Bo Naylor, Cleveland Guardians
Cleveland Guardians catcher Bo Naylor broke out of his shell down the stretch, becoming one of the best catchers to close 2023. His triple slash line for September was .327/.471/.654, adding nine extra-base hits and, most importantly, four steals without being caught. He has the wheels to pace all catchers in stolen bases, a weapon at this traditionally slow position. Also, his plate discipline will lead to more opportunities to rack up counting stats despite hitting toward the bottom of the order. Naylor posted a ridiculous 14/8 BB/K ratio in September and a 13% walk rate for the Guardians overall.
In addition to his speed and patient approach, Naylor can touch all fields with authority. He smacked 24 extra-base hits in 198 at-bats, with as many doubles to left field as his pull side. He was a league winner for many fantasy managers in 2023, and it was a preview of great things to come. The younger brother of Josh Naylor has the tools to prove his late success was not an anomaly and smash his current NFBC ADP of 164. ATC projects Naylor to slash .230/.328/.414 with a .323 wOBA and 107 wRC+ in 2024. RotoBaller has Naylor ranked 15th among all catchers in the latest fantasy baseball rankings. Despite being drafted and ranked outside the top-10 catchers, this power/speed threat has the ceiling of a 20/20 season on many more championship squads.
-- Richard Dellano - RotoBaller
Ryan Jeffers, Minnesota Twins
Minnesota Twins catcher Ryan Jeffers became the team's primary catcher at season end and slashed .276/.369/.490 with 14 home runs, 46 RBI, 43 runs, and three stolen bases over 96 games in 2023. He is expected to split time with Christian Vazquez, who struggled mightily offensively last season. Jeffers has more upside than Vazquez, and his bat could earn him more playing time opportunities. According to Baseball Savant, his 11.6% barrel percentage is in the 90th percentile, while his BB% has increased each of the last three seasons.
Jeffers should be in the lineup against righties after slashing .281/.361/.467 with eight homers and 27 RBI over 241 plate appearances. The Twins will rotate between Jeffers and Vazquez in an effort to keep both backstops healthy. RotoBaller has Jeffers ranked 21st among all catchers heading into 2024 drafts. The 26-year-old has an NFBC ADP of 249, making him a solid second catcher for leagues required to start two backstops. ATC is on board with Jeffers providing solid production in 2024 and projects him to slash .240/.323/.439 with 16 HRs, 46 RBI, 47 runs, and two SBs across 102 games. Jeffers won't crush in any category but produces enough to make him a viable second catcher in most fantasy leagues.
-- Brad Camara - RotoBaller
Keibert Ruiz, Washington Nationals
Washington Nationals catcher Keibert Ruiz will look to build upon his 2023 campaign, where he tallied a .260-18-67-55-1 line with a .310 wOBA and 93 wRC+ in 136 games (562 PA), all of which were year-over-year improvements. With a 5.8% Barrel%, he may be hard-pressed to surpass his 2023 HR total, but the backstop has elite contact skills with an 87.0% Contact%, 14.3% Whiff% (97th percentile), and a 10.3% K% that puts him in the same company as the likes of Steven Kwan and Jose Ramirez.
He also posted an impressive 93rd percentile Sweet-Spot% of 39.4%, so while there may not be a bump in HRs, more doubles could be in store for the 25-year-old. His 5.5% BB% is well below league average though, which limits his OBP upside. ATC projections call for a .263-15-60-53-2 season with a .317 wOBA and 97 wRC+. The switch-hitter will be the Nats' primary catcher and can DH which should provide a decent statistical floor, but perhaps the contact skills and near-20 HR season have been a little overdone, even at a premium position. He currently has an NFBC ADP of 167th overall, which is well ahead of his RotoBaller rank of 207.
-- Jarod Rupp - RotoBaller
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