Mitch Garver (C, MIN) - Week 3 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in Two Catcher Leagues

OWNED IN: 5% of Yahoo! leagues

ANALYSIS: 28-year-old Twins catcher Mitch Garver has torn the cover off the ball to kick off the 2019 campaign, blasting three home runs in just six games while sporting a .474/.474/.1.000 slash line. You don't need me to tell you that that kind of production is unsustainable, but let's take a look at some reasonable expectations for the veteran catcher.

Garver has made himself fantasy relevant for posting high batting averages, a rarity for a catcher. He hit .268 last year in 335 plate appearances, while holding a .335 OBP thanks to a nice 8.7% walk rate. He rarely strikes out, posting just a 21.5% rate last year which is down to 10.5% this season.

The power is new, after he only hit seven home runs last year. Garver did pop 17 home runs in Triple-A back in 2017, so it's not like he doesn't have any, although his current 37.5% HR/FB rate does not correlate with his 35.3% hard hit rate.

While I like Garver's profile overall in deeper formats, my biggest concern is playing time. Willians Astudillo is the catcher of the future in Minnesota, and the team still has Jason Castro on the active roster. That's why Garver, despite his power surge, has only played in six games so far this season.

I'm okay rostering Garver in AL-only formats and two-catcher leagues, but he is best in formats that allow daily roster moves - as his playing time looks like it will be inconsistent all season. When his power eventually returns to normal levels, his fantasy value will be minimal even in the deepest of leagues.