4 years agoMinnesota Twins catcher Mitch Garver followed up his breakout 2019 with a dismal 2020 campaign. Granted, it was only 81 PA, but they couldn't have gone much worse for Garver. He posted an atrocious .167 AVG, 41 wRC+, and a 45.7% strikeout rate. Garver's 31-homer, 155 wRC+ year in 2019 had him looking like one of the elite bats behind the plate, but the 30-year-old backstop not only came crashing back to earth in 2020, he found himself lodged somewhere between its asthenosphere and inner core. The biggest change for Garver in 2020 was his inability to handle fastballs. Prior to 2020, Garver sported an impressive .297 AVG and .293 ISO against four-seamers, but in 2020 he hit .143 with just one extra-base hit against fastballs. This could be injury-related, or it could be the wackiness associated with such a small sample, but given Garver's history of success against heaters a bounce back in that category seems possible. Garver also posted a 92.4 MPH average exit velocity, which was even higher than his 2019 mark. The silver lining for Garver's fantasy value is that the overall weakness of the catcher position means he still holds moderate fantasy value despite a nightmare season in 2020. While he'll likely never reach his 2019 peak again, there are some things to like about Garver as a value option at catcher. He's a decent choice if you're looking for a cheap upside play behind the plate in 2021.--Elliott Baas - RotoBaller