Catchers to Stream for Week 15 (7/11-7/21)

If you missed out on the cream of the crop at catcher and need help to address the problem, look no further. This article will address your concerns by looking at who might be the best streaming-caliber catchers for the week ahead.

First, we have to rule out any widely owned catcher. For the purposes of this list, that means anyone who has 50% ownership rate or higher according to FantasyPros consensus ranks. The ineligible catchers are:

Gary Sanchez – (New York Yankees)

J.T. Realmuto – (Philadelphia Phillies)

Buster Posey – (San Francisco Giants)

Willson Contreras – (Chicago Cubs)

Yadier Molina – (St. Louis Cardinals)

Yasmani Grandal – (Milwaukee Brewers)

Wilson Ramos – (New York Mets)

Omar Narvaez – (Seattle Mariners)

 

 

Reviewing Last Week

 

In weeks past, I outlined guidelines for determining a streaming “win” and I’ll leave these up here each week as a reminder.

1. Batting average is king. When we stream a catcher, we’re not expecting multiple home runs, so a guy hitting .275 is helpful and I’ll consider that a plus. Anything over .300 is a super plus and a near-automatic win. That said, we have to keep in mind the number of plate appearances—under 10 PA diminishes that boost.
2. Home runs have a major impact. If you get two homers from the catcher position, it’s almost a guaranteed win, unless the catcher batted under the Mendoza line. However, a catcher can still be a streaming win without home runs if other factors are there.
3. Counting stats (R+RBI) are the lowest stat consideration because you’re not expecting them from your catcher anyway. They’re a nice bonus.

 

Christian Vazquez – (Boston Red Sox): 10/26, 7 R, 3 HRs, 7 RBI

That’ll do. Keep riding Vazquez.

James McCann – (Chicago White Sox): 6/21, 2 R, 2 RBI

A .286 average with decent counting stats? I’ll take that. Keep riding McCann, who rode his first half to an All-Star Game appearance.

Robinson Chirinos – (Houston Astros): 2/19

Welp, you gotta take the good with the bad. Two games in Coors did nothing to help Robbie, who really tanked your week. It’s unfortunate.

Dave’s Streaming Record: 18-11

Scott’s Streaming Record: 4-3-2

 

Quick Thoughts from Week 14

 

Keep riding Danny Jansen’s bat, whose expected stats have all been above average for the most part since mid-May.

Last week, I predicted a nearly even split in playing time between Chance Sisco and Pedro Severino… well Sisco played five of seven and hit either third or fourth when he started. He responded with two more homers.

I should’ve had you ride Roberto Perez for another week. I didn’t and I was wrong. I’m sorry. Keep riding Roberto Perez.

 

This Week’s Streamers

 

Christian Vazquez – (Boston Red Sox): The Dodgers haven’t announced their starters coming out of the break, but I believe it could include both Clayton Kershaw and Walker Buehler, but it shouldn’t matter all that much to Vazquez, who is hitting .299/.325/.551 with seven homers and 40 R+RBI since the start of June.

Roberto Perez – (Cleveland Indians): Speaking of catchers hitting well, since June 4th, Perez is slashing .316/.385/.722. You read that right. I’d advocate holding him at this point. Does it even matter who he’s facing?

Mitch Garver – (Minnesota Twins): If you can bear a rough start to the week, facing Mike Clevinger, Trevor Bauer, and Shane Bieber in Cleveland, the rest of the week is smooth sailing, as they host the Mets, A’s, and Yankees.

I’d love to recommend Tony Wolters, as the Rockies will be at home for the bulk of the week (seven games), but his bat is just so bad. He’s a strong enough desperation play or play for those who are in deeper leagues, as are John Hicks, Dustin Garneau, and Mike Zunino.

(Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire)