Streaming catchers can be like taking a nice deep breath in of springtime pollen when you suffer from seasonal allergies. Unless you have one of the top catchers, you are left guessing what to do with the position.
Catchers are similar to kickers in fantasy football – you don’t think about your catcher slot as much as the other high-scoring positions – but if you’re looking for an advantage over your competition it makes sense to monitor what is happening. Why wouldn’t you research every position on your team?
We have all been on the losing end of a matchup when we needed just one more hit or one more steal so that deep-cut catcher you just picked up and who homered on Sunday – that guy could deliver you to victory.
So join me gluttons of fantasy baseball punishment and without further ado – let’s kick off the third week of the season!
Reviewing Last Column’s Picks
Here are the established guidelines from last season for determining whether or not streaming was a “win”, and I’ll leave these up here each week as a reminder.
- When we stream a catcher, we’re not expecting multiple home runs, so a guy hitting .250 is helpful, and I’ll consider that a plus. Anything over .300 is a super plus and a near-automatic win. We must keep in mind the number of plate appearances — under 10 PA diminishes that boost.
- Home runs have a significant impact. If you get two homers from the catcher position, it’s a guaranteed win unless the catcher bats under the Mendoza line. However, if other factors exist, a catcher can still be a streaming win without home runs.
- Counting stats (R+RBI) is the lowest stat consideration because you’re not expecting them from your catcher, and they’re a nice bonus.
I’ll be writing columns every other week, so my first streaming picks of the season were from the week of April 3:
12-Team Streamer
Travis d’Arnaud, Atlanta Braves
d’Arnaud got off to a hot start this season, hitting .462 with three RBI in Atlanta’s season-opening series against the Nationals. He slowed down a bit during the week he was selected as the 12-team streamer, but still hit .250 over the course of the week with two doubles and two RBI. D’Arnaud also received starts at both catcher and DH, showcasing his position flexibility which adds to his value.
Unfortunately, d’Arnaud has been on the 7-day IL with a concussion after Rougned Odor collided with him at home plate on April 8. This was the fourth reported concussion from his career and he hasn’t resumed baseball activities yet so his recovery might be an extended one. It could be a while before d’Arnaud is a streaming option at catcher. If you do have IL spots to burn and are thin at catcher, he is worth stashing until there is further clarity on his progress.
15-Team Streamer
Haase has had an opposite start to the season than d’Arnaud and has been ice cold thus far.
During the week of April 3, he hit only .177 with nine strikeouts in 17 ABs. He had two starts in left field during the week, in addition to starting the other games at catcher but it did not help his case. Haase totaled two RBIs and added a surprise stolen base that salvaged some of the week, but I would still consider this an “L” in the win/loss column.
Nate Kosher’s Streaming Record for 2023 Season: 1-1
Notes & Transactions From Week 2
- The Giants reinstated Joey Bart from the 10-day IL and designated Austin Wynns for assignment. The Giants also have Gary Sánchez waiting in Triple-AAA and it likely won’t be long until he is called up. Sanchez is worth a deep league presumptive pickup.
- The Rangers placed Mitch Garver on the 10-day IL with a knee strain. Garver had started a total of six games for Texas on the season and is hitting .263 with two home runs. The Rangers called up Sandy León to take Garver’s spot (more on the Rangers’ catching status later).
- The Pirates reinstated Austin Hedges from the concussion-IL and optioned Tyler Heineman to Indianapolis. Hedges got the start in his first game back with Pittsburgh and collected his first hit of the year.
Have more questions? “Catch” up with me on Twitter @NathanielKosher!
Week 3 Streamers
Each week, we’ll highlight an option for a 12-team league and a 15-team league. Before we examine the players who might provide added value for the upcoming week, check if Logan O’Hoppe is still available in your league. If he is add him! The Angels may have found their catcher for the foreseeable future. O’Hoppe has swatted four home runs with 11 RBI in the first few weeks of the season. Now let’s examine the players who might provide added value for the upcoming week:
12-Team Streamer
Despite Colorado’s slow start to the season, Diaz has been a bright spot for the Rockies. He has hit at a better clip than the Rockies’ best players (Charlie Blackmon, Kris Bryant, and CJ Cron) and actually leads the entire team in batting average.
He is hitting .357/.426/.571 on the year with two home runs and seven RBI. Diaz was absolutely on fire over the past week, hitting .550 with only two strikeouts in 20 at-bats. He is bound to slow down some, but as someone who plays his home games at Coors Field, is also capable of continuing to steadily produce.
Diaz’s K-rate is down slightly this year (17.9% compared to 19.1% last year) and his BB% is up slightly this season compared to last (8.5% to 6.6%) so if those improvements continue he can be an effective streamer.
The Rockies face the Pirates at home for a three-game set before traveling to Philadelphia to face the Phillies.
15-Team Streamer
With Mitch Garver on the IL, Heim will continue to get the majority of the starts and at-bats in Texas. Heim is having a nice season in 2023, hitting .294 with two home runs and six RBI.
He is hitting .385 on the road and the Rangers will start off the week with a series at Kansas City before hosting Oakland at home. The A’s are currently dead last in the majors in team ERA (8.34) so Heim should have a nice opportunity at some good counting stats during the series.
Continue to monitor Garver’s recovery as once he is healthy he is a bigger threat to steal starts away from Heim than the current backup Sandy León.
Catcher List
Added to each week will be a ten-player list of potential streamers by weekly rank. For example, if Christian Vázquez is already rostered in your 12-team league, the next in line should be Yasmani Grandal, and so on down the list. Also, 15-team leagues are much deeper, so attention to roster% is added to the process. If a 12-team player is available, they are considered the player before the 15-team streamer. Lastly, the Roster% is based on Yahoo leagues.