Streaming catchers can be a Sisyphean task. 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 this week in streaming catcher land!
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 write this column every other week, so these were my streaming picks from the week of May 1:
12-Team Streamer
Shea Langeliers, Oakland Athletics
During the week of May 1st, Langeliers played in four total games and made 16 plate appearances. He went 2-12 with one RBI, one run, three walks, and four strikeouts – this equals a putrid slash line of .167/.313/.167/. Not the type of week that will win a fantasy matchup.
After getting hot in late April, Langeliers has gone ice cold in May, hitting .217 with no home runs and one RBI in seven games. He’s now hitting .221 with six home runs and 17 RBI for the season.
15-Team Streamer
Yan Gomes, Chicago Cubs
Well, this pick did not go very well either – Gomes left the Cubs’ May 1st game after being hit in the head with a backswing in the first inning.
He struck out in his only plate appearance prior to this happening and then did not return to the Cubs lineup until May 10th. Although once he did return, Gomes did have a nice game and went 3-4 with a home run and two RBI against the Cardinals. He still could be someone to consider moving forward as Gomes is hitting .324/.347/.592 with six home runs and 15 RBI in 2023.
Nate Kosher’s Streaming Record for 2023 Season: 3-3
Notes & Transactions From Week 6
- I have been giving Gary Sánchez updates nearly every column this season and now “the Kraken” is back on the upswing again. After leaving the Giants without a major league promotion, Sánchez signed with the Mets on May 9 and was assigned to Triple-A Syracuse. In his first game on May 10, Sánchez went 2-4 with two RBI then followed that up by going 2-3 with a home run during the game on May 11.
- On May 10, the Mets made some additional catcher moves when they placed Thomas Nido on the 10-day IL, and selected the contract of Michael Perez from Triple-A. With Omar Narvaez also on the 60-day IL, the Mets could use Sánchez as depth behind Francisco Álvarez. I would not be surprised if Sánchez is promoted sometime in the next few weeks. It’s a situation to monitor if you are catcher-hungry.
- The Yankees reinstated Ben Rortvedt from the 10-day IL and optioned him to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Rortvedt does not have any real fantasy value as he is at best a third catcher on a major league roster.
- If you’ve been storing Travis d’Arnaud in an IL slot, it’s time to move him back into your starting lineup. The Braves reinstated d’Arnaud from the 7-day IL on May 8. He was off to a great start to the season before being injured and is hitting .333 with starts in Atlanta’s lineup at DH or catcher.
Have more questions? “Catch” up with me on Twitter @NathanielKosher!
This Week’s Streamers
We highlight a streaming option for a 12-team league and a 15-team league each week. Before revealing the picks for the week of May 15, let’s look at the current top five scoring fantasy catchers (standard Yahoo 5 x 5 league):
- Sean Murphy: .288 – 9 HR/32 RBI/22 R
- Jonah Heim: .316 – 6 HR/28 RBI/23 R/1 SB
- Will Smith: .325 – 6 HR/19 RBI/19 R/1 SB
- Salvador Perez: .289 – 7 HR/21 RBI/19 R
- Adley Rutschman: .274 – 5 HR/20 RBI/18 R
The list includes expected names such as Smith and Perez, and a new emerging star in Rutschman, but Heim has been a definite surprise. He isn’t showing any signs of slowing down and is a major reason the Rangers are in first place in the AL West. It is a reminder that in fantasy baseball there is sometimes luck involved and even the best analysts cannot predict it all.
Without further ado, here are the potential streaming targets for this week:
12-Team Streamer
Gabriel Moreno, Arizona Diamondbacks
Moreno was the catching prospect that arrived in the desert during the offseason as part of the Daulton Varsho trade with Toronto. He was a highly touted prospect for the Blue Jays and hit .373/.441/.651 with eight home runs in just 32 games in Double-A in 2021 before a broken thumb ended his season. In 2022, he played 62 games in Triple-A and hit .315 with three home runs and 39 RBI before getting called up to the majors. Once there, Moreno hit .319 in 69 ABs across 25 games. It is clear this guy can hit.
This season, Moreno is hitting .302 on the season with 16 RBI, six runs, and one stolen base. He hasn’t provided much power yet – only one home run on the year – but he is consistently getting on base and continues to rake. In May, he has a batting average of .304 with a .360 OBP. Nothing that is going to win your league instantly, but some nice numbers that won’t hurt your team.
The Diamondbacks have six games during the upcoming week. They start Monday with a three-game series at Oakland, so Moreno will have a good shot of knocking out some hits against the A’s pitching. After leaving Oakland, they travel to Pittsburgh for a weekend series versus the Pirates. The Diamondbacks have an off-day on Thursday so perhaps Moreno can get his rest day then and play the full series against the Pirates.
15-Team Streamer
Francisco Álvarez, New York Mets
Despite an inconsistent start to his major league career, Álvarez is now finding his rhythm in May hitting .320/.393/.680 with two home runs, four RBI, and eight runs in nine games this month. He’s up to .246 on the season with three home runs and six RBI. From May 7 – May 11, Álvarez hit .357/.438/.929 with five hits (including two doubles and two home runs) and appears to be starting to show off the offensive tools that are his calling card.
The Mets kick off the week with the final game of their four-game series versus the Nationals, before a homestand featuring three-game sets against the Rays and the Guardians. Patrick Corbin is the probable starting pitcher on Monday, and although he’s pitched back-to-back starts where he allowed only two runs, the potential is there for a Corbin meltdown and a nice hitting day for Álvarez.
Álvarez could be in the early stages of a major breakout so his ownership will likely jump soon (he’s currently 17% owned in Yahoo leagues). This is the week to grab him if you need a catcher.
Catcher List
A ten-player list of potential streamers by weekly rank is added to each week. To qualify, the catchers must be 50% owned or less. For example, if Keibert Ruiz is already rostered in your 12-team league, the next in line should be Gabriel Moreno, 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.
Featured image by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns on Twitter)