It’s all about that value. Our intention at the draft table is to always draft players at a discount. We want players who will outperform their draft position and finish the season ranked higher than they were prior to Opening Day. The mission is clear, but now it’s on to the hard part; executing the plan. The catching position is always a little more interesting as your league setup very much comes into play here. If only one catcher is required, then things become a great deal easier than those in which you have to start two. While the advice here is based more on deeper, or two-catcher leagues, it translates across all formats. Injuries and poor performances will come into play throughout the season. Targeting a sleeper at the position also reduces, or eliminates, the need to reach. Let’s jump into our 2025 catcher sleepers.
5 Catcher Sleepers to Target
Francisco Alvarez, New York Mets
Currently, Francisco Alvarez is coming off the board as the 12th catcher. If you decide to wait on the position in one-catcher leagues, then Alvarez is essentially your fallback option. Granted, that doesn’t take into account teams drafting backups or Salvador Perez as a first baseman, but neither should be taking place. Not every league is going to follow this script, but Alvarez is a pretty strong consolation prize. After all, he has the potential to finish the season as a top-five option.
Health was an issue as Alvarez struggled last season. He played in just 100 games, but he did improve his average from .209 to .237. The problem though is that his home runs went from 25 to 11 with his ISO dropping from .228 to .166. With 47 RBI, he did come up big at times with runners on base, but overall, nothing went right.
Alvarez saw significant dips in all of his batted ball metrics, and that doesn’t fit with his skill set. After a healthy off-season to prepare for 2025, I would expect a rebound. Whether you can truly buy low on Alvarez is a different story, but I would certainly try. He is one of the more prolific young catchers in the game. It’s important to remember that he’s still just 23 years old and part of a strong lineup. It’s not easy to adjust to life in the major leagues, and it’s even more difficult as a catcher.
As a 21-year-old in 2023, Alvarez hit 21 home runs in 123 games with 63 RBI. There’s no reason he can’t return to that production as a floor.
Austin Wells, New York Yankees
After the trade of Jose Trevino this off-season, it’s clear that the Yankees see Austin Wells as their number-one catcher. Wells will receive the majority of the playing time behind the plate, and Yankee Stadium works perfectly with his left-handed power swing.
After Alvarez comes off the board, there is a clear 50-pick drop to the next option in Wells. That is another strong case to wait at the position in leagues that require you to start just one catcher. Additionally, it also helps with the argument for having to start two catchers.
Wells is known for his power, and we should only see that continue to grow and develop. In 115 games last year, he had 13 home runs with 55 RBI over 414 plate appearances. Batting average will always be an issue, but at .229 it isn’t completely out of place when it comes to catchers. An xBA of .244 does at least provide a little upside here as well.
The power though, is what we are really after. Wells had an average launch angle of 17.1 degrees in 2024 with a 9.1% barrel rate. Seeing a disparity between Wells’ .439 xSLG and .395 SLG also offers up some optimism for the coming season.
It often takes young catchers some time for the offense to find a groove at the big league level, so Wells should only get better from here. We do need to keep an eye on Wells from a platoon perspective though. All 13 of his home runs came against right-handed pitching along with 39 of his 42 RBI. We also have a solid batting average disparity (.236 to .197) but Wells was limited to 66 plate appearances against southpaws. At this point, the trade of Trevino should help with that.
Ryan Jeffers, Minnesota Twins
When will the Twins just submit to Ryan Jeffers truly being their number-one catcher? Last season they came the closest they ever had to doing so as he played in a career-high 122 games. Jeffers delivered with 21 home runs and 64 RBI, but his average saw a substantial dip. After hitting .276 in 2023, Jeffers dropped down to .226 last year. A .238 BABIP though does give us some measure of optimism for a bounce-back effort.
From a batted ball perspective, Jeffers did take a step back last season. Perhaps the additional playing time did catch up to him as Jeffers struggled in the second half hitting just .206. The power production did stay relatively in line though.
If you wait on the catcher position, especially in two-catcher leagues, Jeffers is a solid option. With all of the youth at the position, someone like Jeffers could fade to the background.
Joey Bart, Pittsburgh Pirates
At this point, it’s been a long time since Joey Bart was the second overall pick in 2018. The Giants moved on from Bart, and now he’s in the middle of Pittsburgh’s batting order. In 80 games last season, Bart hit .265 with 13 home runs and 45 RBI. With a .198 ISO, Bart showed off some power ability. As evidenced by a 9.4% barrel rate, Bart also made solid contact. He took advantage of both his experience and regular playing time while bringing his strikeout rate down to 25.9%. Bart’s currently between the 20th and 25th catcher off the board with an ADP of around 280. At that price, there’s only upside.
Hunter Goodman, Colorado Rockies
Let’s go a little deeper with this one. I know it’s the Rockies, but Jacob Stallings should not be what stands in the way of Hunter Goodman getting playing time behind the plate. It does help that Goodman is equally adept at playing the outfield, but it’s his eligibility as a catcher that we are after. Well, that, and his power.
After hitting 36 and 34 minor league home runs in 2022 and 2023, respectively, Goodman only had 21 combined home runs last year. However, 13 did come at the major league level over 224 plate appearances in 70 games. Strikeouts continue to be an issue we have to deal with from Goodman, but his .190 batting average wasn’t as bad as it looks. Goodman had a BABIP of just .199 which makes his .213 xBA appear a little more respectable.
What stands out more though is Goodman’s 12.8% barrel rate along with his .227 ISO. The power is real, and good things happen when the bat hits the ball. It shouldn’t come as a surprise though, and is something to use to your advantage, that 11 of Goodman’s home runs came at home. We know what Coors Field does for hitters, but Goodman does have some real power and there should be some level of correction there.