Though the term ‘sleeper’ has become a bug-a-boo word in fantasy baseball circles, that doesn’t mean we aren’t all looking for them. In this article, I’m going to identify my favorite catching sleepers for the 2024 fantasy baseball season.
There are a variety of ways to attack filling the catcher position. This largely depends on your league format. If you are playing in one-catcher leagues with 12 or 15 teams, your challenge is likely easier. In that scenario, maybe you just wait and take what comes to you later in the draft, hoping to find someone who might hit some home runs and not be a total zero or drain on your team’s batting average.
However, if you are in two catcher leagues with 12 or 15 teams, you have to dig deeper to find catchers that can help your bottom line in offensive categories. This task requires a slightly deeper knowledge of the pool at catcher.
Catching Sleepers for 2024 Fantasy Baseball
First off, eliminate players who will no longer have catcher eligibility in most leagues in 2024, like Daulton Varsho and M.J. Melendez. That shrinks the pool. Yet there is a depth to the catching position, especially if you embrace the idea of grabbing a catcher that does you “no harm.” Many analysts refer to the “glob” of talent at the position, where a manager would be fine rostering any of a number of catchers, like Francisco Alvarez or Willson Contreras in round 10, or Jonah Heim or Keibert Ruiz in say round 11 or 12.
For our purposes, let’s imagine a two-catcher league with a depth of 15 teams. We will also do a short list at the end of the piece for catching sleepers in shallower leagues.
All of this advice comes with the caveat that who you roster as your catcher has to fit your team build. If you enjoy the assumed offensive stability of an Adley Rutschman, J.T Realmuto, or Will Smith, who should get a bevy of their team’s catcher at-bats, you will surrender important capital early in the draft. If you are willing to wait on rostering a catcher, you can wait until the 10th or 11th round to get a serviceable option while using those earlier draft slots to roster a more well-rounded offensive talent.
Who are some potential catching sleepers in deep leagues? Here are some thoughts:
Miguel Amaya, Chicago Cubs
Yes, I know the Chicago Cubs still employ Yan Gomes as one of their catchers. But he is soon to be 37 and this looks like it could easier be a timeshare with the younger Amaya. In NFBC drafts, Amaya is currently sitting at a 656 ADP, good for the 37th catcher off the board. In 156 at-bats in 2023, Amaya had five home runs, 18 RBI, and hit .214. Not much to see there, which I get, but the home runs and his .329 OBP hint at a patient hitter with a decent eye and some burgeoning pop at age 24. A small investment here could lead to a catcher earning daily at-bats should Gomes be ineffective or worn down. Definitely, a player to watch as spring ramps up.
Shea Langeliers, Oakland Athletics
While many fantasy players wait on Tyler Soderstrom, you recognize a stat here that you want out of your catcher position: sheer power with a batting average that won’t crater your team stats. Let me introduce you again to Shea Langeliers. Last year, Langeliers hit 22 home runs with a paltry .205 batting average. A deeper look reveals that the power upside is here; average exit velocity was 90.6 MPH and his 13.3-barrel percentage was elite. With continued volume of at-bats, this is a 25-30 HR power waiting to happen. With a current ADP of 249 making him the 20th catcher off the board, Langeliers is a potential steal here. I project that Langeliers will get 75% of the starts behind the plate this year.
Jake Rogers, Detroit Tigers
Raise your hand if you knew that Jake Rogers ended 2023 with 21 home runs in 331 at-bats. I didn’t until I started researching this piece. His backup in Detroit is Carson Kelly, who now profiles as a second catcher and does not appear to be a huge threat to Rogers’ playing time. Rogers does strike out often; his 32.3 K% was in the bottom five percent of the league. But his 40.3 sweet spot % is seven points higher than the MLB average of 33.1%. And his .238 batting average after the All-Star Break with 10 home runs plays well at this position. You could do far worse than having Rogers as your catcher.
Connor Wong, Boston Red Sox
Wong fought his way onto the Red Sox with a good spring in 2023. Wong ended up hitting .235 with eight homers and eight steals in about 400 at-bats. While I don’t see a power spike, what intrigues me is that Wong could hit 10-12 home runs, and steal 10-12 bases, with a few more at-bats. Who wouldn’t want that out of the catcher position? These are the types of quiet skill sets that help you win leagues, especially if he is your second catcher. Again, if you’re not reading Jeff Zimmerman’s “Mining the News” column, start doing that now; in it, he reported that the Red Sox plan to use Wong as their everyday catcher in 2024. That is news you can use!
Shallow League Plays (12-team leagues)
Tyler Stephenson, Cincinnati Reds
I can hear your eye-roll. I know many of us have drafted Stephenson with the thought of more coming. I understand that health is not a skill that improves as one ages. Yet he produced 13 home runs last year with a decent .243 batting average. With Luke Maile as the backup, and with health, I predict that Stephenson will get 70-80% of the catcher at-bats. In years past he has gotten at-bats from the 1B or DH slot as well, but with the proliferation of high-profile bats in Cincinnati, it’s looking like catcher-or-bust for Stephenson. For a guy who has seemingly been around many years, Stephenson is only 27. In a shallow league, I am willing to take this small gamble on a guy who could hit .260 with 15-20 home runs. This could be the year, I swear…bash me if you would like! Stephenson is the guy I was thinking of earlier; there is probably not a next level, but he won’t hurt you if he plays.
Logan O’Hoppe, Los Angeles Angels
some of your league mates may have forgotten about O’Hoppe, who missed significant time last season with a torn shoulder labrum in April. Upon return, O’Hoppe hit 14 home runs with a .236 batting average in 199 at-bats and looked like the Angels’ catcher of the present and the future. With health and a season full of regular at-bats, look for O’Hoppe to hit 20 home runs with an average that will not sink you.
Bo Naylor, Cleveland Guardians
The Guardians signed Austin Hedges for his defensive prowess and not his offense, which quite frankly, is offensive. Naylor got into 67 games last year at the MLB level and hit .237 with 11 home runs in 230 plate appearances. Naylor will clearly be their top option at the position. Post All-Star Break, Naylor hit .252 with ten home runs and five stolen bases. If he hits left-handed pitching, he will play five days a week. I am in at this current price point.
For more of the great fantasy baseball rankings and analysis you’ve come to expect from FantraxHQ, check out our full 2024 Fantasy Baseball Draft Kit! We’re here for you all the way up until Opening Day and then on into your championship run.