Isiah Kiner-Falefa is one of the more intriguing catchers in the fantasy landscape this season. He offers positional versatility for his fantasy owners, and depending on your league requirements, he could have eligibility behind the dish, at second base and at third base, seeing as he appeared in at least 20 games at each of those positions. Given his stat line, you will want to slot him as your backstop, because he doesn’t do enough offensively to compete with the majority of players at the keystone or the hot corner. However, the eligibility behind the plate is key, because in deeper two-catcher formats, Kiner-Falefa can do for your team what other catchers simply cannot. It’s imperative to understand that you will need to build your roster appropriately beforehand.
Kiner-Falefa entered rookie ball back in 2013 and it wasn’t until 2017 that he left the yard as a big leaguer for the first time. In his minor league career, he hit five home runs, all of which came in 129 Double-A games in 2017. Last year, he hit four long balls in 111 games as a member of the Rangers, and ultimately ended the year with an ISO of .096 and a slugging percentage of just .357. Just to put things in perspective, here are a few guys that posted similar marks to Kiner-Falefa in 2018.
PLAYER | ISO | SLG |
.097 | .379 | |
.094 | .346 | |
.091 | .327 | |
.082 | .313 | |
.081 | .349 |
Aside from just those metrics above, Statcast provides a few players with a similar batted ball profile to Kiner-Falefa. Two of the ones that really stick out are Jon Jay and Mallex Smith . Essentially, you aren’t getting a lot of big time power production from the versatile youngster, but he will provide a better batting average than other players at his position. There is some room for some power improvement, but we are looking at an absolute maximum of 8-10 homers over the course of a full season. In 2019, anything above five round-trippers should be viewed as a bonus. He did 18 doubles last year, so there is some power to the gaps, so an increase in launch angle could send a few more balls over the fence, but he hasn’t shown an inclination in the past to really lift the ball.
Kiner-Falefa hit .261 last season, which is solid, and his xBA of .254 indicates that he only slightly outperformed his expected outcome. He makes a ton of contact and doesn’t swing and miss often, which bodes well for the sustainability of his batting average. In 2018, Kiner-Falefa posted an excellent 5.9 SwStr% and a contact rate of 85.7 percent. All of that is fine and dandy, sure, but when he does make contact, what he does with it is oftentimes underwhelming.
Exit Velocity | 3rd Percentile |
Hard Hit % | 4th Percentile |
xwOBA | 10th Percentile |
xSLG | 3rd Percentile |
The positional versatility with Kiner-Falefa is nice to an extent, considering that you should only really be playing him behind the dish. Playing him at any other position diminishes his fantasy value and puts your fantasy team at a significant disadvantage the longer you have him in your starting lineup as a non-catcher. Essentially, Kiner-Falefa provides a decent batting average with a chance for over 10 combined home runs and stolen bases as your second catcher. Other catchers can provide actual game-changing numbers in a certain category, like home runs, but Kiner-Falefa bucks that trend, offering a little bit across the board. If you drafted a team with the likes of Joey Gallo and other batting average drains, gaining a solid average with a few pocket steals from your second catcher certainly wouldn’t hurt.
Kiner-Falefa’s positional versatility may not be as big of an added benefit as fantasy owners may think, considering that he isn’t a standout contributor in any particular category. From the catcher position, he offers a solid batting average with a few stolen bases, but the low hard contact and exit velocity rates don’t exactly lend themselves to notable power production. He’s unique enough with some playing time stability, at least early on, to warrant a selection as your second catcher in deeper formats.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Statistical Credits:
fangraphs.com
baseballsavant.mlb.com
Player News
Willi Castro (oblique) could return to the Twins’ lineup this weekend.
Castro has been sidelined with an oblique injury since April 16th and was finally placed on the IL late last week. He has been swinging the bat right-handed and plans to swing left-handed on Tuesday. If his body responds well to that, the Twins could bring him back for this weekend’s series against Boston, which could cut into the playing time for Brooks Lee or Edouard Julien.
Royce Lewis (hamstring) will play 10 innings in a doubleheader on Tuesday and could return to Minnesota on May 6th.
Lewis will play 10 innings as the team’s designated hitter during a doubleheader for Triple-A St. Paul on Tuesday and then play a full game at third base on Wednesday, assuming Tuesday goes well. Even though that could mean Lewis returns this weekend, The Athletic’s Dan Hayes suggests “it’s likelier Lewis will play several more games over the weekend and return when the Twins open a homestand on May 6.”
Matt Wallner (hamstring) just started jogging on the treadmill on Monday.
Wallner has been out with a Grade 3 hamstring strain since April 15th. He has yet to swing a bat and will be re-evaluated by the Twins when they return home next week. We won’t have a firm timeline for Wallner’s return until he starts swinging, but it sounds like there’s a chance we don’t see him back until late May or early June.
Twins trainer Nick Paparesta said Luke Keaschall (forearm) will rest and won’t be re-evaluated “for at least a month.”
Keaschall suffered a non-displaced fracture in his right forearm, which halted his impressive MLB debut. The injury won’t require surgery, but the Twins will take time to allow it to heal on its own. “It’s probably going to be a couple of months before he’s back into playing games,” Paparesta said. When he does come back, there’s no guarantee he slots right back into the Minnesota lineup, so we may not see Keaschall back in the big leagues until the end of the summer.
Shane Bieber (elbow) is set to throw simulated games in the Arizona Complex League.
Bieber has said that he’s feeling healthy but is being deliberate in his rehab to ensure that he doesn’t come back too soon. The veteran’s target date had always been sometime around the All-Star break, so this would keep him on schedule. After Bieber throws simulated games, he would likely make a few rehab starts before returning to Cleveland. If all goes well, he could be back by the end of June.
Tony Gonsolin (back) will return from the injured list and start for the Dodgers on Wednesday against the Marlins.
Gonsolin missed the entire 2024 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery and was then sidelined by a back injury in spring after just three innings. The 30-year-old had a great season in 2022 and has been a solid starter for the Dodgers over his career. His lack of strikeouts limits his fantasy value a bit, but his velocity has been up in his rehab outings, so he could be worth a stash in deeper formats while he remains in the Dodgers’ rotation.