I mentioned it in last week’s catcher preview where we profiled catchers that are boosted by the Universal DH, but this position isn’t exactly loaded with glamorous offensive options. However, most leagues require you to start one catcher, or in some cases, two catchers. If you don’t want to pay up for Salvador Perez, Willson Contreras or another guy in the top 10 of the position, there are some guys outside of the top-10 that you’ll want to be aware of in your drafts. Especially if you play in a two-catcher setup, the guys below make for excellent second catchers, or you can target multiple guys here to be your top-two options behind the dish.

 

 


Of catchers with at least 300 plate appearances, Narvaez’s .266 batting average was the fifth-highest, while his .342 OBP was the seventh-highest. Following the same parameters above, he was one of just four catchers with a strikeout rate below 20 percent, but with a walk rate north of nine percent. His batted ball profile is far from prolific, but he enjoyed a nice bump in his average exit velocity to offset the decrease in his barrel rate from 2020.

 


The haters will point to this underwhelming batted ball profile, an xBA of just .235 last year, and the fact that Milwaukee brought in a viable offensive backup in Pedro Severino. Severino does what Narvaez cannot do, which is hit left-handers. Narvaez hit .289 with an .805 OPS against southpaws, compared to a .152 batting average and .434 OPS against lefties. Narvaez is in a sneaky good lineup in Milwaukee and will be on a larger side of a platoon in Milwaukee, making him a solid pick outside of the top-15 players at the position, especially when factoring in that he’s a lock for double-digit homers and should provide a solid batting average for the position.

 

 


Diaz was nearly one of the four players above to strikeout less than 20 percent of the time, while walking more than nine percent of the time. In fact, in 2021, of catchers with at least 300 plate appearances, Diaz had the lowest strikeout rate at just 16.2 percent. Diaz hit 18 home runs last year, and a slight uptick in his launch angle, fly ball rate, and HR/FB rate helped fuel that increased power production. He showed nice pop against lefties and righties last year, posting a .200+ ISO against both, and he did the same in terms of home and road contests. Like most hitters, his .203 batting average on the road pales in comparison to his .289 batting average at Coors.

 

 


I’m all in on speculative late-round fliers on Alfaro in San Diego. There’s a good bit of depth behind the plate in San Diego with Austin Nola, Luis Campusano and Victor Caratini, but Nola has some durability issues, and Alfaro could find time in the outfield if there’s some injuries there. Alfaro stole eight bags last year, and back in 2018 and 2019, he hit a combined 28 home runs with seven stolen bases across 238 games. Playing time could become an issue, because he likely finds himself on the outside looking in, but with regular playing time, he would be an excellent fantasy option. If things break right for Alfaro, he could be a 10/10 guy behind the dish with a .240-.245 batting average.

 

Honorable Mention: Mike Zunino, Jacob Stallings, Mitch Garver

 

RELATED LINKS

Fantasy Baseball 2022