The bar for Fantasy viability is so low at catcher. The No. 12 catcher in Rotisserie leagues right now is Willson Contreras, who missed over a month and a half of action with an injury and is currently hitting .261/.375/.475 with 45 runs, 15 homers, 35 RBI, and three steals. That's solid production from a catcher, but it pales in comparison to what the No. 12 player at other positions has provided:
- No. 12 1B, Jake Burger: .251 average, 53 R, 24 HR, 55 RBI, 0 SB
- No. 12 2B, Willi Castro: .258, 71 R, 10 HR, 47 RBI, 12 SB
- No. 12 3B, Alex Bregman: .261, 65 R, 19 HR, 59 RBI, 3 SB
- No. 12 SS, Ceddanne Rafaela: .264, 63 R, 13 HR, 59 RBI, 17 SB
That shouldn't come as any kind of surprise to anyone who has played Fantasy Baseball before, but it's still worth keeping in mind – and remember, it's even worse in those leagues where you have to start two catchers. I point all that out to make a point I've made many times in the Fantasy Baseball Today Newsletter: If you've got any juice at all, you're Fantasy-relevant at catcher.
And Adrian Del Castillo has juice.
The 24-year-old got the call for the Diamondbacks when Gabriel Moreno went on the IL a few weeks ago after a run in Triple-A where he absolutely terrorized the PCL. He wasn't just the best hitting catcher in the league, though he very much was, with only one other player at the position even within 200 points of OPS of him. But even beyond that, Del Castillo's 1.010 OPS was the very best of any player with at least 200 PA in the PCL. Again, he did that as a catcher.
And he's looked the part in his early taste of the majors as well. He had a massive game Monday against the Marlins, going 2 for 4 with a ground slam, six RBI total, and even added a stolen base for good measure. In eight games since getting the call, he's now hitting .323/.400/.677 with three homers, 12 RBI, and six runs.
Now, it's worth noting that the underlying numbers aren't quite as robust as all that. His .408 wOBA entering play Monday wasn't quite backed up by his .352 xwOBA, and his 35% strikeout rate isn't ideal, either. On the other hand, that .352 xwOBA (before he had two batted balls over 100 mph Monday, mind you) has been bested by just two catchers in the majors this season.
Which is all to say, I think Del Castillo needs to be rostered in pretty much every league where you start two catchers. And even in one-catcher leagues, I'd be willing to give him a look if I have someone like Logan O'Hoppe in my lineup – I do rank O'Hoppe ahead of Del Castillo the rest of the way, but he's also hitting just .154 with a 39% strikeout rate over the past 28 games, so if you're desperate for wins right now, I don't mind making the switch to play the hot hand here.
Del Castillo is certainly one of the hottest hands at the position right now, and if what he's done this season is at all for real, he might just be a must-start option there in the long run.
Tuesday's waiver targets
Masataka Yoshida, OF, Red Sox (73%) – I generally think Yoshida is what he is at this point – a strong source of batting average with a somewhat limited ceiling for Fantasy because he doesn't run or hit for much power. But there's no denying this: When he gets hot, he tends to get extremely hot, and he's extremely hot now. How hot is he right now? Well, he didn't even start Monday's game against the Astros, and he still homered and drove in a couple of runs. Since he came back from the IL in early June, he is hitting .310 with a 20-homer, 100-RBI pace over the past 52 games. When he's this locked in, Yoshida probably just needs to be in your lineup in all league types.
TJ Friedl, OF, Reds (68%) – I was pretty skeptical of Friedl's breakout, but it sure looks like he would've followed it up with another terrific season if not for injuries. Sure, the .237 average is a disappointment, but he hit his 10th homer in just 49 games Monday, giving him a 150-game pace of over 30 homers and nearly 20 steals. And his .277 xBA suggests that the biggest flaw in his game might just be a fluke, too. Friedl is, to a certain extent, a product of his home park, but he still gets to play there, doesn't he? He should be started in all categories leagues, and probably a decent share of points leagues at this point, too.
Connor Norby, 2B, Marlins (14%) – One downside of the Orioles' crowded farm system and major-league club is, that it created weird situations like this, where Norby getting traded from Baltimore to Miami was unequivocally good for his Fantasy value. Not only should he get a chance to play every day after being recalled by Miami Monday, but he actually should get a slight park upgrade – Miami and Baltimore have similar park factors overall, but Miami is a slightly better place for right-handed power, a big deal for a guy like Norby with just average raw pop. It's a bad lineup, but Norby is going to get a chance to prove himself and for a career .295/.370/.498 hitter at Triple-A, that's worth getting excited about for Fantasy.
David Peterson, SP, Mets () – I don't really believe in Peterson, but he just keeps getting the job done. And Monday might have been his most impressive start of the season, as he limited the Orioles to just two earned runs over seven innings while striking out eight, matching a season-high. He's mostly been beating up on subpar competition to get to his 3.00 ERA, but this was one of the best offenses in the league he just handled. I'm still hoping for just average production from Peterson moving forward, but this might have been a sign that maybe he can give us a little more than that.
