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Here, friend, are some catchers that I will be targeting at my 2022 fantasy drafts after the top options are gone. I’m not going to get into the strategy of punting catchers. Been there, half-drunkenly wrote that during the Ottoman Empire. Click on the player’s name where applicable to read more and see their 2022 projections and blurbs I wrote for them. This is a (legal-in-most-countries) supplement to the top 20 catchers of 2022 fantasy baseball. Now, guys and five girl readers, I am not saying avoid catchers like Daulton Varsho if they fall, but, to get on this list, a catcher needs to be drafted later than 200 overall, and, yes, I will go around the entire infield, outfield and pitchers to target very late. In regards to the ADP in the parenthesis, NFBC is mostly for two catcher leagues, so that should be taken into account. Anyway, here’s some catchers to target for 2022 fantasy baseball:
Sean Murphy (NFBC 241, ESPN 300, Yahoo 278) If Murphy is lucky, the A’s will move to Vegas in May without informing Oakland, and the dry air in Vegas will help Murphy hit it out of the Stratosphere (where the A’s will be playing home games). Everything that could go right will, that’s Murphy’s Law. Did I just make that up? Just dumb luck, call it Murphy’s Law. I started that. That’s new, right?
Mike Zunino (NFBC 251, ESPN 254, Yahoo 305) Gonna use what the scientists call “my big-assed brain” and tell you one thing and one thing only that’s gonna make you go, “Oh my God, has Jimmy Carter died and gone to the big peanut farm in the sky and sent back to earth to go farm the peanut brain in Grey’s head?” Last year, Zunino was the 5th best catcher on the Player Rater, and being drafted as the 16th best catcher at NFBC, and 15th best at Yahoo. Do people think he’s going to be much worse or do people just not realize how good Zunino was last year? I’m going to Home Depot to point at the latter.
Adley Rutschman (NFBC 231, ESPN, 240, Yahoo 321) Since this preseason is going on 7 months, you’re not going to remember this, but I gave you an Adley Rutschman fantasy already this preseason. Here’s some of what I said, “Grey sucks…he has…40-grade legs…but…that makes baseball people horny!” Damn, I’m miserable at pulling quotes! Also, Adley is hurt now, but he wasn’t starting the year in Baltimore anyway, so it’s kinda whatever. If anything, it’s helped lower his ADP. Speaking of which, I grabbed NFBC’s ADP for the last week for Adley.
Elias Diaz (NFBC 255, ESPN unranked, Yahoo unranked) If I were the type to write fantasy baseball sleepers for catchers, besides, well, interjection, this post, I might’ve did one for Elias Diaz, but only after I saw how late everyone was drafting him. The biggest caveat for Diaz is Bud Black will look at Dom Nunez and think, “He was the Rockies’ catcher last year, right? Right? I really hope I’m not saying any of this aloud. Oh, boy, people are giving me that look that says I am saying this aloud.” Then Charlie Blackmon will say, “Are you okay, coach?” Also, for Diaz, anyone who has used the Fantasy Baseball War Room will prolly know, Rudy’s projections have Elias as the 11th catcher off the board, higher than anyone else has him, and he was 14th best last year for catchers on the Player Rater.
Omar Narvaez (NFBC 261, ESPN unranked, Yahoo 291) Ya know what’s interesting (which is what I say right before saying something very uninteresting)? Narvaez is a .266 hitter through 1561 career at-bats, but all the projections say he’ll hit .250. Told you interesting (yawn)! Very, very interesting (very, very yawn).
Tyler Stephenson (ESPN 238, Yahoo 289) I’m pretty off the Daulton Varshoo choo-choo in one catcher leagues — I did draft him in my two-catcher LABR league the other day — because his price is too inflated for me. Though, if Varsho falls, of course, nom nom nom. My Daulton Varsho though — Varsthough? — is Stephenson. If I can get him anywhere after 200 overall, I’m all-in on him at that price, and in one-catcher leagues, that shouldn’t be too hard to do.
Carson Kelly (NFBC 272, ESPN 296, Yahoo 275) The other day when I wrote up my LABR draft, I decided I didn’t want to get into it. “It” being how there were some fantasy baseball ‘perts talking about how great Daulton Varsho was going to be. My not wanting to get into “it” was many-fold, like an origami swan. It’s not that I don’t like Varsho, I drafted him in that league, but I do wonder why the Dumbbacks didn’t play him all year last year, and how that leaves me wondering if they’ll play every game with him again. They might just be dumb, hence the name, or it might not be anything to worry about. Varsho’s value is coming from all those projected at-bats everyone is giving him, so that’s a worry. He wouldn’t be the first guy who elicited air-humps from drafters because he had catcher eligibility but will start elsewhere. Countering that, I pinged Geoff, who knows prospects as well as anyone, and he said he was all-in on Varsho. What does this have to do with Carson Kelly? Well, same team, so Kelly’s at-bats might be tied to Varsho, though, as said, the latter could play outfield. Kelly is only 27, and has a year of 18 HRs, .245 in 2019. That’s top ten catcher numbers with the right number of runs and RBIs.
Max Stassi (NFBC 297, ESPN unranked, Yahoo unranked) Go over Stassi in the video at the top of the page. Goosestep yourself to that, and watch.
Joey Bart (NFBC 278, ESPN unranked, Yahoo unranked) If Buster Posey didn’t retire, but instead got hurt in April, knocking him out for the year*, Joey Bart would’ve been the hottest waiver wire add that week, and went for something like $125+ on waivers in $1000 FAAB leagues. But, because Bart already has the job, no one cares about him. Try to make that make sense.
*This is a highly unlikely scenario because Buster Posey was the reason why no one could ever hurt a catcher, and knock them out for the year. MLB would’ve tried and convicted any baserunner who looked at Posey the wrong way.
