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June is now nearly over, and we’re coming up on the midpoint of the MLB season. Where does your team stand? Need to replace an injured catcher? Looking for a reliable backup?
RotoBaller has you covered with analysis on three catchers who may be free agents in your league, who you can target off the waiver wire in Week 12 of fantasy baseball.
Editor’s Note: to read about even more waiver wire options for catchers, be sure to check out our famous waiver wire pickups list which is a running list that is updated daily. You can also download our waiver wire iPhone app for free, and easily stay updated.
Waiver Wire Adds for Catchers
Yadier Molina, St. Louis Cardinals – Owned in 80% of FleaFlicker Leagues
BALLER MOVE: Add in All Formats
It's understandable why some fantasy managers recently dropped Molina out of frustration. I'm here to make sure that if that happened in anyone's league, they go snatch him up quickly. Molina had a terrible start to the season for his standards, but has brought his slash line up to .291/.339/.368 thanks to a recent hot stretch. Since May 26th he has recorded a hit in 16 of 22 games he's participated in, including belting his first two home-runs of the season this past week.
The St. Louis Cardinals have the best record in baseball, and even though they're not at the top of any offensive categories they still continue to get it done. Molina bats sixth, surrounded by Kolten Wong and Jason Heyward, so the opportunities should continue to roll in for him. He has been one of the league's best backstops for the past ten years, and a couple of rough months to start the season is no reason to give up on that kind of proven player. Unless managers already have a top tier catcher and don't have anyone to drop, Molina is worthy of picking up to start or as trade bait in all formats.
Wilson Ramos, Washington Nationals – Owned in 22% of FleaFlicker Leagues
BALLER MOVE: Add in Most Formats
Wilson Ramos is a guy who just simply isn't getting enough love this year. After an atrocious start to the season, Ramos has picked things up in the past month or so. He's brought his season slash line up to .266/.289/.415 with his current hot stretch, and has racked up seven homeruns, 19 runs, and 33 RBI. Ramos is currently on pace to break his career highs in homeruns and RBI and would come close to his career mark in runs as well if that pace came to fruition.
The Nationals currently rank in the top third of nearly every offensive statistic, and it helps that Ramos is surrounded by the likes of Danny Espinosa and Bryce Harper. Harper is helping Ramos' case to break his career RBI mark quite a bit. He's leading the league in walks and is fifth in batting average. Ramos is currently the tenth ranked fantasy catcher, and there's no reason he won't finish the season with that rank or better.
Francisco Cervelli, Pittsburgh Pirates – Owned in 18% of FleaFlicker Leagues
BALLER MOVE: Add in Deeper Formats, All Two-Catcher Leagues
Francisco Cervelli is another guy who isn't getting the love he deserves. So far this season Cervelli has been consistently underwhelming, but that consistency has him currently ranked as the twelfth best backstop for fantasy purposes. His season slash line currently sits at .311/.389/.400 which accurately portrays what fantasy managers can expect from the Pittsburgh catcher. Even though Cervelli blasted his second homerun of the season this past week, he is useful for average but not so much in the counting stats.
When Pittsburgh lost Russell Martin this past off-season, they lost one of the league's best on both offense and defense. The Pirates knew Cervelli was a capable backup when they brought him in from the Yankees, but took a chance on a 29 year old that never had the chance for a starters-role. They have to be more than happy with the value they've gotten. Even though Pittsburgh is hovering right around the middle of the pack in most offensive categories, Cervelli continues to get things done while remaining under the radar.
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