If you don’t value the catcher position at all, then finding a sleeper is a necessity in the 2018 fantasy baseball draft.
Only three catchers have average draft positions of less than 100 — Gary Sanchez, Buster Posey and Wilson Contreras — and only one, Sanchez, is in the top-25.
Catchers just don’t provide much value to rosters, so they’re often the forgotten piece to your fantasy baseball roster puzzle. But if you can wait, and find a diamond in the rough, that can provide a welcoming sight to any fantasy roster.
Here’s three catchers with sleeper potential in the 2018 fantasy baseball draft.
J.T. Realmuto, C/1B, Miami Marlins
He’s the fourth-ranked catcher in ADP, but I’ll still consider him a sleeper based on his 106th overall ADP.
Since becoming a full-time player, he’s progressively increased his games, runs and power numbers. From 2016 to 2017, he went from 48 RBI to 65; went from 60 runs to 68; and went from 11 homers to 17.
Those aren’t huge jumps, but they’re enough to signal that he’s on the right track. His batting average also didn’t take a huge slide with the added power numbers, so that shouldn’t be a problem.
Outside of Sanchez, he can compete with the other catchers in fantasy baseball. I wouldn’t waste my time with Contreras or Posey, and instead set my sights on Realmuto.
Welington Castillo, C, Chicago White Sox
He has some power, so that is a major plus at the price you’ll get him in the fantasy baseball draft.
He’s listed as the 10th-highest catcher in ADP and 182 overall. He should be the starter for the White Sox, so his power numbers could continue to increase from his recent power surges.
He had a career-high 20 home runs in limited action for Baltimore in 2017. He’s had some issues with his batting average during his career, but even that hasn’t been terrible in recent years. The White Sox will need someone to drive in runs and Guaranteed Rate Field is a nice park to hit homers.
Castillo won’t provide much more than home runs, but that’s a coveted commodity among the catcher position.
Mike Zunino, C, Seattle Mariners
You have to take the good with the bad in the catcher position for sleepers. Zunino is going to whiff…a lot. He led all catchers with 160 strikeouts in 2017. And that’s not an anomaly. He had 158 strikeouts in 2014.
When he plays the majority of the season, he’s going to miss a lot of balls.
But when he connects, he has some power. He has more than 20 homers twice in the three seasons where he’s logged more than 100 games. He also has more than 60 RBI in those seasons, too.
Because he strikes out all the time, his batting average isn’t great, but he will display power. He’s currently the eighth-ranked catcher in ADP and 168th overall. I favor Castillo over him, but if he’s not available, and Zunino is, then this wouldn’t be a bad pick.
