Catchers with the Best Value in Fantasy Drafts for 2024
Let's take a closer look at five catchers with notable upside given their current ADP around the fantasy-baseball landscape.
In order to be successful in fantasy baseball leagues, finding the best draft values on a position-by-position basis is vital. Here are some suggested options to target behind the plate.
Great value can be found at every position and any juncture of fantasy baseball drafts. Yes, even at catcher. The best bargains can sometimes come in the second or even third round. In other cases, a player with solid upside drops outside even the top-200 picks for any number of reasons. Well-prepared drafters will be ready to jump on those opportunities and all others that come in between.
The list below includes five catchers with notable upside given their current ADP around the fantasy-baseball landscape.
*** ADP based on FantasyPros Consensus Rankings at time of writing
Best Value Picks at Catcher in Fantasy Baseball
William Contreras – Milwaukee Brewers – ADP: 85, Catcher #4
Contreras was an All-Star in 2022 with the Braves. He followed that up by winning a Silver Slugger during his first year in Milwaukee, as he put up a nice .289/.367/.457 slash line with 17 homers, 38 doubles, 78 RBI and 86 runs. Contreras led all catchers in AVG, doubles, and runs scored while finishing fourth in RBI.
One thing that adds to Contreras’ value is the number of chances he gets to produce compared to others at the position. His 611 plate appearances in 2023 were second only to Adley Rutschman’s 687. Contreras has a chance to finish as the No. 1 catcher for 2024.
Sean Murphy – Atlanta Braves – ADP: 143, Catcher 8
After going to Atlanta as part of the same three-team trade that sent Contreras to Milwaukee, Murphy became an All-Star for the first time in 2023. He absolutely raked in the first half of last season, posting a ridiculous .999 OPS with 17 home runs and 55 RBI over 67 games.
As the Hotlanta summer set in for the second half though, his performance at the plate nosedived. Murphy hit an ugly .159 alongside a .585 OPS with just four deep drives in 41 games after the break. He has admitted that playing so much in the unfamiliar heat really wore him down, and a nagging hamstring issue certainly didn’t help matters.
Murphy will give way to veteran backup Travis d’Arnaud from time to time, but he should at least match and likely surpass last year’s 438 plate appearances. Murphy lines up in arguably the deepest lineup in the game which results in a plethora of RBI chances and plenty of pitches to hit. Look for him to take advantage of that even more in 2024.
Mitch Garver – Seattle Mariners – ADP: 204, Catcher 13
When Garver is healthy, he produces. The 33-year-old slugger owns a career .825 OPS and .231 ISO while averaging 30 homers for every 162 games since making his MLB debut back in 2017. He got into 87 games for the Rangers last season, giving the World Series champs a stout .270/.370/.500 slash line with 19 homers and 50 RBI across 344 plate appearances.
That led to a free-agent deal with the Mariners this offseason, who plan to deploy Garver as their main DH with limited time behind the plate in an effort to keep him off the IL. If he can remain healthy, and even if he only misses minimal time, Garver has immense upside at his current draft cost.
Luis Campusano – San Diego Padres – ADP: 263, Catcher 17
The Padres were disappointing overall last year, but Campusano was not. During his first extended look at big-league pitching, the young backstop hit a cool .319 with an .847 OPS, seven homers, and 30 RBI over 174 plate appearances. Campusano made a ton of contact (83.9 Contact%, 91.1 Z-Contact%) with his aggressive approach while impressively keeping his strikeouts down (12.1%).
That ability to put the bat on the ball, along with his batted-ball profile, suggests Campusano can sustain that success, as he put together a promising 22.4 LD% with a 40.6 HardHit%. The 25-year-old is the catcher of the present and future in San Diego.
Austin Wells – New York Yankees – ADP: 317, Catcher 23
Wells is a bat-first prospect who should see more and more time behind the plate for the Yankees as he gains experience this year. After combining 53 homers with 39 steals in just shy of 300 games in the minors over the last three years, Wells made his MLB debut this past September. It took him a little while to settle in, but something clicked for Wells over his final eight games of the season, as he went 11 for 31 with four long balls and three doubles while striking out just four times.
That power has sustained into this year, with Wells going 7-for-23 with two homers and three doubles in his first 10 games of Spring Training. As most know, left-handed power plays up with the short, right-field porch at Yankee Stadium. Wells’ bat could definitely thrive there.
Written by
Nate Miller is a feature writer at FantasyPros and Just Baseball. He has been an analyst in the fantasy sports industry for the past decade, covering…