Fantasy Baseball 2025: Catcher Sleepers

When it comes to fantasy baseball, and fantasy sports in general, everyone is always trying to find the next potential star player who nobody else is aware of. It’s a fair goal. Fantasy managers will try to find value wherever they can. 

I will be providing as many draft tips as possible now that we’ve hit February, and getting started with sleepers is a phenomenal way to do so. My definition of ‘sleeper’ refers to players being taken outside the top 180 NFBC rankings. This means guys to focus on after the 15th round of a 12-team format.

Not everyone knows their names. That will soon change. Let’s take a look at these silent advantage catchers!

Don’t Give Up On Patrick Bailey’s Bat – #300

Out of everyone on this list, I might be drafting the most shares of Patrick Bailey. 

The kid is still young, and even though the home run numbers haven’t quite been evident just yet, remain patient.

Bailey really didn’t get a lot of experience at Double-A or Triple-A, considering he played a total of 28 games between both levels. Now that he finally got a full workload under his belt last season, he has breakout potential. 

His exit velocity was in the 84th percentile last season, while his launch angle sweet-spot rate landed in the 83rd. With time, I believe the power will start to show, even though he owns a contact-first profile. Bailey doesn’t strike out and had terrific OBP skills in the minors. 

San Francisco isn’t the greatest hitter’s park, but it’s shorter than you think down the right field line, which suits lefties very well. I am curious what kind of step forward Bailey takes this season because I believe it will net positive results.

Jonah Heim Needs To Rediscover His 2023 Form – #288

If Jonah Heim regains any part of what made his 2023 so successful, the Rangers will be dangerous from 1-9.

Let me be honest for a second. Heim is not going to carry you in any single category. However, opportunity is aplenty for the Texas catcher. Especially when Josh Jung, Evan Carter, and Jake Burger are slotted to hit before him, even at the bottom of the lineup. 

And when we look back on his 2023, there’s reason to believe he will be able to get back to that player. It wasn’t anything amazing, yet Heim took advantage when he needed to. 95 RBI is huge for a catcher and so rare for backstops to achieve. I could see him putting up a similar total in 2025 if he gets back to his roots. 

The launch angle needs to get back to normal levels, in addition to the barrel rate. His exit velocity was about the same in each of the past two years, which tells me he just wasn’t making quality contact at quality angles in 2024. His xBA was also higher than what he showed, which gives reason to be optimistic. 

If Heim shows nothing early, I’d say move on. But his cheap price gives you the option to capture someone who was a big part of MLB’s best offense back in 2023.

Iván Herrera Has a Chance To Step Up – #241

Willson Contreras moving to first base full-time has given Iván Herrera a shot to step up in his role. The 24-year-old has some promise.

The Cardinals haven’t quite taken the reins off Herrera, considering he’s only played 96 total games at the major league level, but what I’ve seen is motivating me to pay attention. 

A .301 batting average in addition to the .800 OPS last season caught my eye. Herrera only took pitchers deep five times, something I’d like to see improved as he gains experience against big league pitching. And I think he will, considering he hit 17 homers in 98 Double-A games back in 2021. 

The underlying data suggests a bright future for Herrera. He’s got strong launch angle metrics in addition to strong bat speed. Busch Stadium has a way of limiting power, which is something not to overlook, but at this price with elite batting average tools, this investment could be worth it.

Ryan Jeffers Is a Roller Coaster – #228

Remember that guy on the waiver wire who everyone was grabbing back in the first half of 2024? His second half wasn’t quite as good, but Ryan Jeffers is still a guy who is worth taking as your catcher.

Jeffers’ splits were very up and down last season. His April netted a .338/.424/.636 line with a 1.060 OPS and five home runs. In May, he hit seven long balls, yet the average dipped to just .214 in that time.

He was awful in June, hitting just one homer with a .161 average. He then regrouped in August only to crash out yet again in September. The guy is a roller coaster! 

Yet, if you find yourself around this draft position without a catcher, you may just have to get on said ride. He’s a streaky hitter who will win you some matchups while failing to help in any way come others. You might love him one month while pulling your hair out the next. 

However, I like the risk here. And I like his price even more. If Jeffers is horrible in April and can’t seem to catch fire, simply drop him for another backstop who’s showing positive signs. It’s that easy!

Connor Wong Is Set Up To Succeed – #219

Not everyone has to light up Statcast in order to be a good major league hitter. Connor Wong falls in such a category, especially being a catcher. 

I’ve long been a big proponent of studying what a player has done at the Triple-A level. Back in 2022, Wong impressed with a .288/.349/.489 slash line with 15 home runs in 81 games. 

It’s also worth mentioning his 2019 minor league season wasn’t too bad, either. 24 long balls with an .878 OPS in 111 contests. So where is this power coming from in a profile that features very little raw power in the data?

Well, his home ballpark helps. Fenway Park is very conducive for right-handed hitters who can elevate the ball. He also pulls the ball in a way that is perfect when dealing with the Green Monster in left field.

For the last two seasons, Wong has produced a pull rate above 40%. And if we look at his home run landing spots, 11 of his 13 dingers landed over the Green Monster.

Wong won’t be playing every day, but when he does, it will help your lineup. Plus, just look at the lineup surrounding him.

At the top, the Red Sox have stars like Rafael Devers, Alex Bregman, and Jarren Duran, while the bottom features a lot of potential in Wilyer Abreu, Ceddanne Rafaela, and Roman Anthony (at some point). I like that support and the potential for healthy counting stats.