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Catcher is always a weird position for fantasy baseball. For every stud catcher who racks up points on a nightly basis, there seem to be five defense-first catchers who seemingly go days without generating any production offensively.
With that lack of depth in mind, here are some sleeper catchers that are flying under the radar that you should target in your drafts.
Fantasy baseball sleepers: Catcher
Mike Zunino, Cleveland Guardians
ADP: 439
The trick with Zunino is to overlook his statistics from last year, as he had a measly .195 OBP in 36 games with the Rays before being shut down for the year after undergoing surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome. That said, Zunino’s only two years removed from slugging 33 home runs and being named an AL All-Star. While Zunino has plenty of boom or bust potential, all signs have pointed towards Zunino being healthy for the start of 2023 and is worth a look in the later rounds of your draft.
MJ Melendez, Kansas City Royals
ADP: 108
Along with providing some offensive production, Melendez also boasts positional versatility and is eligible to be slotted in at a corner outfield spot. Melendez has a combination of pop (18 home runs in 139 games as a rookie) and plate discipline (92nd percentile in walk rate) that is rare in catchers. With the Royals looking to turn a corner this year, Melendez should get plenty of opportunities to build on his strong rookie season.
Gabriel Moreno, Arizona Diamondbacks
ADP: 271
Moreno is more a long-game type of acquisition, as he might not be an immediate starter in the desert after being Acquired by the Diamondbacks in the offseason. Still, when Moreno gets a chance he should make the most of it, as the former top prospect hit .319 with one home run and seven RBIs in 25 games last season.
Tyler Stephenson, Cincinnati Reds
ADP: 166
It’s understandable if fantasy owners are wary of trusting Stephenson, as he entered last season with massive amounts of hype only to play in 50 games due to injuries. That said, Stephenson should be able to stay healthy this year, as the Reds invested in two backup catchers in an attempt to limit Stephenson’s time behind the plate. Stephenson looked legit last year in those 50 games, mashing six home runs with 35 RBIs.