Fantasy Baseball Player Notes

2024 Fantasy Baseball Draft Notes

Position

Team

Adley Rutschman Note
	1. Adley Rutschman BAL Adley Rutschman arrived in 2023 in a big way. He slashed .277/.374/.435 and hit 20 home runs, drove in 80, and scored 84 times. The upstart Orioles offense is loaded with weapons, and the 26-year-old should continue to bat at the top of it. He will never steal bases, but he will protect your ratios better than any other catcher on the board. Don't be surprised when he is the first backstop drafted in 2024. 24 weeks ago

J.T. Realmuto Note
	2. J.T. Realmuto PHI J.T. Realmuto's run as the clear No. 1 catcher in fantasy may be over. Realmuto's batting average and OBP have fallen to below-average, and he may fall in the Phillies batting order as a result. Make no mistake, though, that he still offers double-digit upside in homers and steals, which makes him a valuable backstop, even if he now has competition at the top. 24 weeks ago

Will Smith Note
	3. Will Smith LAD Will Smith has become an Ol' Reliable of the catching position in fantasy baseball. He only played in 126 games, which suppressed his home run total (19) to below 20 for the first time since 2020. Smith hits in the middle of the powerful Dodgers lineup, and his counting stats should continue being boosted because of it. His Statcast hitting profile shows that he excels at patience, though his batting average will hover in the .260 range. Smith should be the third catcher off the board somewhere in the early middle rounds. 24 weeks ago

William Contreras Note
	4. William Contreras MIL William Contreras arrived in 2023 and produced at a Top 10 catcher rate for the entire season. He provides a nice balance of power and average from the backstop position, hitting 17 home runs and slashing .289/.367/.457. Nothing stands out as something fantasy managers will have to "account for" when drafting him, ideally past the eighth round. 24 weeks ago

Yainer Diaz Note
	5. Yainer Diaz HOU Yainer Diaz will probably be on every Sleepers list for 2024 drafts because he offers a ton of offense at a position that lacks it. The 25-year-old hit 23 home runs in 104 games while slashing an impressive .278/.306/.532. Yes, the OBP is low, which is attributable to his 2.9 percent walk rate. (If you're looking for the player in the first percentile in this category and Chase% (44), you've found him.) The good news is that his xBA is .288, and his xSLG is .543. He will get plenty of at-bats in Houston, and since defensive metrics don't matter in fantasy, he is definitely someone to target. 24 weeks ago

Sean Murphy Note
	6. Sean Murphy ATL Sean Murphy's first year in Atlant went swimmingly. He popped 21 home runs while driving in 68 and scoring 65 runs. Murphy's strengths are his stellar OBP (.365) and walk rate (11.2%). His superb fielding skills will keep him in the lineup, even with Travis d'Arnaud on the roster, and he should get around 470 plate appearances. Fantasy managers can expect 20 homers and 60/60 in runs and RBIs while not being a liability to the team's batting average. His current ADP is 137, a decent value for a catcher with his skillset and outstanding surrounding cast. 24 weeks ago

Cal Raleigh Note
	7. Cal Raleigh SEA Cal Raleigh is the catcher you wait for if you don't care about batting average or on-base percentage. The 27-year-old led all catchers with 30 home runs while slashing .232/.306/.456. He strikes out a lot (27.8 K%), but he should drive in 80+ in 2024. Raleigh is the catcher that your league mates are most likely to forget. Grab him anytime after the 11th round as your C1. 24 weeks ago

Willson Contreras Note
	8. Willson Contreras STL Willson Contreras began his Cardinals career by improving his batting average and not slipping anywhere else. The elder Contreras brother hit 20 home runs, drove in 67, and slashed .264/.358/.467 across 125 games. He increased his BB% to 10.3 and is in the 93rd percentile in xwOBA at .373. While he will go through stretches where he chases more than fantasy managers would like, he should continue his Top 10 catcher production in his ninth season. Willson and William had eerily similar stats in 2023, but you can get Willson about 55 picks later. He is a great mid-round target to fill your catcher position. 24 weeks ago

Salvador Perez Note
	9. Salvador Perez KC Salvador Perez remained a staple of the Kansas City Royals lineup in 2023, playing in 140 games and racking up 580 plate appearances. He hit .254 with a miserable .292 OBP and .422 SLG. He hit 23 home runs for the second year in a row and drove in 80. His projections for 2024 suggest more of the same for the 33-year-old. Perez is a catcher who isn't going to drag down your batting average and give you 20+ homers. That is a rare bird; at his ADP of 133, he isn't a bad value in 2024. 24 weeks ago

Francisco Alvarez Note
	10. Francisco Alvarez NYM Francisco Alvarez saw 423 plate appearances in 2023 and responded with 25 home runs, showing off the power that fantasy managers had been promised. He also struck out at a 26% clip, walked at a meager 8%, and slashed an ugly .209/.284/.437. Alvarez is only 22, and the power is very real. He had never had a BB% lower than 11.3% in his career, so chances are high there should be a strong bounceback in OBP. He has a lot to offer at the catcher position and is going at pick 154. 24 weeks ago

Gabriel Moreno Note
	11. Gabriel Moreno ARI Gabriel Moreno played in 111 games for the Diamondbacks in 2023 and offered steady ratios with very little else. He is projected to slash in the .285/.340/.420 range, meaning he won't do any damage to lineups, but there isn't much power upside. Moreno is, essentially, the exact opposite of Cal Raleigh, and it's up to fantasy managers which type of backstop they want in their lineups. 24 weeks ago

Jonah Heim Note
	12. Jonah Heim TEX

Logan O'Hoppe Note
	13. Logan O'Hoppe LAA

Mitch Garver Note
	14. Mitch Garver SEA

Keibert Ruiz Note
	15. Keibert Ruiz WSH

Bo Naylor Note
	16. Bo Naylor CLE

Luis Campusano Note
	17. Luis Campusano SD

Tyler Stephenson Note
	18. Tyler Stephenson CIN

Alejandro Kirk Note
	19. Alejandro Kirk TOR

Shea Langeliers Note
	20. Shea Langeliers OAK

MJ Melendez Note
	21. MJ Melendez KC

Henry Davis Note
	22. Henry Davis PIT

Elias Diaz Note
	23. Elias Diaz SD

Ryan Jeffers Note
	24. Ryan Jeffers MIN

Danny Jansen Note
	25. Danny Jansen BOS

Austin Wells Note
	26. Austin Wells NYY

Yan Gomes Note
	27. Yan Gomes FA

Connor Wong Note
	28. Connor Wong BOS

Travis d'Arnaud Note
	29. Travis d'Arnaud ATL

Jake Rogers Note
	30. Jake Rogers DET

Gary Sanchez Note
	31. Gary Sanchez MIL

Patrick Bailey Note
	32. Patrick Bailey SF

Freddy Fermin Note
	33. Freddy Fermin KC

Rene Pinto Note
	34. Rene Pinto TB

Christian Bethancourt Note
	35. Christian Bethancourt CHC

Tyler Soderstrom Note
	36. Tyler Soderstrom OAK

Christian Vazquez Note
	37. Christian Vazquez MIN

Ivan Herrera Note
	38. Ivan Herrera STL

Miguel Amaya Note
	39. Miguel Amaya CHC

Nick Fortes Note
	40. Nick Fortes MIA

Tom Murphy Note
	41. Tom Murphy SF

Blake Sabol Note
	42. Blake Sabol SF

Yasmani Grandal Note
	43. Yasmani Grandal PIT

Kyle Higashioka Note
	44. Kyle Higashioka SD

James McCann Note
	45. James McCann BAL

Andrew Knizner Note
	46. Andrew Knizner ARI

Martin Maldonado Note
	47. Martin Maldonado FA

Carson Kelly Note
	48. Carson Kelly TEX

Korey Lee Note
	49. Korey Lee CWS

Jose Trevino Note
	50. Jose Trevino NYY

Joey Bart Note
	51. Joey Bart PIT

Victor Caratini Note
	52. Victor Caratini HOU

Max Stassi Note
	53. Max Stassi CWS

Jacob Stallings Note
	54. Jacob Stallings COL

Matt Thaiss Note
	55. Matt Thaiss LAA

Luke Maile Note
	56. Luke Maile CIN

Kyle Teel Note
	57. Kyle Teel BOS

Eric Haase Note
	58. Eric Haase MIL

Omar Narvaez Note
	59. Omar Narvaez HOU

Reese McGuire Note
	60. Reese McGuire BOS

Edgar Quero Note
	61. Edgar Quero CWS

Jeferson Quero Note
	62. Jeferson Quero MIL

Riley Adams Note
	63. Riley Adams WSH

Carlos Perez Note
	64. Carlos Perez OAK

Sam Huff Note
	65. Sam Huff TEX

Austin Barnes Note
	66. Austin Barnes LAD

Jose Hernandez Note
	67. Jose Hernandez NYM

Ethan Salas Note
	68. Ethan Salas SD

Wes Clarke Note
	69. Wes Clarke MIL

Ben Rice Note
	70. Ben Rice NYY

David Fry Note
	71. David Fry CLE

Austin Hedges Note
	72. Austin Hedges CLE

Dillon Dingler Note
	73. Dillon Dingler DET

Francisco Mejia Note
	74. Francisco Mejia MIL

Austin Nola Note
	75. Austin Nola KC

Jorge Alfaro Note
	76. Jorge Alfaro FA

Alex Jackson Note
	77. Alex Jackson TB

Garrett Stubbs Note
	78. Garrett Stubbs PHI

Mike Zunino Note
	79. Mike Zunino FA

Seby Zavala Note
	80. Seby Zavala SEA

Tucker Barnhart Note
	81. Tucker Barnhart CIN

Drew Romo Note
	82. Drew Romo COL

Ben Rortvedt Note
	83. Ben Rortvedt TB

Samuel Basallo Note
	84. Samuel Basallo BAL

Brian Serven Note
	85. Brian Serven TOR

Jason Delay Note
	86. Jason Delay PIT

Austin Wynns Note
	87. Austin Wynns CIN

Chadwick Tromp Note
	88. Chadwick Tromp ATL

Brett Sullivan Note
	89. Brett Sullivan SD

Lucas May Note
	90. Lucas May MIL

Curt Casali Note
	91. Curt Casali SF

Jose Herrera Note
	92. Jose Herrera ARI

Chad Wallach Note
	93. Chad Wallach LAA

Manny Pina Note
	94. Manny Pina FA

Roberto Perez Note
	95. Roberto Perez FA

Rafael Marchan Note
	96. Rafael Marchan PHI

Tomas Nido Note
	97. Tomas Nido FA

Ali Sanchez Note
	98. Ali Sanchez MIA

Drew Millas Note
	99. Drew Millas WSH

Pedro Pages Note
	100. Pedro Pages STL

Tyler Heineman Note
	101. Tyler Heineman BOS

Cam Gallagher Note
	102. Cam Gallagher PHI

Michael Perez Note
	103. Michael Perez FA

Sandy Leon Note
	104. Sandy Leon ATL

Jair Camargo Note
	105. Jair Camargo MIN

Rob Brantly Note
	106. Rob Brantly TB

Cesar Salazar Note
	107. Cesar Salazar HOU

Kyle McCann Note
	108. Kyle McCann OAK

Logan Porter Note
	109. Logan Porter NYM

Donny Sands Note
	110. Donny Sands DET

Paul McIntosh Note
	111. Paul McIntosh MIA

Hunter Feduccia Note
	112. Hunter Feduccia LAD

Israel Pineda Note
	113. Israel Pineda WSH

Andrew Knapp Note
	114. Andrew Knapp SF

Payton Henry Note
	115. Payton Henry TOR

Anthony Bemboom Note
	116. Anthony Bemboom DET

Blake Hunt Note
	117. Blake Hunt BAL

Luis Torrens Note
	118. Luis Torrens NYM

P.J. Higgins Note
	119. P.J. Higgins CIN