2025 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers: Catcher
George Bissell and Dave Shovein break down their favorite sleeper candidates at the catcher position heading into next season.
The nebulous “sleeper” label has morphed into an all-encompassing shorthand in the fantasy baseball lexicon to identify undervalued players during draft season, but the core principles remain intact. Here at The Buzz, we’re sticking with the traditional definition by classifying sleeper candidates as unheralded or unproven players that are currently flying under the radar, typically late-round selections, but have a real chance to emerge as an impact fantasy contributors next season. George Bissell and Dave Shovein provide in-depth breakdowns of their biggest fantasy sleepers at the catcher position including: Drake Baldwin, Jake Rogers, Hunter Goodman, Danny Jansen and Adrian Del Castillo.
Drake Baldwin, Braves
NFBC ADP: 660
Love the Drake. Travis d’Arnaud bolting for Los Angeles in free agency opens a Grand Canyon-sized pathway for Baldwin to open next season in the big leagues after slashing .276/.370/.423 with 16 round-trippers and two steals in 551 plate appearances last year between Double-A Mississippi and Triple-A Gwinnett. The 23-year-old former third-round pick proceeded to tear the cover off the ball in the Arizona Fall League as well, batting .377 (20-for-53) with one homer in 13 contests. His minor-league average exit velocity data and above-average plate skills point to a young hitter that is poised to make an immediate impact at the highest level. There’s very little chance Baldwin usurps veteran Sean Murphy as Atlanta’s starting catcher coming out of spring training. However, Murphy’s extensive injury and concussion history make it likely he’ll be asked to shoulder a significant workload in his rookie campaign. Fantasy managers shouldn’t anticipate a ton of over-the-fence pop, but Baldwin projects to hit for a respectable batting average, which isn’t always easy to find at the catcher position and could unlock some additional pop with some launch angle tweaks. He’s currently being selected as the 44th catcher off the board (661st overall) in early NFBC drafts. That number will rise exponentially once he starts making some noise in Grapefruit League action. He’s one of my favorite catching prospects from a dynasty standpoint and I’d feel comfortable with him as my second catcher in a deeper mixed league heading into next season. — George Bissell
Jake Rogers, Tigers
NFBC ADP: 626
Rogers is one of my favorite sleepers at the catcher position heading into the 2025 season. I get it, he has yet to hit higher than .221 over a full season in the big leagues nor has he ever swiped more than one base in a season. That’s two of the five offensive categories where you’re basically taking a huge negative right off the bat, so why would we be interested? Once again for me, it comes down to cost and playing time. Rogers has emerged as one of the best all-around defensive catchers in the American League and he’s going to hold on to the Tigers’ starting job behind the plate regardless of how poorly he hits. So what can you hope for in that 325-350 at-bats that he’ll get? The former top prospect really struggled at the dish for the bulk of the 2024 season, but we saw flashes in 2023 when he slugged a career-high 21 homers and flirted with 100 combined runs and RBI. For all of the bad that happened in 2024, he at least cut his strikeout rate a bit and started to pull the baseball more, which could help him to tap into his power going forward. I’m not suggesting that you count on him as an option to start, even in deeper two-catcher formats. At an ADP in the 600’s though, he doesn’t have to do that to return value. He makes for a perfect third catcher in Draft Champions formats, as all you’re really looking for is someone who is going to keep their job and give you at-bats if anything should happen to one of your top two backstops. As an added bonus, he’ll give you that while also having the potential to slug 15-20 home runs. Not a league winner by any stretch of the imagination, but certainly someone that you should have on your radar in the later rounds of deeper mixed league and AL-only drafts. — Dave Shovein
Hunter Goodman, Rockies
NFBC ADP: 339
Goodman got into 23 contests last year behind the plate, which was just enough to get him catcher-eligibility for fantasy purposes heading into the 2025 campaign. The 25-year-old figures to bounce around enough between first base and the outfield corners, when he’s not spelling veteran backstop Jacob Stallings, to emerge as a viable fantasy contributor next season, especially in deeper mixed leagues. The over-the-fence power is not a question after blasting 13 dingers in just 224 plate appearances last year, but the batting average is another question entirely since he’s hit .192 (54-for-281) at the highest level over the past two seasons. Part of that is an absurdly low .199 BABIP, but he’s also struck out just a shade under 30 percent during that span. There aren’t a ton of signs pointing to a full-fledged fantasy breakthrough, but Goodman makes a ton of sense as a cheap 20-homer power source for fantasy managers, if he can avoid being a complete anchor in the batting average department. He’s currently being selected outside the top 300 range (340th overall), on average, in early NFBC drafts, which puts him 25th overall at the position. If he’s able to do enough damage against left-handed pitching, he’ll be a viable second catcher for fantasy managers in deeper mixed leagues. — George Bissell
Danny Jansen, Rays
NFBC ADP: 484
Another intriguing option that can be had after the top-400 picks in drafts right now is Jansen. Once lost in the triumvirate of Blue Jays’ top catching prospects that were all attempting to break through simultaneously, Jansen has now worn out his welcome with two teams in the American League East and has now joined a third in the Rays. There, however, the 29-year-old faces very little in the way of competition for at-bats to begin the season and he’ll be playing his home games in a minor league ballpark. We have seen Jasen have useable seasons from a fantasy perspective before, as from 2021-2023 with the Blue Jays he averaged 14 homers and 42 RBI per season while averaging just 222 at-bats. If we can pencil him in for 350 or even 375 at-bats, there’s no reason that he couldn’t eclipse the 20-homer plateau and contribute something in the RBI department. If you are choosing to shop in the bargain bin at the catcher position in two-catcher formats, these are the types of players that you’re going to be looking for. Someone who can provide consistent at-bats and at least deliver something in the power categories while still maintaining a bit of upside. It’s either that or churning the waiver wire each week hoping to eventually land on something useful. — Dave Shovein
Adrian Del Castillo, Diamondbacks
NFBC ADP: 566
Del Castillo was one of the hottest sluggers in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League last year, batting .312 with 26 round-trippers in 474 plate appearances prior to smashing another four big flies in 25 contests following a late-season promotion to Arizona. His minor-league average exit velocity numbers reveal that he makes plenty of hard contact, which is going to translate to the highest level, but it feels like there’s going to be somewhat of an adjustment period in the plate skills department. The biggest question for fantasy managers is whether there’s enough of a path to at-bats with the Diamondbacks coming out of spring training. The 25-year-old is likely headed back to the minors at the outset of the year, but he’s the type of impact bat that could take advantage of an opportunity should one arise through either injury or ineffectiveness at the major-league level. He’s a name to keep on the watch list in deeper two-catcher formats in the event that he gets a real shot in Arizona. — George Bissell