Fantasy Baseball Pickup of the Season!

​Well, we are about five weeks into the baseball season, a pivotal time for struggling fantasy baseball managers to turn things around before their team establishes a permanent home in the basement of the standings. 

One thing you can do to bolster your team is scope the free agent market thoroughly. Are there any great players available on the waiver wires right now? If your league contains at least 12 teams, then you probably have very slim pickings to choose from right now.

Well, then again, maybe there is one guy that is available in your league that should be an INSTANT acquisition for your team if he is free.

I am talking about Ryan Jeffers, the catcher for the Minnesota Twins. In Yahoo fantasy baseball, Jeffers is only rostered in 67% of the leagues as of May 4, 2024. Sure, 67% is not too shabby, but, honestly, this guy should be rostered in at least 99% of all leagues!

During the past couple of seasons, Jeffers has steadily increased his production, and he is only getting better this season! As of May 4, 2024, Jeffers is Yahoo’s #4 ranked catcher and has impressive statistics to back this ranking. He is batting .298 with a very stellar .387 OBP and an OPS of .941. To complement these great averages, he has scored 16 runs, belted 5 homeruns, and accounted for 21 RBI’s!

One of the drawbacks to many catchers is that many do not catch every single game, so there are many days they are not even in the lineup. Jeffers is such a great hitter that even when he is not playing catcher, he is still in the lineup as a designated hitter. 

Some catchers bat late in the lineup. Does Jeffers bat late in the lineup? Nope. He always bats between leadoff and the cleanup spot!

So, somebody please explain how Jeffers is still available in 1/3 of all Yahoo leagues? Unless you have Will Smith (Dodgers), Salvador Perez (Royals), or William Contreras (Brewers), then you have no reason for not picking up Jeffers if he’s available in your league. Heck, even if you DO already have one of the other top catchers in your league, it is still worth it to snatch up Jeffers before somebody else claims him. 

You can then place him in a “Utility” role in your team’s starting lineup, or you can hold him as a VERY safe backup in case your other stud catcher gets hurt.  One of the easiest ways to fall in the standings is when you are unable to replace one of your injured starters with an effective producer! How many other catchers on the waiver wire are worth picking up right now? Not too many!

Of course, another option to consider is to use Jeffers as trade bait if you find yourself with two solid catchers. If you are in a 12-team league, it is very unlikely that all 11 other teams have a STUD catcher in their lineup, so some of your opponents may be interested in making a deal that goes in your favor.

There are plenty of strategies you can execute. First things, first, though. Check your league’s free agent list for Ryan Jeffers. If Jeffers is currently available, then pick him up RIGHT NOW!

Regardless if you pick him up or not, best of luck in your fantasy baseball adventures!