A's Shea Langeliers Deemed "Catcher to Avoid" in Fantasy Drafts

Sep 28, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Oakland Athletics catcher Shea Langeliers (23) celebrates while rounding the bases after hitting a three-run home run during the ninth inning against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images | Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images

The A's clubhouse loves Shea Langeliers. A's media loves him too. He brings a lot of intangibles to the table on the field that aren't necessarily quantified by regular stats. And that's the problem.

In a recent article over at Baseball Prospectus, the A's backstop was deemed one of the catchers to avoid this fantasy draft season. Langeliers ended up hitting 29 home runs in 2024 and drove in 80 RBI, which ranked second and fifth among backstops last season.

The reasoning that BP gives is that his draft position is pretty high right now, given that those are the only two categories that he'll really be helping in. His batting average (.224), OBP (.288), and stolen bases (4) aren't going to be adding to the team's output week after week.

"Coming into last season Langeliers was barely being drafted, while this year he’s almost been a top-120 pick in early NFBC drafts and the ninth catcher off the board."

A top 120 pick is fairly early if we're being honest. Then again, it depends on how each fantasy manager is constructing their roster. If they have enough high batting average hitters and don't need help in the speed department, then Langeliers is one of the best in the business for adding power stats to your lineup.

If you can't get a William Contreras or Adley Rutschman type of player, then you may have to adjust which categories you're targeting behind the plate. It would also make sense to wait until you're getting the most bang for your buck if that's the case.

ESPN's recent fantasy rankings drop has Langeliers as the tenth-best fantasy catcher heading into 2025, while also ranking him as the No. 244 overall player.

Another bright side is that he is going to play a decent amount of the season, with his 137 games played in 2024 ranking seventh among catchers.

The trick to succeeding in fantasy baseball is knowing the rules of the league, so that you can look for any rules to exploit, and not reaching too far during the draft process for players that could still be around a round or seven later. Knowing your opponents is also a nice tool to have, if you're playing with friends.

If you're playing in a league that doesn't pay attention to a lot of A's baseball, Langeliers may be a very solid pick for you--in the later rounds. With the Athletics moving to Sacramento, it's possible that playing his home games in the heat instead of in Oakland could help unlock a few extra dingers over the course of the year.

That said, Langeliers said that one of his favorite things about catching in Oakland was that he never had to change his uniform due to sweat. That, and the general exhaustion from the heat, may also be cause for concern for one of the most labor intensive positions on the diamond.