Jacob Stallings

Stallings spent his first six major-league seasons in Pittsburgh, and he appeared in a career-high 112 games during the 2021 season. He hit .246 with eight home runs, 53 RBI and 38 runs last year and appears to be in line to serve as the Marlins' primary catcher in 2022.

It took Stallings until his fifth season in the big leagues to earn an everyday role. Defense has been his calling card, and that has not disappointed at the big-league level, but offensively, there has been little to get excited about. The high strikeout rate in 2020 stands out, particularly because it was not due to him expanding his zone. In fact, he had a very low Chase%, so his strikeouts were mainly due to him just not swinging as often (his overall Swing% dropped from 50.7% to 38.4% last season). The overall passive approach led to a higher walk rate, but also led to him falling behind in too many counts. The increase in flyballs was intriguing. Perhaps some more aggressiveness within the count will unlock some hidden offensive potential in this now 30-year-old backstop.

Stallings is a great second catcher in that he hits enough to not completely hurt you and plays strong enough defense to demand a decent share of a platoon. His expected stats in 2019 validate his actual batting average last year, which is what you will want to focus on as you plan your 2020 NL-only draft. Stallings doesn't have much power, so his fantasy value is tied to his batting average and his ability to hit doubles to drive in runners. He is out of minor-league options in 2020 and tentatively sits atop the depth chart in Pittsburgh after Elias Diaz was non-tendered. That said, Stallings will have to fend off Luke Maile for primary duties in spring training.

After parts of five seasons in the minors, Stallings made his major league debut in 2016. He collected six hits in 15 at-bats, including a memorable two-run, walkoff single against the Nationals in September. With a career line of .237/.316/.356 in the minors, Stallings' biggest claim to fame might be as the son to Pitt's basketball coach, Kevin Stallings. He cleared midseason waivers with all teams passing on him, something fantasy owners can comfortably do, too.