Austin Nola
I thought he was a pitcher? No, that’s his brother.
As a Mariners fan, this pick is a no-brainer for me and someone I am excited to promote. Austin Nola, the Mariners’ current starting catcher has been performing really well. And yes he is related to Phillies pitcher Aaron Nola.
With the injury Tom Murphy sustained in summer camp, Nola is now the starting catcher. Murphy has no timetable to return so Nola will be catching often for the Mariners until further notice.
This year, he is hitting .308, .372 OBP, .911 OPS, with one homer and seven RBIs. This stat line should easily attract the fantasy baseball owners who are in need of catchers. I think he gets overlooked because he is a Mariner and many people are not familiar with him because he was a backup catcher and started games at 1B last season.
The former fifth round pick impressed last year in his first season in the majors after a long stint in the minor leagues with a .269 BA, and .769 OPS in 79 games.
This season, Nola has been hitting in the 5 hole often, providing him with excellent RBI opportunities if 1-4 can find themselves on base. It is rare for catchers to be hitting fifth, and Nola could capitalize to provide a lot of RBIs as a catcher.
He also has extra value because he is eligible for 1B position in rosters.
He is surprisingly only owned by 11.4% of fantasy teams and is averaging around 2.3 points per game. Whether you are playing in a points or category league, Nola should be on your watchlist with no doubt.
Don’t wait too long because he has been popular among waiver wire players. He has seen a big jump in roster %. Over the last few days, there has been a 9.8% increase in adding Nola to fantasy rosters. Good hitting catchers are hard to come by, so if you do not have a backup, pick him up before it is too late.