I don’t exactly know how the Braves plan to divide the playing time of these two catchers, but I’d assume Murphy will start more games at catcher and d’Arnaud will DH and serve as the backup. This bodes well for both because they can get rest and that gives them a better chance of staying healthy throughout the season.
Fantasy Baseball Catchers #6: Travis d’Arnaud
Travis d’Arnaud had what was probably the most well-rounded season of his career in 2022. He slashed .268/.319/.472/.791, good for an OPS+ of 119. He hit 18 homers, 25 doubles, drove in 60 runs, and scored 61. He lost some playing time when Sean Murphy came over in a trade from the Oakland A’s, the Braves newest minor league team, but he was still productive in his new role. He just turned 34, but he hasn’t shown signs of slowing down.
Fantasy Baseball Catcher #5: Sean Murphy
Sean Murphy is the better defensive catcher of these two, so that’s why he’ll likely start more games behind the dish. The only fantasy impact that has is that he will probably get more plate appearances. Last year, he appeared in 148 games and got 212 plate appearances, which is a ton for a catcher (30 of those games were at DH though). He slashed .250/.332/.426/.759, good for an OPS+ of 120. He hit 18 homers, 37 doubles, 66 RBI, and 67 runs scored. Both of these guys put up shockingly similar numbers, so the Braves are spoiled for choice here.