Jonah Heim

Any concern Heim would split catching duties with Mitch Garver were vanquished early with Garver missing most of April and all of May with a knee injury. During that time, Heim posted a .785 OPS, locking down the primary backstop position. For the season, Heim posted a career-high 103 wRC+ while continuing to excel behind the plate as a receiver and pitch framer. For the second straight year, Heim experienced a second half swoon, posting a .282/.338/.474 line before the break, compared to .217/.282/.656 after. However, Heim's average exit velocity and hard-hit rate were nearly identical in both halves, so he likely benefited from a fortuitous .313 BABIP over the first half and a snake bit .246 mark the rest of the way. Heim has shed the all-glove label, and catchers tend to develop more power as they get older. He'll be entering his 29-year-old season, so it may manifest, but the catcher inventory is such it isn't necessary to chase the potential upside.

Heim appeared set to fill a part-time role in 2022 after the Rangers acquired Mitch Garver, but Heim ended up working as the team's primary backstop as Garver mostly served as a designated hitter before undergoing season-ending elbow surgery. Heim took advantage of the playing time and delivered a .781 OPS with 12 home runs during the first half of the season, but he struggled after the All-Star break with a .181/.279/.311 slash line. Despite the second half struggles, he showcased better plate discipline throughout the campaign and finished with a 9.2 percent walk rate, up from 5.4 percent in 2021. Garver is expected to be cleared for catching duties by Opening Day, but Heim flashed well enough last season to warrant regular reps behind the plate, especially since he's the far superior player defensively. Still, Heim's fantasy appeal would likely be limited to AL-only formats if he and Garver are splitting time.

A very strong defensive backstop, Heim played roughly half the time for Texas last season, hitting .196/.239/.358 with 10 home runs and three steals in 285 PA. He belongs on a big-league roster, but the Rangers traded for an upgrade atop the depth chart, acquiring Mitch Garver from the Twins shortly after the lockout. Garver's biggest weakness is his durability, so Heim could still set a career best in plate appearances this year. However, the Garver acquisition relegates Heim primarily to AL-only appeal.

After a strong showing in the upper minors in 2019, Heim made his big-league debut last year and appeared in 13 games without making much of an impact at the plate. The 25-year-old switch hitter excels at making contact, and he could emerge as a solid OBP source even without the kind of BABIP boost (.395) he saw at Triple-A Las Vegas, but it's his impressive defense that has locked him into the No. 2 spot on the depth chart for the A's. Starter Sean Murphy has a higher offensive ceiling but has also had some injury issues in his career, which should open the door for more playing time for his backup. Heim likely isn't going to supply enough power to be a real difference-maker in the modern fantasy environment, but in deeper formats he could settle in as a catcher who won't hurt you either, along the lines of Francisco Cervelli in his prime.