Tampa Bay Rays Curt Casali: Deep Waiver Wire Add

By Bill Pivetz | May 11, 2016

Apr 21, 2016; Boston, MA, USA; Tampa Bay Rays catcher Curt Casali (19) rounds the bases after his two run homer against the Boston Red Sox in the fourth inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports /

Tampa Bay Rays catcher Curt Casali is raking the ball every chance he gets. If you need catcher help, he is widely available off the waiver wire.

Despite being in fourth place in the American League East, the Tampa Bay Rays have the worst offense in the division, and the league. The team ranks 28th in runs, fifth in strikeouts and 27th in on-base percentage. However, there are still players you should own on this team. After the obvious names, there is another player worth owning. Catcher Curt Casali is hitting the ball very well this season and should be owned in more leagues.

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The Rays have been alternating starts between Casali and offseason addition Hank Conger. Both hitters are unfortunately hitting .200. However, when Casali does connect with the ball, he’s getting some big hits.

To offset his low average, he has seven runs scored, four home runs, 10 RBI and 30 strikeouts. On the other hand, Conger has one RBI and 10 strikeouts. Seven of Casali’s 13 hits this season have been extra base hits. He hit 10 home runs and 18 RBI with a .238 average in 101 at bats last season.

The only thing Curt Casali needs to work on is consistency at the plate. If he can lower his strikeout rate and regularly get on base, he could be a top-20 catcher by season’s end. Some fantasy owners are taking the chance anyway.

He has been added in 1.7 percent of ESPN leagues over the last week, bringing his ownership percentage to 2.1 percent. With injuries to Kyle Schwarber, Travis d’Arnaud and Nick Hundley, owners are running around looking for a viable replacement.

The only other negative to owning Casali is the lack of playing time. The longest consecutive starts for Casali this season is four games. Conger is one of the worst defensive catchers in the league, which should have given Casali more playing time, but that doesn’t seem to be the case.

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Curt Casali is not someone to add in standard leagues. If you play in deep leagues or two-catcher leagues, he is definitely someone to add to your watch list. The Rays have very few power hitters and only one hitter with over 15 RBI. Casali’s opportunities to score and drive in runs may be small, but he’s making the most of those opportunities.

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