In this week's 2023 Dynasty Baseball Trade Target, I'm going to be discussing a player from a not so sexy position in catcher Tyler Soderstrom
Across sports, one position seems to somewhat lag behind the others in terms of superstars. In basketball, power forward has traditionally lacked the firepower held by the other four positions. In current day football, there are maybe five tight ends that I would be comfortable starting on my fantasy team.
When a player who plays on one of these overlooked positions shows a lot of potential, it is important to grab these players immediately. This is the case for Tyler Soderstrom.
2023 Dynasty Baseball Trade Target: Tyler Soderstrom
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Power-hitting catchers are extremely hard to come by. In fact, no catcher has ever reached the 400 home runs mark. While this is a carefully placed benchmark, as Mike Piazza belted 399 homers in his career, it is notable that catcher is one of the two positions to have never had a guy reach 400 homers, with second base being the other.
However, combatting power problems at second base is a little easier than catcher. This is because a lot of third basemen or shortstops will play enough at second base to gain eligibility there. However, it is extremely rare that anyone else besides the established catchers on a roster will ever suit up behind the plate. This is why it is imperative to gain an advantage by having a power-hitting catcher on your roster.
Just like at tight end in football, where you either draft Kelce, Andrews or Kittle, or you wait until the end of the draft for a tight end, catcher is a very thin position for fantasy baseball. However, Tyler Soderstrom is a player who could really help deepen the talent pool at the catching position.
Since the season has started, I have only written about players who are currently playing at the MLB level. While this changes today, as Soderstrom is currently in AAA with the Las Vegas Aviators, Soderstrom is expected to join the depleted A’s roster at some point this season, despite just being drafted in 2020.
While I established in my Brent Rooker piece that Oakland is a desolate baseball area, and doesn’t offer much for fantasy excitement, this does not apply to Soderstrom, who provides a ton of power behind the plate.
“Tyler Soderstrom is knocking on the door.”
Ed Sprague, the Director of Player Development, on the A’s top prospect
In Triple-A: 8 HRs, 13 2B, .272 AVG, .839 OPS
(🎥 @athleticscast24) pic.twitter.com/y8hPM4J8M0
— Karl Buscheck (@KarlBuscheck) May 24, 2023
The Most Promising Minor League Catcher?
Soderstrom moved all the way up from A+ to AAA ball last year, and was able to contribute at each spot. On the year, he belted 29 home runs and 105 RBI in 134 games. It’s extremely tough to continue to perform when constantly changing teams, but Soderstrom’s bat will play anywhere, as he has incredible power (as evidenced by his 51 total homers in just 233 minor league games, including 10 this year in 42 games).
Only two catchers (Sean Murphy and Salvador Perez) have more than 10 home runs on the season in the MLB. While the level of pitching in AAA is obviously lower than in the MLB, Soderstrom is only 21, being just three years removed from high school. He will definitely improve even more with age.
This improvement will be welcomed for fantasy managers as Soderstrom will hopefully continue to cut down on the strikeouts. While all of the extra-base hits out of the catching spot are nice, Soderstrom has struck out 255 times in 233 MLB games.
While younger players are more prone to striking out, striking out more than once a game in the minor leagues is a definite red flag.
However, while many young players also seem allergic to walks, Soderstrom’s walk rate is around eight percent, which would be better than the average mark in the MLB.
While unfortunately, I can’t link Soderstrom’s statcast metrics on baseball savant, as he hasn’t played in the MLB yet, I’m sure swings like these will produce some eye-popping peripherals.
Over 2️⃣ fences!@Athletics top prospect Tyler Soderstrom launches it out of the stadium for the @AviatorsLV: pic.twitter.com/1VbzPOZlOe
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) May 27, 2023
What will it take to get Soderstrom?
Soderstrom is the number one prospect in the A’s organization. Due to this, trading for him won’t be easy, and will likely cost a lot. However, a catcher with 30 home runs a season potential is worth almost any asking price.
Final thoughts
While home runs are climbing at an accelerated rate each year, it hasn’t made its way to the catchers (besides a few guys like the aforementioned Perez and Murphy). Being able to grab a big power hitting left-handed hitting catcher in Soderstrom could be the big boost your squad needs, making our next
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