Austin Nola

After years of pushing defensively minded players behind the plate, the Padres finally acquired a catcher who could hit and were excited to see what Nola could do over a full season of play in 2021. It was not meant to be as Nola played in just 56 games around a knee sprain which cost him a good chunk of the summer as well as a thumb injury later in the season which eventually sent him to the surgeon for repair. Those circumstances help explain the sizable drop in his power indicators while his ability to hit for average was still on display. Assuming he is healthy, he should have the majority of the catching duties while Victor Caratini caddies Yu Darvish and Jorge Alfaro spot catches when not needed as an outfield reserve. Nola is more of a gap power hitter, but his ability to hit for average is matched by few catchers.

Nola began last season with eligibility only at first base, but it wasn't long before he qualified at catcher, having taken over as Seattle's chief backstop with Tom Murphy sidelined. At the trade deadline, Nola was slashing .307/.377/.525, prompting a deal to the Padres. Nola slipped to .217/.314/.383 the final month but provided value with his glove. Despite the second-half swoon, Nola finished with a lower K% and higher BB% than his freshman campaign. He only has a career 451 MLB PA, but when analyzed in tandem with his minor-league history, Nola projects to offer a nice BA floor at a spot where most inflict harm. He also sports a HR/FB rate a tick above average with ample flyballs to contribute pop from behind the plate. San Diego has a crowded roster, but Nola's versatility should lead to ample volume, supporting a top-10 ranking at the position.

After spending parts of five seasons at Triple-A, Nola finally reached the major leagues at age 29. He even became a popular fantasy add, though he was appealing in large part because he was catcher-eligible, and unfortunately, he has lost that eligibility in most leagues heading into 2020 (seven appearances at catcher). As a 1B-only player in 20-game formats, with 2B-eligibility in leagues with a 15-game minimum, Nola is in the glut of fringe-useful position players. He was better than average in his 79 games with the Mariners, but it seems we can safely attribute a large portion of his 2019 success to the juiced ball, as Nola had never slugged even .400 at any stop prior to last year. The plate skills are strong enough for Nola to stick around in a super-utility role, but it's not a role that projects to be conducive to mixed-league relevance unless he were to regain C-eligibility in-season.