Eric Haase

Haase was the Tigers' Opening Day catcher last season, but he ended the campaign back in the minors in a different organization. After he popped a combined 36 homers from 2021-22, Haase's power vanished. The slugging had been his saving grace, as he's always had strikeout issues, and without that, Haase became a liability. Detroit designated him for assignment at the end of August, and after only a brief period of time with Cleveland, he was outrighted to Triple-A Columbus. It was an unceremonious end to a brutal season -- Haase's 42 wRC+ was the worst among all players with 250-plus plate appearances -- but nonetheless he managed to land a big-league deal with the Brewers in free agency. Now entering his age-31 season, Haase projects as Milwaukee's third catcher behind William Contreras and part-time DH Gary Sanchez.

Coming off something of a breakthrough 2021 campaign, when he hit 22 home runs and drove in 61, Haase was productive again in 2022 but took a bit of a step back. Despite playing in 12 more games, he only mustered 14 home runs and 44 RBI. Haase at least was clearly a better offensive option behind the plate than Tucker Barnhart, and that led to Haase essentially supplanting Barnhart as the No. 1 catcher as the season went along. Haase also displayed some defensive versatility, as he made 11 starts in the outfield, though that was down from 22 outfield starts in 2021, as the Tigers turned him into more of an everyday backstop. Catcher is a notoriously thin position in fantasy, so there is value in someone who can simply get to double figures in home runs and not be too much of a drain on batting average. That's what Haase has done the last two years for the Tigers, and he seems poised to enter 2023 as a starter, with Barnhart moving on to the Cubs. Now 30 years old, Haase is unlikely to take another significant leap as a player, so fantasy managers should continue to expect steady if not spectacular production.

Haase received 381 plate appearances - by far the highest mark of his career - the majority of which came behind the plate, though he also picked up some playing time in the outfield. He took advantage of the extended opportunity by displaying some impressive power, slugging 22 home runs while posting a .228 ISO -- good for the eighth-highest mark among catchers with at least 200 PA. Those results were backed by impressive metrics, highlighted by an 88th percentile max exit velocity and 86th percentile barrel rate. On the other hand, there was plenty swing and miss, as he struck out at a 31 percent clip that limited him to a .231 batting average. That could threaten Haase's ability to reach his power and simultaneously reduce his playing time, particularly because Detroit has already added Tucker Barnhart this offseason to serve as the primary backstop. His fantasy value could be salvaged if he continues to get reps in the outfield and at designated hitter, but that's hardly assured with top prospects Riley Greene and Spencer Torkelson set to join the mix.

Haase lines up as Cleveland's third catcher this season with Yan Gomes out the door and Kevin Plawecki entering the mix. He managed 20 homers for Triple-A Columbus last season, but that came with a .236 batting average, a .288 on-base percentage and a 30.0% strikeout rate. He was overmatched in his first small taste of the big leagues, going just 2-for-16 at the plate. His minor-league numbers were right in line with the scouting reports, as he combines big raw power with serious contact issues. When combined with a poor defensive reputation, there's little reason to expect Haase to carve out a significant role in 2019, even if the options ahead of him on the depth chart struggle. He should head to Triple-A and await an injury or the calendar turning to September.