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Fantasy Baseball Catcher Rankings

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It is time to close out our rankings for the hitters with the catcher position. This is really a tale of the top four players, and everyone else. Pick your poison. Yes, there is some upside here, but always risk too due to inherent wear and tear catchers endure, so don’t spend too aggressively no matter which tier you decide to target.

 
Tier 1

1. Joe Mauer, MIN – Mauer had a huge drop off in homers in 2010, which may or may not have something to do with the Twins moving into the new Target Field. Regardless, he’s still the best fantasy catcher as he’ll provide a very high batting average and a lot of RBI. This kind of production won’t be cheap at a premium position like catcher as he’ll cost you a second round pick.

2. Victor Martinez, DET – When Detroit signed V-Mart, they said he’d bat most every day, usually as designated hitter. He’ll get some time behind the dish and at 1B, but he’ll amass about 550 at-bats, which is huge for a catcher, especially one with Martinez’ ability.

3. Buster Posey, SF – With less than a year of MLB experience under his belt, Posey is already among the fantasy elite. The Giants are likely to use him most days as they assume his youthful body can handle the wear and tear. Take advantage of his many trips to the plate but be mindful of possibly wearing out as the season progresses unless he is used at first base on occasion like last year.

4. Brian McCann, ATL – The only thing keeping McCann at the bottom of the elite group is a batting average that is solid, but not spectacular. He’s still a great bat to put at your catcher position but he’s being picked right after V-Mart in most drafts, and a round ahead of Posey. At that price McCann will provide considerably less value.

 
Tier 2

5. Mike Napoli, TEX – Napoli is a big swinger who will hit a lot of homers at the cost of his batting average. He’s likely to continue playing a little first base, providing you with extra at-bats and position flexibility.

6. Kurt Suzuki, OAK – Suzuki is here mostly for his ability to pick up about 550 at-bats. He’s nothing more than a solid hitter, but with the number of at-bats he’ll acquire, he will pile up some nice stats to help your team.

7. Russell Martin, NYY – Since his game has slumped at the plate in the last few years, Martin has fallen out of favor with fantasy owners, but look for a revival now that he’s in the Bronx. Hitting in the Yankees order can do wonders for anyone’s game and Martin should be rejuvenated with 2007-esque numbers. The steals might not break 20 like his big season, but look for the average and power to return. You can draft Martin pretty late, making him one of my key undervalued targets for 2011.

8. Geovany Soto, CHC – Expect a .286/20/72 line from Soto. He’s very solid and will provide decent value if you can wait him out to the seventh round. Soto is usually the first catcher off the board after the top four are drafted a few rounds earlier.

 
Tier 3

9. Miguel Montero, ARI – If you miss out on Geovany Soto, Montero should be available in the next round. He’s a similar player providing slightly inferior numbers.

10. Matt Wieters, BAL – He was supposed to be the next stud catcher, but it seems like his star has fallen. He is still young and has enough time to realize that potential. In the meantime, he will be solid but unspectacular. He’s a great second catcher in two-catcher leagues, but you probably don’t want him to be your number one guy with high expectations.

11. A.J. Pierzynski, CWS – There is nothing fancy about Pierzynski, just a good batting average and a dozen homers. He makes a great second catcher for the leagues who start two.

12. Carlos Santana, CLE – Carlos Santana will likely join the elite group next season, but is probably a few notches below for now. If you can’t get one of the big four, the next two tiers can be lumped together as pretty similar, starting with Mike Napoli and ending here with Santana, with varying degrees of risk and upside.

 
Tier 4

13. Yadier Molina, STL – This is the perfect “won’t hurt your team” catcher. Molina will give you a good batting average, but little else. If you are looking to wait until the middle-teens to grab your catcher, this is a great pick.

14. Chris Iannetta, COL – Iannetta will give you power, but will hurt your batting average. He makes a good backup or second catcher.

15. John Jaso, TB – As Tampa Bay’s leadoff hitter, he will be in great position to score a lot of runs, but he doesn’t steal bases or have much power. His batting average also isn’t anything that will help your team, so draft this guy only if you are desperate.

16. J.P. Arencibia, TOR – This guy only has 35 MLB at-bats under his belt, so expect some slumps. He has a lot of room to grow into a good hitting catcher, just don’t expect this to be the season he does.

17. Miguel Olivo, SEA – Call him “Iannetta-lite”. You’ll get some pop, but the batting average will hurt you.

18. Ryan Doumit, PIT – The Pirates list Doumit as their backup catcher and right fielder and he might get time at first base as well. As such, he is likely to get a bunch of at-bats while not being a starter. If it all works out, he could really be an asset to your team but watch his playing time closely and cut bait if he looks like he’s not getting enough at-bats.

19. Jorge Posada, NYY – If his knees hold up, Posada could put together a great season for a catcher-eligible player. Those knees are likely to be a little creaky all season though, and the temptation of playing the young phenom Jesus Montero will be too great to get Posada as many at-bats as he will need to be much more than a backup catcher for your fantasy team.

 
Tier 5

20. Alex Avila, DET
21. Rod Barajas, LAD
22. Jesus Montero, NYY
23. Jarrod Saltalamacchia, BOS
24. Carlos Ruiz, PHI
25. Nick Hundley, SD
26. Ramon Hernandez, CIN
27. John Buck, FLA
28. Ryan Hanigan, CIN
29. Jonathan Lucroy, MIL
30. Josh Thole, NYM

First Quarter Review Of Your Fantasy Baseball Team—How you doin’?

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How you doin’?

The only way we can say this is with Friends Joey Tribbiani’s voice when he’s trying to pick up a girl. And though Joey makes me laugh when he uses his line, it is a very valid question for each fantasy baseball owner to ask themselves at this time of the season.

We are now at the quarter-way mark of the season and it is time to look back and see what has happened and what we can expect.

If you are in a fantasy points league, you really don’t care where your points are coming from, just as long as you are scoring a lot. You need to evaluate your team and see who is underperforming and if there is a better player out there on the waiver wire or by means of a trade. Cut off the dead wood so the tree can flourish.

If you are playing in a rotisserie league, the balance is a little tougher. Finding a guy who can help with more categories than he hurts is often rather difficult. Usually the waiver wire is picked clean and you are forced to make trades that open up other holes on your team. But doing a two-for-one deal is always the way to go as you usually get the better player in the deal and open up a roster spot for a decent player sitting on the waiver wire.

There are a number of surprising players available. Every season a few players step up and produce ahead of where they were expected to. Mike Aviles, Brennan Boesch, and Colby Lewis are all likely available, but might be snapped up quickly if you don’t move soon.

Look for the underperforming players who are likely to turn it around. These guys are not living up to their potential and are likely to get it going in the right direction. Victor Martinez, Chone Figgins, and Aramis Ramirez are all likely to find their true north soon and produce at the high level you’d expect from them.

Injured players are also a nice source of cheap stats. Grady Sizemore, Ian Kinsler and Jacoby Ellsbury might be available for a reasonable price and can really give your fantasy squad a boost. Owners aren’t likely to give you a discount on this type of player, but might be willing to trade them away when they otherwise wouldn’t part with their stars.

Keep a watchful eye on the waiver wire just in case someone does something foolish like throwing Ryan Theriot away just because he’s no longer playing shortstop for the Cubs. One person did this in one of my leagues and I am the beneficiary of the fact that Theriot will add second base to his position eligibility and continue starting every day for the Cubbies.

This is the time of the season when you have to evaluate and make the appropriate moves. If you are a spectator at this point in the season, then you have already given up and are likely looking forward to your fantasy football draft.

So, how you doin’?

Baseball Trades Fantasy Impact 2

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After a flurry of Friday deals, a number of quality fantasy players changed teams. In case you missed it, check Baseball Trades Fantasy Impact 1 for trades that happened prior to noon on Friday.

C/1B Victor Martinez, Red Sox
Every year there seems to be a middle of the order bat on the move and destined to change a team’s October fortunes. Mark Teixeira has filled that role since 2007 and this year V-Mart takes over. The Red Sox add a polished all-star calibre bat to the middle of a very good batting order and shore up the C/1B/DH rotation all at the same time. The change to a better lineup will result in better production from Martinez and you can expect an uptick across the board (AVG, R, RBI, HR). It’s also important to note that Cleveland’s Progressive Field is dead last in Home Runs while Boston is more towards the middle of the pack at 22. Playing at Fenway and the other AL East launch pads should help Martinez significantly.

SP Jarrod Washburn, Tigers

Washburn joins a hot Tigers team looking to make a playoff run and figures to profit from a few extra win opportunities. Many will note that Washburn is leaving the friendly confines of Seattle’s Safeco Field, but a quick check of the park factors indicates that Seattle is only a notch better than Detroit’s Comerica Park. Washburn’s peripheral stats were a little sneaky to begin with, so you can expect a slide from the 2.7-ish ERA, but he should notch on a few more wins.

1B Nick Johnson, Marlins

Johnson’s injury history and mediocre power stats have made him nearly useless in most fantasy baseball formats. A move to the Marlins will certainly get him more run producing opportunities and a move out of Washington should turn a few fly ball outs into home runs. Even with the help, I don’t recommend buying Johnson unless you are playing in a deep NL only league.

SS Orlando Cabrera, Twins

The Twins filled one of the more glaring holes evident among playoff contenders. Cabrera will add an immediate improvement in hitting production from the shortstop position and Twins studs Justin Morneau and Joe Mauer figure to have a few more RBI opportunities as a result. Cabrera should see an improvement in his counting stats (R, RBI, SB) save Home Runs where you can expect the change of scenery to do little.

3B Scott Rolen, Reds

Rolen got his much sought after trade to move closer to his home in the mid-west and joins a Cincinnati lineup that should offer him an opportunity to at least maintain the pace he set in Toronto. Great American Ballpark is a notoriously good hitting park, but the statistical difference to Rogers Centre is negligible. Expect more of the same from this steady gold-glover.

1B Casey Kotchman, Red Sox, 1B Adam LaRoche, Braves, 3B Jerry Hairston Jr., Yankees, P Justin Masterson, Indians and 3B Edwin Encarnacion, Blue Jays

All of the above players changed teams on the 31st of July and they are grouped together here because none of them figure to have a fantasy impact. Masterson has a bright future in Cleveland but the rest of this group is either not fantasy quality or was traded into a bench role. None of these are rosterable players except in the deepest leagues.