Fantasy Baseball: Top Ten Catchers

   

Photo Courtesy of Grub Hub

      Over the past few years, Catcher was seen as a shallow position where the productive players were few and far between. Not much has changed, as once again, less than ten catchers posted an OPS of over .700. In fact, of all qualified Catchers, David Wright's number represents how many Catchers did that this year. did so. However, that isn't to say that productivity can still be found at the position. With that said, here are my top ten Catchers. 

     The following rankings will be based off of their stats from the past 3 seasons, as well as what I feel they will produce in 2015 (remember fantasy owners, you are paying for what they will give you in the future, not for what they have already done). I am also taking into account the availability of each player also. That is why you may see some players ranked higher than others. 

     1. Buster Posey
          Simply put, the best all around Catcher in baseball. I recently saw MLB Network rank the top ten Catchers, and they proposed the idea of imagining if Buster Posey wasn't hitting in AT&T Park, you know, the same AT&T Park with one of the worst park factors in the Majors. He would be downright terrifying if he called any other park home. Yeah, Posey is that good. 
     2. Jonathan Lucroy
          I've liked Lucroy a lot since his breakout half in 2012. When he missed significant time when a suitcase slammed on his hand, I liked him even more. This was because from that day on, people forgot about Lucroy, and he became a hidden gem. Sadly for me though, now Lucroy is being treated as the star he has been for years. Gladly for whoever owns him though, he has great opportunities with a favorable ballpark and dangerous hitters around him. To put the icing on the cake, he gives perhaps the most help on all five categories that a Catcher can give. 
     3. Devin Mesoraco 
          Up until 2014, Mesoraco was considered a super sleeper. This was because among all of the players considered as post-hype, the former fifteenth overall pick had one of the highest upsides. There is a great article on Fangraphs that depicts how Mesoraco broke out. They explained that he started to turn on pitches on the inner half of the plate, as evidenced by his ground ball rate dropping dramatically from 47% to 28% and his ISO soared from between .225-.320 to over .500. His laughably bad skills to hit the ball to the opposite field concerns me, but as the article from Fangraphs pointed out, Mesoraco made adjustments to the pitchers who made adjustments to him, so he should be okay. Just keep that one tidbit in mind if you covet him. 
     4. Yan Gomes
          There were only five qualified Catchers that registered an OPS of over .700 in 2014. One of them was Yan Gomes. His BB/K ratio isn't ideal, but he makes up for it with his ability to hit for extra bases, as evidenced by his .194 ISO (which was second among Catchers with at least 450 plate appearances). And his power outage does not seem to be a fluke, as evidenced by his minor league power numbers. Gomes comes with less downside than Mesoraco, but also has a lower ceiling. 
     5. Yasmani Grandal 
          Here's where I expect the debate to start. How could a guy who just came off a season with a .225 average being ranked as a top 5 Catcher? There are many things to help support my case. Despite a ghastly decline in contact rate, there's a common theme among the Catchers that I've ranked highly, and that is health and power numbers. In Grandal's case, he logged 128 games behind the plate, and besides a knee surgery in 2013, he hasn't missed significant time due to injuries. He also posted an ISO of .175 even though he called Petco Park home. Dodger Stadium isn't exactly a dream for righties either, but for him, going anywhere away from Petco park will help his power numbers. The other reasons for his ranking is the fact that he'll likely be between the 10th to the 20th Catcher taken. If you really wanted to, you can draft him as a backup and watch his power take big leaps.

Photo Credit to ESPN

     6. Yadier Molina
          In a sense, Yadier Molina is being picked because of his name, but is more of a reliability pick than an actual impact pick. Despite being seen as a player that broke out offensively only a few seasons ago, Molina has always been a steady contributor with the stick. Even though he had what was likely an off season, Molina can once again be counted on for a slash line that looks like this, .290/.350/.465. If he can do that, he might very well be ranked as a top 3 Catcher by the years end.
     7. Russell Martin
          Here's where we find out if contract years actually do matter. Martin took the best season of his career to the bank, and cases like him are why players are coveted when they enter their contract year. Don't expect Martin to fall off that much though. When you're hitting around Bautista, Encarnacion and Josh Donaldson, that'll help your fantasy numbers quite nicely. 
     8. Evan Gattis
          Everyone knows he has great power, but everyone also knows that he never plays. It's ironic that a hulking figure like Gattis has only played in 105 games and 108 games in 2013 and '14, respectively. Minute Maid Park plays really well to right handed hitters, especially ones with pop in their bat. If you want to gamble on Gattis' injury history, I'm not gonna stop you since the power is incredibly tantalizing. 
     9. Brian McCann
          Despite his weakness in the average department, McCann can be relied on for an ample supply of extra base knocks, as he has hit 20 homers in 8 of the past 9 seasons. Plus, Yankee Stadium is known for being a left handed hitters dream. The reason why McCann isn't higher up, like I mentioned before, his average and OPS had been slipping each season since 2009 (minus one year of an uptick in 2013). Plus, the lineup around him isn't your typical Yankee lineup, so McCann's production could be strictly from home runs.
   10. Matt Wieters 
          Don't forget about him. He had no right to be voted an All-Star starter even though he only played in 26 games, but owners also have no right to forget about a guy who since 2011 has been among the top ten best sluggers at his position. Plus, if you're into it, he's set to test free agency after this season. The thing that concerns me is if owners think his production in those 26 games will be stretched out into 130+ games. His .329 BABIP was way higher than his career line of .285. With his home ballpark and solid lineup around him though, expect him to produce 20+ home runs in spite of a low average. 

Photo Credit to NY Sports Hub

Just Missed The Cut

     1. Travis d'Arnaud

     2. John Jaso
          With him getting his cuts at DH, he'll have less wear and tear and likely give you good production. Would excel in rotisserie leagues. 
     3. Miguel Montero

     4. Dioner Navarro 
          If he finds playing time, he's a top ten Catcher.  

Backups That Could Become Starters

     1. Robinson Chirinos

          With his power potential and home ballpark, he could very well slug anywhere between 15 and 20 homers with a respectable average. 
     2. Rene Rivera 

     3. Mike Zunino

          Cut down on the strikeouts and whiffs! Perhaps that is too much to ask for, but if Zunino can do that, his power will play in a major way. Otherwise, he's J.P Arencibia with good defense. 

Not Even Close

     1. Salvador Perez

          See "5 Players I won't Be Owning in 2015"

     2. Wilin Rosario

         Power potential is tantalizing, but his average stinks and his 2014 was discouraging.

     3. Jason Castro

          Same as Rosario, but is an even worse bet since he isn't a Colorado Rockie.