2015 Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Catcher
In our first rankings series of the year, we’ll look at catchers. The position as recently as 3 years ago was quite deep at the top with a good argument among 3-5 catchers for the #1 spot in a ranking. Now is not that time. First, a little business…
2015 Fantasy Baseball Rankings Legalese, etc.
Each of these rankings will follow the same format. We’ll review the top performers at the position in 2014 and 2013, then reveal rankings based on a tier system. We’ll discuss the position in general and the trends of the position. Lastly, I’ll discuss where the Braves player at the position would rank. To qualify at a position, a player must have 15 games played at the position in 2014. I’ll mention any other positions a player will qualify for as well.
Top Fantasy Catchers 2014/2013
2014 top 10 (in order): Buster Posey, Jonathan Lucroy, Devin Mesoraco, Yan Gomes, Carlos Santana, Russell Martin, Salvador Perez, Dioner Navarro, Brian McCann, Evan Gattis, Joe Mauer, Wilin Rosario, Derek Norris, Kurt Suzuki, Miguel Montero
2013 top 10 (in order): Yadier Molina, Wilin Rosario, Victor Martinez, Jonathan Lucroy, Mike Napoli, Carlos Santana, Buster Posey, Joe Mauer, Salvador Perez, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Jason Castro, A.J. Pierzynski, Matt Wieters, Brian McCann, Evan Gattis
2015 Catchers: Tier One
Buster Posey, San Francisco (also qualifies at first base) – Nothing really needed to be said here. Posey’s an absolute star at the position, and San Francisco wisely gets him enough at bats at first base to have him be a worthwhile full season play at the position. His only knock is previous injury background, but he’s had two full healthy seasons in a row.
2015 Catchers: Tier Two
Jonathan Lucroy, Milwaukee – Also qualifies at 1B. The closest things to Posey in the game now.
Devin Mesoraco, Cincinnati – Most power at the position.
Evan Gattis, Houston – Move to the outfield and to the AL this season could allow Gattis to rack up power stats.
Yadier Molina, St. Louis – Missed much of 2014, but elite until that injury.
Yan Gomes, Cleveland – Great power in a solid Cleveland lineup.
2015 Catchers: Tier Three
Wilin Rosario, Colorado – Terrible defender, and health is a question, so may move off the position this year.
Brian McCann, New York Yankees – Also qualifies at 1B. His production has gone down significantly the last few years.
Salvador Perez, Kansas City – Not going to give much power, but solid average hitter.
Russell Martin, Toronto – Solid offensive production in the NL, and now moving to a very good AL park.
2015 Catchers: Tier Four
Derek Norris, San Diego – Lots of power, but best in a platoon situation.
Matt Wieters, Baltimore – Could move up big, but conservative ranking due to questions after a year-ending injury.
Wilson Ramos, Washington – Great offensive talent, but he cannot seem to stay healthy.
Yasmani Grandal, Los Angeles Dodgers – Also eligible at 1B. LA is a better ballpark for power than most believe. Batting average biggest question here.
Miguel Montero, Chicago Cubs – Tough season last year, but finished strong and has a great park for his line-drive power.
Travis d’Arnaud, New York Mets – Very streaky season last year. Conservative ranking, but has the tools to rocket up this list.
Mike Zunino, Seattle – Not the all-around hitter many thought he would be coming from college, but certainly a good power source.
2015 Catchers: Tier Five
John Jaso, Tampa Bay – Likely to be used as a utility guy as many Rays are, but one of the few who can play catcher while doing such.
Jason Castro, Houston – 2013 Castro is a top-10 catcher. 2014 Castro is unownable. With the glut of guys in Houston, he may be a risky choice this year.
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Miami – Good power didn’t translate his first year in the NL. Worth keeping an eye on.
Chris Iannetta, Los Angeles Angels – Has made huge strides on defense, and he can hit for very good power.
Dioner Navarro, Toronto – Will likely be playing to give Martin a day off as well as 1B and DH.
Carlos Ruiz, Philadelphia – Aging gracefully. Nothing special, but doesn’t hurt you either.
Josmil Pinto, Minnesota – Ton of power if he can get at bats over Kurt Suzuki.
Stephen Vogt, Oakland – Also eligible at 1B and OF. Very good bat, but he will likely be moved off the position in 2015.
2015 Catchers: Braves Fantasy Review
Christian Bethancourt has long been seen as the next great defender, drawing defensive competitions with Yadier Molina. His bat has been rushed, but he has slowly produced the longer he’s at each level. A.J. Pierzynski has been signed this offseason as insurance if Bethancourt struggles in his first attempt in the league. I have Bethancourt at #31 on my ranks and Pierzynski at #34. Pierzynski if he takes over starting should be watched as a possible fantasy-worthy offensive catcher. Bethancourt could follow the steps of the guys he’s been most compared to in Molina and develop slowly on the offensive end before becoming a solid contributor (though I wouldn’t ever assume to Molina’s level).
2015 Catchers: Position Review
Posey is certainly in a tier all of his own, but he could be joined soon by some very solid players with good offensive skills. In general, catcher is a very difficult position in fantasy because even the most-used catchers miss 20+ games a year at the position just to keep healthy, so unless a guy is being used at DH or 1B, he’s probably going to have plenty of days where he doesn’t play for you. One note on the position: Carlos Santana is not listed here as he does not qualify in a standard 15 game requirement, but he would be right alongside Lucroy for the #2 position on this list if he still played enough catcher to qualify. From what I’ve seen in the super-early mock drafts, most experts are staying away from the catching position until the middle- to late-rounds of their drafts. I can certainly understand that unless you have a shot at Posey around round 4 in a draft league or for about half the price of the elite hitters like Mike Trout in an auction league. At that point, going for the #1 catcher would make sense. Otherwise, there’s simply not a lot of difference from #3 to #20ish in catcher production.