Top 20 Catchers
2012 Fantasy Baseball Player Rankings -Top 20 Catchers
You’re worried about wasting a high draft pick on a catcher who’s not going to have much impact on your team, but at the same time, you don’t want to completely waste a draft pick on a catcher who will have zero impact. Draft your catchers based on player value.
1. Brian McCann .264 BA, 23 HR, 81 RBI – For a position that lacks consistency, Brian McCann has consistently been better than any other catcher in the game.
2. Mike Napoli .293 BA, 25 HR, 73 RBI – He set career highs in homers, runs, RBI and batting average despite not being an everyday player last season.
3. Carlos Santana .263 BA, 30 HR, 81 RBI – He had a surprising low BABIP (.263) so he wasn’t the luckiest guy last season. But if his luck is just a fraction better he’s got a chance for a great season in 2012.
4. Matt Wieters .261 BA, 24 HR, 72 RBI – His power introduced itself last season as he made incremental improvements in all major baseball statistics.
5. Buster Posey .295 BA, 20 HR, 65 RBI – His power was a bit down before Scott Cousins ran through him last season. Knee injuries are scary but his youth allowed me to keep him in the top 5.
6. Joe Mauer .282 BA, 18 HR, 72 RBI – Although he may never hit 28 home runs with a .365 batting average again, don’t forget about him. He’s a health risk but what catcher isn’t?
7. Alex Avila .282 BA, 21 HR, 63 – Avila broke out last season, showing power (19 homers), patience (13.2 percent walk rate) and consistency (.295 BA).
8. Jesus Montero .279 BA, 19 HR, 61 RBI – This Montero only played 3 games at catcher in 2011 but if he’s catcher eligible in your league he would make it into the top 10.
9. Russell Martin .243 BA, 20 HR, 65 RBI – You would have found him a little higher if it weren’t for his consistently bad BABIP and his batting average that declined for the fourth straight season.
10. J.P Arencibia .241 BA, 20 HR, 69 RBI – He’s got the power to start for your fantasy team but if he can have a batting average like the first half of 2011 (.255) and not the second half (.215) he could be well worth the late pick.
11. Wilson Ramos .265 BA, 20 HR, 61 RBI – He showed off his power last season but needs to work on his average, especially on the road where he hit .222 in 207 at bats.
12. Yadier Molina .281 BA, 15 HR, 57 RBI – He’ll hit for average and he’s in the midst of a consistent run. His numbers won’t be like last season but he is still solid in all five categories.
13. Geovany Soto .244 BA, 15 HR, 52 RBI – You don’t know which Soto you’ll get but hopefully it’s the one in 2010 that had a refined approach at the plate(.280 BA) and not the one from last year (.228).
14. Jonathan Lucroy .252 BA, 12 HR, 49 RBI – He wore down in the second half of 2011, ending up with numbers that were in line with his minor league statistics.
15. John Buck .243 BA, 15 HR, 50 RBI – Everyone knew his average would drop in Florida but going from .281 to .227 was a bit much. Expect numbers in between those of last year and the season prior.
16. Chris Iannetta .221 BA, 13 HR, 45 RBI – We most likely haven’t seen his best season. This year could be it for the 29-year-old.
17. Kurt Suzuki .254 BA, 15 HR, 52 RBI – Batting average has dropped for a third year in a row and there aren’t many runs to be had in Oakland.
18. Salvador Perez .263 BA, 13 HR, 45 RBI – Expect 10 to 15 home runs, no steals, a good amount of playing time and a solid batting average.
19. Miguel Olivo .251 BA, 16 HR, 46 RBI – Put up mid-tier catcher numbers last season. If you want an insurance policy behind one of those oft-injured guys listed above, Olivo wouldn’t be a bad guy to have.
20. Jarrod Saltalamacchia .225 BA, 12 HR, 51 RBI – “Salty” will be a free agent on seasons end and will have a young prospect riding his heels ‘til then. If he has a breakout year in Boston this may be it.
