March 14, 2016

RotoBaller's staff rankings and projections for 2016 fantasy baseball catchers (C). Tiered MLB first base ranks, expert draft analysis and fantasy baseball advice.

Welcome to our final round of rankings. We've been guiding you throughout the offseason and it's all culminated to this. These rankings will be your guide in fantasy drafts, and while they shouldn't be seen as an end-all, be-all assessment, it's wise to have an understanding of where the market values the players you seek. We'll start with catchers.

This round of rankings features seven of our experts. They are Brad Johnson, Max Petrie, Kyle Bishop, Harris Yudin, Jeff Kahntroff, Bill Dubiel, and myself, Nick Mariano. The first position on the agenda is catcher, as is tradition. Assume a standard 5x5 redraft league when reading.

By the way, be sure to also see our 2016 fantasy baseball rankings dashboard, which is already loaded up with lots of great articles. Aside from staff rankings across all positions, we also dig into MLB prospect rankings, and dynasty/keeper rankings as well.

2016 Fantasy Baseball Rankings Analysis: Catchers

Aside from the Matt Wieters' arm issues lingering once more, there haven't been any major catcher injuries since our last edition. But there has been a shift up top thanks to Dexter Fowler returning to the Cubs, and it directly affects Kyle Schwarber. There were already questions surrounding Scharber's playing time thanks to Miguel Montero and his struggles versus lefties. The playing time issue is magnified thanks to splitting with Jorge Soler in left, a solid young player. If Soler isn't moved, it's unlikely Schwarber finishes as the No. 2 catcher.

We've already discussed player profiles in length in our January and February editions, so I'm not going to repeat what you already know. That leads us to honing in on Spring Training performances.

While it isn't wise to depend on Spring Training numbers, it can be a guide for players who are ready to take the next step or who have made adjustments to their swings. I tend to focus on the players hitting for power early, and don't freak out about hitters struggling at the plate. Anyways, let's a take a peak:

Speaking of Schwarber, he's hitting 3-for-16 (.188). Fellow battery mate Miguel Montero is hitting 7-for-15 (.467) early on. If Montero starts hot, Schwarber's playing time takes another dip. I don't trust the Cubs situation enough to endorse Montero as your sole catcher in shallow leagues.

Stephen Vogt is off to a hot start, hitting 6-for-11 (.545) with 3 HR so far. He started off hot in 2015 until cooling off in the second half. Given he isn't a top 10 pick at catcher, there's value here for players who punt the backstop position.

Welington Castillo, aka Beefcake, is looking to show 2015 was no fluke. He's hitting 7-for-17 (.412) with 2 HR and 8 RBI. He's another sneaky value late given he has the full-time job to himself.

With Tyler Flowers dealing with a mild leg injury, A.J. Pierzynski has a chance to play everyday to start the year. He hit .300 last year and is a career .282 hitter. Consider Pierzynski for deeper formats after the top 15 have gone off the board.

J.T. Reamulto, my sleeper pick among catchers, is hitting .313 for Miami. Bold pick: Reamulto finishes as the sole catcher to complete a 10/10 season.

Travis D'Arnaud is struggling so far, hitting 3-for-18 (.167) with no extra base hits. I'm not overly concerned, but keep in mind you're paying for potential with D'Arnaud. He's a player who won't end up on my fantasy teams.

Caleb Joseph, the player likely to benefit from a Matt Wieters injury, is hitting 1-for-16 (.063) with a single to his name. He's got value in DFS formats, but he's not a viable target on draft day.

Buster Posey is hitting just .200. Here's where I remind you it's March and things will be fine.

My advice for the catcher department: If you don't land Buster Posey or Jonathan Lucroy for a value on draft day, hold off until the 13-16 range. Good luck in your drafts!

Catcher Tiered Fantasy Baseball Rankings

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