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Over the next week, RotoBaller analysts will give you a sneak peak into our consensus Premium Tiered Rankings at each position with some in-depth analysis to help you prepare for your drafts. The rest of our tiered rankings can be found in our 2015 Fantasy Baseball Draft Kit & Cheat Sheet.
Tiered Catcher Rankings Analysis
Tiered rankings are critical for fantasy baseball drafts. Faced with the decision of drafting player X or Y at catcher, you need to have an idea of how those players stack up against each other. If they are in the same tier, you can wait on the more costly player, and draft the cheaper player instead. Knowing which tiers players are in will help avoid overpaying and also help spend your draft dollars or picks as wisely as possible.
Anyone who’s played fantasy baseball for even a season knows that the catcher position can be extremely difficult to figure out. Draft day strategies for catchers differ depending on who you ask—some suggest jumping on a top guy earlier on, while others advise waiting due to the relatively small production gap between the second and third tiers. Below I’ll provide a sneak peak into the third and fourth tiers of RotoBaller's Premium Tiered Rankings.
*Note: All round estimates are based on 10 or 12-team leagues.
Tier 3—Solid Starters
As you can see we list the RotoBaller Consesnus Ranking, player name, their ADPs from all the different drafting sites plus the average ADP. We include this information in all positions of our Premium Tiered Rankings.
These are the catchers you’ll end up with if you wait, and they’ll still put up decent enough numbers to justify starting every day.
A case could be made to include Sal Perez in the second tier, despite what many considered a down year for him in 2014. He has plenty going for him—as an excellent defensive catcher, he’s seen plenty of playing time over the last two years, and figures to do so again in 2015. He brings plenty of pop for a catcher, and should have no problem flirting with 20 homers if he plays 140+ games. He should hit in the middle of a Royals lineup that has improved significantly of late. However, he plays half of his games in pitcher-friendly Kauffman Stadium, and he seemed to wear down in the second half of last season due to his heavy workload. With Billy Butler shipped off to Oakland, it would benefit the Royals to allow Perez a few more games at DH instead of behind the plate. You can count on him as a top 10 catcher this year, and could flirt with the top five.
Brian McCann had a rough first year in New York after being a perennial All-Star candidate in Atlanta. While his power numbers fell in line with his career averages, the lefty hit an abysmal .232 after posting a career .270+ average hitting at Turner Field. I have McCann as a bounce-back candidate in 2015, as he should be more comfortable in New York this season, and his average should bounce back. With any luck, the Yankees won’t be decimated by injuries and the lineup should be more productive.
I would put a healthy Matt Wieters on the same level as Perez and McCann. Prior to being shut down to have Tommy John surgery last year, Wieters was putting up career-best numbers, with a .308 batting average to go along with 13 runs scored, five jacks, and 18 RBIs in 26 games. The surgery shouldn’t impact his offensive numbers, and he is expected to be ready for Opening Day. I would feel confident waiting on catchers and drafting him as my starter in the 12th-14th rounds.
Russell Martin should see an uptick in his already excellent numbers from last season. The Canadian backstop returned north of the border in the offseason, inking a large deal with the Jays. Jays manager John Gibbons has mentioned in the preseason that Martin may bat second, putting him in front of the dynamic duo of Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion. As long as Martin’s average remains above .260, he should score plenty of runs, and he should have no trouble smashing 15+ balls out of the yard at hitter-friendly Rogers Centre.
Wilin Rosario had a rough 2014, but I am totally willing to chalk it up to a nagging wrist injury that surfaced in April before finally forcing him to the DL in August. As the starting backstop for the Rockies, he should have no problem picking up where he left off in 2013, and should reestablish himself as a top 10 catcher. I’ve never been a huge fan of Yasmani Grandal or Travis d’Arnaud, as both hit in pitcher-friendly parks and neither excelled in any offensive category. However, Grandal now will play half his games in Los Angeles, and should be able to flirt with 20 homers while improving both his RBI and run totals in a much better offense. D’Arnaud was plagued by injuries again in 2014, and performed so poorly that he was sent to AAA in June. However, he went on a tear after the All-Star break, and finally flashed some of the potential that made him a top prospect for the Mets. Despite having bone chips removed from his arm late last year, I have him pegged as a breakout candidate in 2015, barring any significant injuries.
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Tier 4—Serviceable Starters
At this point where you most likely have at least one catcher already on your roster and start looking for a backup.
Most have something holding them back from being a top-tier catcher, and Wilson Ramos is no exception. He has struggled with injuries for most of his career, and 2014 was a prime example of that. He missed a majority of the first half with a broken hand and then a hamstring strain, but was much healthier in the second half and began to produce. While the final stat line isn’t impressive, the positives are there for him. He has an excellent contact rate for a catcher, decent power, and will be starting on a very solid Nationals squad. You could do much worse from a fantasy perspective.
Miguel Montero is no longer the power threat that he used to be (he’s coming off two seasons in a row with a slugging percentage lower than .400), but he should still put up solid enough stats to make him useful as a catcher. He departed the sinking ship in Arizona and now should be in the bottom third of a much-improved Chicago Cubs lineup, which should allow him to improve his counting stats.
From here on out the talent pool begins to thin out. Carlos “Chooch” Ruiz will be starting on a rebuilding Phillies squad in 2015, and assuming he stays healthy he should be able to post average catcher numbers--.250 batting average, maybe 50 runs and 50 RBIs, and no more than 10 homers. He’ll be a serviceable backup or plug-and-play, but nothing more than that. You’ll see similar production from the rest of the players in this tier, although some have more upside than others.
Mike Zunino has the highest ceiling of the remaining players, as he is still very young and should still have be the starting catcher on a better Mariners team. He launched 22 homers (in Safeco!) in 2014 despite batting .199 on the season. He is only 24, and sprinted through the minor leagues, which leaves plenty of room for improvement as he refines his skill set. Even if he boosts his average to .230-.240, his raw power and defensive ability should keep him in the lineup enough to allow for a potential breakout.
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