February 19, 2016

Tony Peters analyzies five catchers as 2016 fantasy baseball sleepers. Draft targets that can be ADP values and turn profits for fantasy owners in 2016 drafts.

Catcher is a position that can leave fantasy owners in a panic the longer they wait in a draft to pick one. If you find yourself holding out on the position late into your draft, here are five names to keep in mind that are likely to still be hanging around. They might not be able to produce across all fantasy categories, but each possesses strengths obscured by their rankings.

All stats and rankings discussed going forward were taken from two sets of numbers acquired from Fangraphs: catchers with 600 or more at-bats between 2014 and 2015 (totaling 32 players) and catchers with at least 300 at-bats in 2015 (totaling 28). Those can be found here and here, respectively. RotoBaller catcher rankings are listed next to each player's name.

Editor's note: Be sure to check out our 2016 fantasy baseball rankings dashboard, which is already loaded up with lots of great articles. Aside from staff rankings and ADP analysis across all positions, we also dig into MLB prospect rankings, and dynasty/keeper rankings as well.

2016 Bargain Backstops

Derek Norris (RotoBaller Rank: 14th)

Last year's trade to the Padres didn't do Norris any favors offensively as he failed to put up an OPS+ of at least 110 for the first time since his rookie season in 2012. But it also wasn't his undoing as his mark of 99 was just a tick under 100, the OPS+ mark of average offensive prowess. His career-high 515 at-bats may give the impression he may have been overexposed, but it was actually his struggles against division rivals San Francisco and Arizona that hurt Norris the most.

With a floor of average and a ceiling of slightly above, Norris has a chance of pushing himself into the catcher top 10 picture come season's end. Counting stats are where he can help a team the most as Norris ranks within the top 10 in runs (fifth, 111) and RBI (eighth, 117) over the past two seasons. His career-high 33 doubles last year (to go along with 14 home runs) show Norris has the power to continue reaching double digits in home runs and the potential to push 20.

Francisco Cervelli (RotoBaller Rank: 16th)

Cervelli has long been a favorite of AL-only owners as his high batting average and part-time role made him a consistently undervalued asset. Receiving a starting catcher gig for the first time in his MLB career last season, Cervelli rewarded the Pirates, and fantasy owners, with the same high batting average production as before, hitting .295 over 451 at-bats.

While Cervelli set a new career-high in many of the counting stat categories last year, that was mostly due to the volume of at-bats. Another uptick is possible, especially as he remains a member of the potent Pittsburgh offense, Cervelli's fantasy relevance will continue to overwhelmingly come from his batting average. Considering his batting average over the last two years of .296 is second among all catchers, that is not a thing at all.

Welington Castillo (RotoBaller Rank: 17th)

After showing some promise as a starter with the Cubs the previous two years, Castillo struggled out the gate last season as the backup to Miguel Montero. He was hitting a minuscule .163 to go along with two home runs at the time of his mid-season to the Mariners. With Seattle, Castillo's scuffing continued as he again found himself in a part-time role. Not until a second mid-season trade to the Diamondbacks to be their starter did he find pay dirt in the Arizona desert.

It would be here that Castillo's parched bat would find liquid sustenance as he would go on to hit .255, smash 17 home runs and drive in 50 runs over 274 at-bats. Among catchers the past two seasons, Castillo's 32 home runs ranks eighth and his 103 RBI ranks 13th. With Castillo set for his first taste of free agency after this season, he has millions of little inspirations to put up his best season yet.

Wilson Ramos (RotoBaller Rank: 22nd)

The long-forgotten heir to the mantle of Mauer, Ramos was able to stay relatively healthy last season, setting a new career-high in at-bats with 475. His RBI total grew to a career-high 68 with the additional at-bats. On the other hand, his power stayed roughly the same while his batting average fell 28 points from the prior season. Disconcertingly, his strikeout rate went up and his walk rate down for the third season in a row.

If that sounds like a lot of reasons to avoid Ramos, you wouldn't be wrong. He is our 22th catcher, after all. But as a second catcher or bench piece, Ramos still has value to offer as a member of the explosive Nationals offense. A simple correction of last season's career-low BABIP of .256 back towards his career mark of .281 will elevate his entire profile back towards average. Driving in runs is the one area Ramos can be counted on as he ranks ninth among catchers in RBI over the past two seasons, including last year's sixth place finish.

A.J. Pierzynski (RotoBaller Rank: 30th)

A seemingly ageless wonder, Pierzynski continues to be fantasy relevant after a tame 2014 had many writing off the now 39-year-old as done. As the Braves starting catcher, he proved his critics dead wrong last season as Pierzynski posted his first .300 batting average since 2009. He showed it was not fluke either as Pierzynski only got better as 2015 progressed, hitting .321 in the second half, 38 points higher than the first.

As Atlanta continue to muddle about in terms of roster construction and motivation, Pierzynski is unlikely to see his team contributing anymore than they did last year when he drove in 49 runners and was driven in 38 times. That does not mean he can't himself though. With his .430 slugging percentage and 24 doubles last year falling inline with Pierzynski's previous double-digit home run seasons, all he needs to do to exceed expectations again is keep his batting average above average.

MLB & Fantasy Baseball Chat Room

[iflychat_embed id="c-12" hide_user_list="yes" hide_popup_chat="no" height="400px"]