A true fantasy baseballer knows that the Catcher is the most irrelevant position in all of fantasy sports. Or maybe I’ve just been getting lucky when I basically ignored the position for the last 10 years. There are generally three catchers you can get guaranteed production from. Even those three provide the least value of any other position. Then you have a plethora of seemingly viable options which almost always end up hitting sub-250, ~10 HR, ~50 R, ~50 RBI. Some managers love to get “guaranteed” production and draft a top tier catcher early in the draft. A few will grab a “viable” catcher in the middle rounds, which generally starts a chain reaction of viable catchers being drafted in the following two rounds. Others choose to wait until the last round of the draft and choose whatever crumbs are handed to them. I lean towards the latter strategy, because that is what I’ve had the most success with. Whatever floats your boat. Either way, here are the top 10 Catchers for 2011 Fantasy Baseball.
1. Victor Martinez - Getting everyday at bats from your “catcher” is a huge bonus. He is leaving a powerful offense, but Detroit knows how to manufacture plenty of runs as well. The new ballpark in Detroit won’t be as loving as Fenway, but it also won’t hurt him enough to drop his value. Gotta love a .300 Average with 20 Homers from the weakest fantasy position.
2011 Projection: 568 AB -70 R – 21 HR – 86 RBI – 1 SB – .302 AVG
2. Joe Mauer – Some owners were surprised last year when Mauer only got a third of his 2009 Home Runs, with nine. Most sabermetricians (if that’s not a word, it is now) knew that Mauer’s HR/FB Ratio was unsustainable, and he was due for a regression. So, now the cats out of the bag, Mauer is a 10-15 Home Run guy. Power aside, Mauer still has a .327 career average. I don’t like to take high picks that rely so much on average so I’ll be passing on Mauer. I can’t blame owners who choose to take Mauer at the end of the 2nd round or later, it’s just not something I will be doing.
2011 Projection: 488 AB -83 R – 12 HR – 75 RBI – 2 SB – .319 AVG
3. Buster Posey – How often do you see Top 50 Prospects pan out at the Catcher Position? Not often, that’s why players like Gerald Buster Posey are so rare. It’s also rare for a Rookie to hit 7 of their 18 Home Runs to Opposite Field, Buster did that. 20 Home Runs in 2011 is a reasonable expectation, even though he has to play half his games in a pitchers park. If he had some real major league batters around him, he would have the potential to be the #1 catcher. He’ll have to settle with what he’s got, which means runs and RBI opportunities won’t be too abundant.
2011 Projection: 463 AB -69 R – 22 HR – 76 RBI – 2 SB – .284 AVG
4. Brian McCann – McCann can’t run, and doesn’t hit for high average. That makes him a two-category player. It is nice to get some power from a weak position, but sometimes it’s just not worth it. For where he is being drafted, it would be wise to pass on McGrass.
2011 Projection: 481 AB -63 R – 21 HR – 81 RBI – 5 SB – .272 AVG
5. Kurt Suzuki – Suzuki’s Infield Fly Ball % increased from 10% in 2009 to 20% in 2010. For those keeping score at home, that’s not a good increase. That’s an easy way to explain his .245 BABIP. Whether you are facing major league competition or a 10 year old little league team, you will not have success if you’re hitting nothing but infield pop-ups. The good news is this problem can be fixed rather easily (stop lunging at pitches outside the zone. Suzuki should put up Top 5 Catcher stats if he can handle that small task.
2011 Projection: 514 AB -63 R – 14 HR – 79 RBI – 4 SB – .276 AVG
6. Mike Napoli – Was able to hit 26 Juice Bombs in LA, imagine the possibilities with him hitting in Texas. His career numbers at Texas Ballpark are .292/.394/.573 with 6 HR, 11 RBI in 89 Plate Appearances. He should hit at least 15 Home Runs, and that’s just at home! If he can muster up 10 roadies, you got yourself 25 Home Runs from the catcher spot. Would be a Top 3 catcher if he didn’t also have the ability to Mendoza it up, and find himself spitting seeds and picking splinters on the pine.
2011 Projection: 435 AB -60 R – 28 HR – 65 RBI – 4 SB – .253 AVG
7. Matt Wieters – Everyone’s favorite over-hyped prospect is trying to prove the hype was warranted. He improved his Contact % last year, but that may have been part of his problem. It couldn’t hurt for Wieters to be a little more aggressive at the plate. I think we’ll see his average improve a lot. His power, I’m not so sure. Is Wieters just Alex Gordon 2.0, or will he break out in 2011?
2011 Projection: 418 AB -44 R – 13 HR – 62 RBI – 1 SB – .298 AVG
8. Hank Conger – If you’re in an Asian-only league, you no longer have to fret when Kurt Suzuki goes off the board. There is a new catcher in town. With the departure of Napoli, the playing time door is open for Conger. With a full-time gig, we can expect at least 10 dingos with a .275+ average. Not too shabby for a catcher you can pick up in the last third of your draft.
2011 Projection: 355 AB -46 R – 15 HR – 61 RBI – 2 SB – .279 AVG
9. Carlos Santana – Santana was doin’ big things until a knee injury ruined his rookie season. Although reports say he is technically fine, physically, I fear that injury will stunt his development more than other ‘perts are thinking. I see Santana eventually becoming a .285 /70/25/80 type of hitter, I don’t think that will be until 2012.
2011 Projection: 409 AB -57 R – 15 HR – 54 RBI – 7 SB – .260 AVG
10. Geovany Soto- Was a Top Tier option just three years ago, so you know he has the potential. I’m not a huge fan of Soto in 2011 unless you can guarantee me 450+ ABs.
2011 Projection: 389 AB -50 R – 19 HR – 62 RBI – 3 SB – .264 AVG
Other Options to consider:
John Jaso – Nothing flashy, but should hit for decent average (.285) with the potential for 10 to 15 smackeroos.
Alex Avila – Was dreadful last year, but he’s real young. A .280 average with 10+ Home Runs is not out of the question.
Jesus Montero – The Yankees are putting up some playing time roadblocks, which indicates he may not be as Major League ready as many scouts will swear to you he is. Probably won’t hit for average right away but Power will be just fine (10-15 HRs)
J.P. Arencibia – Has the potential to pull a Soto and take the League by storm in his Rookie Year.
Hi there, I ran across your internet site via Yahoo and google acquire the best for a related subject matter, your internet site emerged, it looks excellent. I have book-marked this inside my yahoo and google social bookmarks.|