2012 Catcher Rankings

Get used to that sight: Mike Napoli admiring another moon shot.

Power has never been a question for the Rangers' backstop, but age might become one soon. Napoli turned 30 last Halloween, and if your last name isn't Molina, that usually signals the downslope of a catcher's career. I'm not expecting a precipitous decline this season - though I think last year's .320 batting average will be pretty tough to match - but he probably has about 2 or 3 more monster power years in him. He's also got a pretty tragic injury history, losing significant parts of 3 seasons including last year. Not to mention that he's coming off a sprained ankle sustained in the World Series that was still troubling him at the beginning of spring camp. Still, Napoli's at the top of my list, though you can really only expect about 100-120 games out of him.

The Indians' Carlos Santana shares the top tier of my list with Napoli. Santana came off his own devastating injury in 2010 to post an impressive season last year. There's still a fair amount of room for him to improve (especially in batting average and defense), but he demonstrated a good eye at the plate (97 walks in 658 plate appearances) and a powerful bat. I see about the same production out of Santana this year as last - he put up a .239 average with 27 homers, 79 RBI and 84 runs scored - and is probably a safer choice than Napoli if you're trying to decide between the two. I personally give the edge to Napoli on the chance that he might stay healthy all year, in which case the counting numbers should be staggering.

If you don't feel like gambling on follow-ups to Napoli's career year or Santana's breakout campaign, think about Brian McCann. The Braves' backstop has been remarkably consistent over his 6 full seasons, batting at a .287 clip and averaging 22 homers, 86 RBIs and 60 runs over that span. There's no reason to believe that he's in for a regression. In fact, at 28 years old, he may be primed for his best season in 2012.

Miguel Montero is in close to the same boat as McCann: a solid catcher who will help your squad across the board. He doesn't excel in any one category, but is overall above average at the position. I'm projecting a .275/15/65/60 floor for the season, though if the D-Backs improved offense clicks together, he's poised to do some real damage.

Last year, I was understandably cautious about Joe Mauer. He was coming off of arthroscopic knee surgery (you never want to hear about catchers with knee trouble) and ended up missing the first half of the season. In the second half, he caught pneumonia and was sapped of health, strength and effectiveness. A disaster year for the former MVP and 3-time batting champion. This spring, Mauer arrived to Twins camp 30 pounds heavier than at the end of last season - back to his typical 235 - and ready to put last year's disappointment behind him. A healthy Mauer, even in the power-sucking Target Field environment, is still capable of a return to form. Lot of fantasy experts out there saying not to touch him, so he could be an excellent value since I suspect he'll fall pretty far in drafts. Just don't expect any kind of power: 5-10 HR, tops.

Second Tier:
Buster Posey - Giants
Alex Avila - Tigers
Matt Wieters - Orioles
J.P. Arencibia - Blue Jays

Posey is only down here because we need to see how he bounces back from that gruesome injury last year. He had a stellar rookie campaign, but wasn't really showing much in 2011 before he got hurt.

Avila had a breakout year last year and needs to prove it was no fluke. He'll have the job all to himself in 2012: Victor Martinez (who started behind the plate against lefties, when healthy) will miss the entire season with a torn ACL.

Three seasons into the Matt Wieters Era and he keeps showing us more and more. I don't know if he's ready to jump into the top tier yet, but one more year like 2011 and it'll be a no-brainer.

Arencibia is an interesting case. He clubbed 23 homers last year, but struck out 133 times in 443 at-bats en route to a .219 average. With the defensively superior prospect Travis d'Arnaud breathing down his neck, he is going to have to mash to keep his job.


Third Tier:
Wilson Ramos - Nationals
Yadier Molina - Cardinals
Salvador Perez - Royals
Carlos Ruiz - Phillies
A.J. Pierzynski - White Sox

Ramos had a solid rookie season and is a bright spot on a Nats team I expect to perform much better than the 2011 edition.

Molina just signed a 5 year/$75 million dollar contract extension, which means the Cards place a much higher value on him than I do. Defense doesn't count in fantasy.

The Royals just locked up their 21 year-old backstop through 2019. Perez impressed down the stretch with the big club last year, hitting .331 in 148 at-bats.

Ruiz is more or less an inconsistent copy of Molina, but playing half your games in Philly is a clear boost to fantasy value.

I hate Pierzynski, but he finds a way to hit for average every year. At age 35, I hope he finally crashes and burns this year.


Question Marks:
Jesus Montero - Mariners
Geovany Soto - Cubs
Chris Iannetta - Angels
Devin Mesoraco - Reds
Russell Martin - Yankees
Jarrod Saltalamacchia - Red Sox
Jonathan Lucroy - Brewers

Former Yankee prospect Jesus Montero will suit up for the M's this year and don the catcher's gear for at least a few games when he's not DHing or doing time at 1B (he's currently not C-eligible in Yahoo leagues, by the way). The bat is supposedly big league ready, but it'll be interesting to see how the time split works between him and Miguel Olivo (who clubbed 19 homers last year, including 10 at hitter-unfriendly Safeco Field).

Which Soto will show up on the north side this year: 2010's disciplined slugger, or 2011's free-swinging mess?

Iannetta gets the change of scenery and the starting job he needed, but will his power proclivity make the trip from Colorado to Anaheim as well?

Dusty Baker isn't committing to his hyped young catcher yet, so it's hard to predict Mesoraco's upside with veteran Ryan Hanigan still in the picture for playing time.

Russell Martin's resurgence with the Yankees in 2011 was certainly unexpected, but can he do it again? I think his only fantasy value would be in AL-only or deep mixed leagues or as a back up to an injury-prone star catcher.

Saltalamacchia posted 4 solid months from May-August, but book-ended them with an abysmal April and September. With slugging prospect Ryan Lavarnway just about ready for prime time, how long can you count on Salty?

I have really nothing to back this up, but I think Lucroy might be ready to take the next step offensively. He'll be 26 in June and as long as he can build and maintain trust from the starting pitchers, he could give you a solid effort in 2012.

Catcher: the Tight End of Fantasy Baseball

When I started playing Little League, I was pretty much completely unathletic. As such, I was a part-timer in right field, which is where you stick the fat kid who sucks. The fat kid who's smart about the game learns to be a catcher, which is what I decided I wanted to do after one season of being bored in the outfield.

I did what any over-eager, book-smart Gary Carter-worshipping kid would do when trying to get better at sports: I went to the library. Found a couple instructional books on baseball and taught myself the fundamentals of catching. Sure enough, I got the starting catching job on my team the next year. I caught for every team I played on for the next 5 years, so I have a special place in my heart for those who don "the tools of ignorance."

Unfortunately, in fantasy baseball catchers are a liability and are more much more likely to hurt your squad than help it. Last year I spent a lot of my budget early on Victor Martinez because, like most years, offensive talent is thin at catcher. You can usually find some upside guys at shortstop or second base once the studs are gone, but big league managers tend to like defensive catchers who work well with a pitching staff, even if they can't hit a lick. Probably because a lot of managers are former catchers. Can you name the big league skippers who played catcher? Answer at the bottom.

Anyway, here are my catching tiers for the 2011 season. I looked at each player's stats from the past 3 seasons (when available) and made a rough projection based on average production, increasing or declining trend line, expected playing time, and injury risk. I then took the top 20 catchers as rated by Yahoo (because the UL is a 20 team league) and came up with an average stat line. Tiers are determined based on how many categories each player rates above average. I've also included what each player was drafted for in the 2010 auction as a reference.

NOTE: This is the only catcher draft tier you will see this year that does not have Joe Mauer at the top. I will explain when we get there.

6 categories:
None. Catchers on the whole do not steal enough bases to matter in a head-to-head league and most of them don't run at all.

5 categories:
Victor Martinez - $27
Buster Posey - $1 (I think he'll go for a little more this year...)
Brian McCann - $27
Geovany Soto - $9
Jorge Posada - $13
Batting average is the key stat with this group as I have them all projected to hit .270 or better. Martinez and Posada are both primarily playing DH this year, which will either be a blessing or a curse: catchers are involved in the game at all times, so there may be a drop-off in mental focus that may lead to a drop-off in production as they adjust to the new role. Buster Posey had a great rookie season, but there's always the worry of a sophomore slump. McCann is a reliable quantity; Soto, maybe not so much, but I expect a good season from him.

4 categories:
Joe Mauer - $38
Mike Napoli - $9
Carlos Santana - undrafted
Healthy or not, I really don't see Mauer's home run numbers coming anywhere near the 28 he slugged in 2009. Also, consider that he only hit 1 dinger for the home fans at Target Field last year. Still, he'll be a beast in the other 4 categories as long as his knees hold up. Napoli should benefit big-time in the power department from his new digs in Arlington. Santana's a wild card: he's got the potential, but he didn't get enough ABs in 2010 to shake off any doubts.

3 categories:
Kurt Suzuki - $14
Miguel Montero - $9
Suzuki is one of the most underrated hitters at this position simply because of the team around him. I still think he'll amass enough runs, homers and RBIs to contribute. Montero suffered through an injury-riddled 2010, but I'm expecting a bounceback.

2 categories:
None.
Scary. That means the ten guys up there are gonna get paid with this steep of a talent dropoff.

1 category:
Matt Wieters - $19
John Jaso - undrafted
John Buck - undrafted
Chris Iannetta - $1
J.P. Arencibia - undrafted
Russell Martin - $6
A.J. Pierzynski - $5
Yadier Molina - $1
Chris Snyder - undrafted
I am not at all sold on Matt Wieters. This guy has been declared a "can't miss" prospect three years in a row now, and he's missed twice. I usually like to pick up the "can't miss" rookie in his second year after he failed to meet expectations, but I'm not gambling that high on Wieters, no way. John Jaso is going to leadoff, so if you're in a bind for runs, he's an interesting option. I'd love to see Iannetta and Arencibia power their way through a season, but the batting averages on those guys will probably be brutal.

0 categories (but with upside):
Carlos Ruiz - $1
Miguel Olivo - $2
Rod Barajas - $1
Jarrod Saltalamacchia - undrafted
Alex Avila - $1
Nick Hundley - undrafted
Ruiz, Olivo and Barajas are all known quantities who won't hurt you too bad if you lose a better player to injury. Of the three, I'd probably prefer Ruiz since he's the only one playing in a hitter's park. I unfortunately put the buck down on Avila last year toward the end, but this year I think he's definitely worth checking out. Salty's really intriguing: he'll be the starter for the Red Sox this year and he's shown that he can swing the bat, but all anybody can talk about is whether or not he's conquered the yips. All signs this spring point to "yes," but mental issues aren't as easy to diagnose and treat as hamstrings.

I'm curious how the catching situation will work out in the Bronx. They brought in Russell Martin, but he's not 100% yet. Francisco Cervelli was a capable replacement when Posada was hurt last year. Jesus Montero can mash, but he might not be skilled enough defensively for Joe Girardi's liking. This will be resolved by our draft date, but if I had to draft tomorrow I'd consider tossing out $1 on Montero just because the position is so thin.

What is Pittsburgh going to do with Ryan Doumit? They couldn't move his $5 million salary in the offseason, so now he's stuck in a backup role between catcher and right field. He's a much better offensive option than Chris Snyder, but Snyder's a veteran who can deftly handle a pitching staff.

It saddens me that Pudge Rodriguez is still playing baseball. He's about 4 years past his usefulness and it's starting to get to the point where hanging on is tarnishing his legacy. He should be in the conversation as the greatest catcher to ever play in the majors with Johnny Bench, Yogi Berra and Roy Campanella. WHo knows, maybe he can become a manager when he finally hangs 'em up.

Former catchers with current MLB managing gigs are: Bruce Bochy*, Bob Geren, Joe Girardi*, Fredi Gonzalez, Jim Leyland*, Joe Maddon, Mike Scioscia*, Eric Wedge and Ned Yost.

*Won a World Series as a skipper. See, catchers are smarter than you.