Fantasy Baseball Off-Season Report: Catchers

Published: 21^st Jan 12 5:41 pm

by Adam McGill
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By Adam McGill

In recent seasons the catcher position has provided more and more power numbers. There was fourteen catchers alone last year that hit over 15 home runs or more, including five that hit over 20. Today it is not uncommon for a catcher to hit 23 homers, where it used to be a luxury to have a backstop with any pop.

Early Top Ten:

1. Mike Napoli, TEX – “Napster” will be back behind the plate this season after a brief sabbatical at first. Despite the position uncertainly last year, he still crushed 30 balls out of the park and hit well over .300 (.320). Napoli has distanced himself from the competition with his gaudy power numbers and any catcher who can post outfield home run total is a must start in the fantasy world.

2. Carlos Santana, CLE – Santana blasted 27 homers last season and slugged an impressive 45.7 percent. He has excellent power from the catcher position and the 25-year old is the next great backstop in the game.

3. Alex Avila, DET– “Double A” had an incredible season in 2011. He batted .295, almost winning a batting a title, and the 24-year old is a must have in fantasy leagues. The catcher drove in 82 runs and his 19 home runs also shows his power to go long. He will only get better form here on out and is the ultimate keeper catcher to lock up.

4. Buster Posey, SF – It remains to be seen if Posey is 100 percent healthy following the infamous collision at home place last season, but he was on pace to have a career year. He is a very patient hitter at the plate and BP pumps life into the Giants’ team.

5. Brian McCann, ATL - McCann has always been a reliable hitter in “Hot-lanta” and remains the most experienced catcher in the NL East. The Braves’ have a strong core of young players, but they will need veterans like McCann to step up to go anywhere in 2012. Look for the six-time All-Star to have another 20 HR-80 RBI season.

6. Matt Wieters, BAL – Wieters batted .282 last season and also hit over 20 homers, but he does have a couple things to adjust with his swing. He tends to dip his shoulder in his follow through, which is the reason for his high pop out ratings. However, he is still a fantasy worthy that can lead his team in home runs.

7. Miguel Montero, ARI – Montero had a career season with 18 homers, 86 RBIs, and a .282 batting average. He is a featured bat in one of the most underrated offenses in the league and the 28-year old will benefit from playing every day down the stretch.

8. Joe Mauer, MIN – The 2009 AL MVP is feeling very good about the upcoming season and is ready to put to bed all the rumors about his health, as he was just recovering from a bad case pneumonia. Mauer will be back to his former self sooner rather than later, and the best thing about it is that he will come much cheaper this year than in previous seasons

9. J.P. Arencibia, TOR – Arencibia hit 23 home runs in his rookie year and will only mature as he progresses. He will benefit from a having a healthy Jose Bautista next to him in the lineup and is primed to take the next step this year.

10. Wilson Ramos, WSH – Ramos was a hot commodity for a couple of weeks, but slowed down as the season came to a conclusion. He still batted .267 with 15 home runs, but it would have been nice to see better numbers during the summer months.

Preseason Predictions:

2012 MVP: Carlos Santana, CLE

2012 Rookie to Watch: Salvador Perez, KC

2012 Breakout Player: Miguel Montero, ARI

2012 Bust: Jarrod Saltalamacchia, BOS

Best Source of Home Runs: Mike Napoli, TEX

Best Source of Batting Average: Carlos Santana, CLE

Best Source of Stolen Bases: Russell Martin, NYY

Stock Rising: Joe Mauer, MIN

Stock Falling: John Jaso, SEA

Look for the rest of my positional off-season reports in the upcoming weeks.

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