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After another productive fantasy baseball season from behind the plate in 2012, Mike Napoli was severely undervalued in drafts this spring. Napoli was once an elite option behind the plate, but in drafts this spring he found himself falling well outside of the top-five at the position.
Napster is now with the Boston Red Sox and has shown that he can once again be a reliable fantasy option. He has moved to first base from behind the plate this year and hasn’t skipped a beat. The transition will keep him much fresher for fantasy owners down the stretch and will give him a chance to play a career number of games in 2013. He is still able to be used as a catcher in almost every format and the move has only helped him put up better numbers on daily basis.
Napoli has raised his average all the way up to .268, plus has smashed nine doubles and four home runs already. He may have only drawn one walk and struck out an alarming 27 times, but his amazing power numbers certainly make up for those shortcomings.
More shocking is the fact that he has also driven in 25 runs this season and is ranked first in the entire American League. No one expected Napoli to put up these type of numbers, but the veteran has quickly become an elite fantasy stick.
Napoli’s best power season was back in 2011 with the Texas Rangers. He hit 30 home runs, drove in 75 runs, and boasted a .320 batting average. He has still been a consistent source of homers, though, as he has bashed 26.7 home runs over the last three years. Needless to say, he should easily hit that mark again in 2013.
Right now, Napoli is playing like the top catcher in all of fantasy, so make sure to keep him in your starting lineup while he is on such a tear.
Adam McGill is the Senior Fantasy Sports Writer at Rant Sports. Follow him on Twitter @adammcgill83, like him on Facebook, or add him to you networks on Google here or here.
