Top Catchers for the 2012 Season

So Fantasy Baseball is finally starting again, and with the season beginning it is time to rank the positions! Here is the list of my top 10 Catchers for the upcoming season, along with one sleeper, someone who I think might surprise, and one bust, a guy who I think you should stay away from. My rankings are what my head and eye tells me, but my projections might have a little more of my heart in them (aka they may not match their rank exactly). I hope you enjoy the first of my 8 position ranking posts!

1. Mike Napoli (Tex-C, 1B)-I went back and forth between the “Nap Dog” and McCann, but the potential of .300 and 30+ HR won Mike the #1 spot. He had an incredible season for a catcher last year, and this year he is the guy behind the plate. Last season for the first 2-3 months Napoli wasn’t yet a regular but for the final 3 months he went on a tear. So I expect him to have the best season for a C again this year.

2012 projection: .301 avg, 71 r, 32 hr, 78 rbi, 5 sb

2. Brian McCann (Atl-C)-McCann had a decent season last year, and really hasn’t been the same since he had to have eye surgery, well at least in terms of BA. But even if he is just a .270 hitter he still offers so much in terms of power that he is an easy top 3 C by season’s end. I expect a slight uptick in power, but don’t see any of his other numbers being dramatically changed.

2012 projection: .277 avg, 63 r, 28 hr, 79 rbi, 2 sb

3. Carlos Santana (Cle-C,1B)-Santana had the 2nd highest HR out of the catcher spot last year, but his average was pretty painful. If he can get his BA up around .270-.280 then he might claim the #1 spot or at least be competitive for it. He is only in his third year, which for some is the breakout season, but it is really only his 2nd full year. So I don’t see the huge breakout until next year.

2012 projection: .265 avg, 85 r, 27 hr, 89 rbi, 2 sb

4. Alex Avila (Det-C)-Avila could very easily go back to what he was before last year (a complete unknown) but he was consistent throughout last year. Every time I watched him I was impressed with what I saw. Good discipline and just a solid swing. He finished among the tops in BA for Catchers so that is where his value will be compared to some of the other Catchers. Plus with V-mart going down, Avila will have even more opportunities in that still potent lineup.

2012 projection: .293 avg, 67 r, 21 hr, 82 rbi, 3 sb

5. Matt Wieters (Bal-C)-Wieters has been a dissappointment so far in his young career, but when you look at his numbers he has been a very good Catcher. Expectations for him were way too high and he just couldn’t live up to it. I ranked him modestly because I won’t be surprised if he continues his steady incline, but I think he is going to have a monster year.

2012 projection: .284 avg, 76 r, 24 hr, 78 rbi, 3 sb

6. Miguel Montero (Ari-C)-Miguel had an excellent rebound year from his 2010 campaign, but he needs to do it again before he makes it into the top 5. He plays in a great ball park for gap hitters, which he is, so the stadium is perfect for his style of hitting, as long as he stays healthy he will have another solid season.

2012 projection: .287 avg, 71 r, 19 hr, 83 rbi, 2 sb

7. Buster Posey (SF-C)-Posey was the next hot Catcher since Wieters or Mauer. But he actually performed almost as well as the “experts” claimed he would, but then it all came crashing down (crash, collision; tomato, toemato (say it how its spelled)…so that didn’t work sorry). I know Posey has all the skills to return to excellent production, but I think he is going to have a slow start to start the year. So take caution when drafting him or just buy low in mid-May 🙂

2012 projection: .288 avg, 64 r, 19 hr, 71 rbi, 4 sb

8. Joe Mauer (Min-C,1B)-Mauer will have dual-elegibility, but it is in the loaded position of 1B. Mauer used to be the creme of the crop at C, but his rare leg injury set him back some. I want to believe that since he is only 28 and will be 29 this season that he will return to his former glory. He probably won’t be able to play Catcher to much if he wants to avoid further damage to his legs. Expect Mauer to be solid for you, but don’t pay a hefty price for him.

2012 projection: .302 avg, 64 r, 9 hr, 75 rbi, 1 sb

9. Wilson Ramos (Was-C)-Ramos didn’t have a great year last year, but when you look closer his last 3 months he was one of the top 5 Catchers. Hitting .288 with close to double digit HR after the all-star break if he just duplicate that over two halves of the season he will probably finish higher than the 9th spot. He is someone I will be targeting in my drafts because you can get him cheap and has high upside.

2012 projection: .285 avg, 62 r, 15 hr, 64 rbi, 2 sb

10.Yadier Molina (STL-C)-Yadi is not only the best defensive catcher in the game, but he has slowly become an adequate offensive player. Most of his value will be in OBP and Avg. So don’t expect a 20 hr season or an 100 rbi season. He won’t do that, but if you just want your catcher to help you in avg, while driving in adequate runs and scoring at a decent pace than look no further.

2012 projection: .299 avg, 56 r, 12 hr, 58 rbi, 0 sb

Sleeper: Devin Mesoraco (Cin-C)-Mesoraco is a top rated prospect that is projected to get quite a bit of playing time for the “redlegs” this season. He will most likely become a staple in the Reds lineup for a couple of years if his power from the minors carries into the pros. Now don’t expect greatness from the young man as the pro game is much harder for young catchers to pickup than most other positions because of learning to manage pitching staffs, but if you are in a keeper league or have some major injuries at the C position than he should be a great addition to your team.

2012 projection: .265 avg, 52 r, 13 hr, 63 rbi, 2 sb

Bust: Russell Martin (NYY-C)-Russell was great to start the year last year, and had many hoping he was returning to his glory days of 07-08. But then he returned to earth and finished with a below average year. Now some people are projection Russell to finish in the top 10 of catchers this season, but despite the weight loss I just don’t see it happening. He just turned 29 so he isn’t the young breakout anymore. He has played in the majors for 6 seasons now so we should know what to expect and that is just a decent C nothing more nothing less. Also, he is notorious for hot starts and horrible finishes…you’ve been warned.

2012 projection: .252 avg, 50 r, 13 hr, 57 rbi, 6 sb

My Rankings	ESPN	Yahoo!	CBS
Mike Napoli	1	2	3
Brian McCann	3	3	2
Carlos Santana	2	1	1
Alex Avila	6	8	4
Matt Wieters	4	5	8
Miguel Montero	5	6	7
Buster Posey	7	4	6
Joe Mauer	8	7	5
Wilson Ramos	10	13	13
Yadier Molina	9	11	12
Sleeper: Devin Mesoraco	25	20	18
Bust: Russell Martin	14	12	9

That is it for today, tomorrow the 1B rankings will be up. Hope you enjoy the rankings, if you have any fantasy baseball questions let me know in the comment section. Or if you have any thoughts of your own on Catchers for the upcoming season, I would love to hear your opinions! Don’t forget to follow “The Hombre ” for immediate updates on posts, or ‘like’ on facebook. Enjoy the new fantasy season my friends!

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Top 12 Catchers this Fantasy Season.

This is the first of my 8 position ranking posts. I will post a new position once a day for the next week. Enjoy the rankings. The C position is one of the worst in depth and quality in all of Fantasy Baseball. So you’ll either have to spend a high pick to get a good one, or just get a not so good one and make sure the rest of your roster picks up the slack.

1) Joe Mauer (Min-C, DH)-Joe Mauer aka “The Natural” he has a pretty swing and puts up some good numbers from a weak position in fantasy. His biggest assest is his high average in fact he is usually near the top of the AL in batting average. He is the best hitting catcher you can get, but he is not worth a first round pick. So if that is where he is projected don’t do it, get my 5 or 6 guy in the 8th or 9th round.

2011 prediction: .324 avg, 91 r, 11 hr, 85 rbi, 3 sb

2) Victor Martinez (Det-C)-Victor is starting to get a little old (32) for a catcher so him DHing and playing some first with Det will only help his numbers over the entire year. Him and Miguel is a great duo in Detroit. So he should put up some pretty good numbers probably similar to what he did for Boston last year.

2011 prediction: .304 avg, 73 r, 19 hr, 88 rbi, 0 sb

3) Buster Posey (SF-C, 1B)-I went back and forth with where to put Posey, he had an excellent year last year but he only played in 108 games. I don’t think he will have a sophomore slump because he has plate discipline, and has apparently hit well at every level of the minors and college. So expect another solid year by Posey. I put him ahead of McCann because of dual position eligibility.

2011 prediction: .301 avg, 83 r, 24 hr, 91 rbi, 2 sb

4) Brian McCann (Atl-C)-McCann was destined to rule the C position in fantasy land until all of a sudden his eyes started to fail him. If you can’t see clearly it is hard to hit a tiny ball with a small wooden bat. He had lasik surgery, but he hasn’t been the same hitter since. Hopefully another offseason of work will help him return to the old form, but don’t put all of your eggs in that basket.

2011 prediction: .284 avg, 68 r, 23 hr, 89 rbi, 3 sb

5) Geovany Soto (ChC-C)-Soto had a great rookie year followed by an awful 2nd year, then came year 3 and he didn’t impress quite as much as some hoped. But when you take a closer look he actually had a quality year, 105 gp, .280 avg, 47 r, 17 hr, 53 rbi, 0 sb. So as long as Soto can muster up 120-140 gp with a similar pace. He will end with solid numbers.

2011 prediction: .281 avg, 64 r, 23 hr, 81 rbi, 1 sb

6) Matt Wieters (Bal-C)-He was supposed to be Buster Posey before Buster, but struggled early and often in his first two seasons. He had a good last two months last year, so with Buck at the helm for the Orioles and a little momentum for Matt then he will be a top flight fantasy C like we all hoped he could be.

2011 prediction: .277 avg, 59 r, 16 hr, 73 rbi, 0 sb

7) Carlos Santana (Cle-C)-He should be the full time C in Cleveland, and even though they won’t be doing much during the regular season Santana is supposed to be one of the few bright spots. The analysts have him in the top 5, but I’m going to bring a little reason to the table, unproven commodities are fun to go for but usually don’t pay the big bucks. So have patience for the young guy.

2011 prediction: .269 avg, 63 r, 19 hr, 72 rbi, 4 sb

8) Mike Napoli (Tex-C, 1B)-Napoli is a guy who can crush the ball, but he is a poor defender at his position and can’t hit singles and doubles. As a result he hasn’t gotten a ton of playing time in his years with the Angels, but a new home for Napoli might change his fortunes. I’d be willing to bet his hr numbers go up (the ball flys in Arlington…flys very far)

2011 prediction: .245 avg, 57 r, 29 hr, 68 rbi, 4 sb

9) Kurt Suzuki (Oak-C)-Kurt is a quiet producer at the C position, his 2nd and third year numbers were better than his 1st and 4th. So hopefully year 5 will be like 2 and 3. He is on a poor team, but hopefully he can get some people on the basepaths so he can use his ability to drive the ball to its full potential.

2011 prediction: .264 avg, 58 r, 12 hr, 76 rbi, 3 sb

10) Miguel Montero (Ari-C)-Miguel got full playing time 2 years ago and rewarded the Diamondbacks nicely, but last year was banged up for most of the year and never really found a groove. His potential puts him as a top 5 candidate among C’s but you can’t always expect everyone to be the same as their breakout year (see Ryan Ludwick).

2011 prediction: .273 avg, 55 r, 13 hr, 54 rbi, 0 sb

11) Jorge Posada (NYY-C, DH)-Posada is really old (39) but he is still a quality C option. He gets to DH a lot for the Yanks which keeps him in the lineup. I would expect to see his playing time fall a little bit in comparison to last year, but that doesn’t mean he can still get some quality numbers. Maybe Posada has one quality fantasy season left in those old baseball bones.

2011 prediction: .269 avg, 46 r, 17 hr, 55 rbi, 0 sb

12) Chris Iannetta (Col-C)-I didn’t really know who to put at 12 so I just went with Iannetta since he is the only guy that will play C in Colorado. He was pretty bad last year, but he has had moments that show he isn’t a mendoza line guy. So expect to see similar stuff to 2008.

2011 prediction: .259 avg, 47 r, 18 hr, 57 rbi, 1 sb

My Rankings	ESPN Rankings	Yahoo! Ranking	CBS sports
Joe Mauer	1	1	1
Victor Martinez	2	2	2
Buster Posey	4	3	3
Brian McCann	3	4	4
Geovany Soto	6	6	6
Matt Wieters	9	7	9
Carlos Santana	5	5	5
Mike Napoli	8	8	10
Kurt Suzuki	10	10	7
Miguel Montero	7	9	8
Jorge Posada	11	11	11
Chris Iannetta	13	12	16

Leave any questions or comments regarding my rankings, or if you have any predictions of your own for any catchers this season let the world know. Fantasy Baseball is coming quickly so any input form my readers would allow me to have fresh ideas.