Fantasy Baseball Prep Week: Catchers, "Fear Of Missing Out"

Phillies' J.T. Realmuto is the top-ranked fantasy catcher in 2020. Photo Credit: Crossing Broad

The catcher position is never the most valued pick on draft day, but it's still important to fill the roster spot with someone who can contribute most nights. One thing you never want in baseball, or any fantasy sport, is a dead spot in your lineup. So the major questions here are, how many catchers are there that are viable fantasy options? When should you target the players you want? And how do you make sure you are not left with FOMO at the catcher position on draft day?

I'm going to do fantasy baseball a bit different than I did football, using projected ESPN Fantasy (points) ranks to go position by position and highlight players I see as sleepers and busts (in relation to their positional rank). The projected points are based on the point settings of a fantasy baseball league I have been a part of for 10+ years, and do not always correlate to ranking:

Single- 2, Double- 5, Triple- 15, Homer- 10 (plus RBI/Run Scored), Run Scored- 3, RBI- 5

Walk - 2, Stolen Base- 3______ (NEGATIVES>) Strikeout- 2, Caught Stealing- 2, GIDP- 5

TIER 1

**Key- Position Rank/Overal Rank. Player Name, Team (projected points)

1/77. J.T. Realmuto, Phillies (416): Really in a class of his own in terms of partnering talent with reliability, Realmuto should be the consensus first catcher off the board in all leagues this season after besting all competition in 2019... unless managers get overzealous and take Gary Sanchez.

2/102. Gary Sanchez, Yankees (326): Probably the only catcher with the same "potential" point threshold as Realmuto, but the Yankee slugger has proven injury-prone most years. If he drops in your draft, the San-tino could be a steal, but I wouldn't reach too high for him.

Can Grandal repeat his Brewers output in Chicago? Photo Credit: Chicago Sun Times

3/139. Yasmani Grandal, White Sox (309): (BUST) I'd be wary of Grandal in 2020. He signed a one year prove it contract with Milwaukee in 2019, and posted higher fantasy numbers than usual, based on being consistent in a very offensive lineup (only catcher besides J.T. to reach 1,000-plus points in my league). The White Sox lineup is on the rise as well, but Grandal was already rewarded with a long-term deal and money in the bank. With less motivation this season, I feel like all signs point to regression for this veteran catcher, who I should note has 1B eligibility if you need it. EDIT: In a short season I no longer feel Grandal will be a bust, but I would draft the younger Contreras or Garver ahead of him, especially with McCann still on the roster.

TIER 2

Garver bats in a stacked lineup, and is stepping into the prime of his career. Photo Credit: Fox Sports 2

4/163. Mitch Garver, Twins (340): (SLEEPER... EDIT: TIER 1) A top five positional rank really cannot be considered an actual "sleeper," but clearly ESPN agrees that Garver could continue to exceed expectations with his 886 projected points. With 31 homers and only 87 strikeouts in 2019, the only thing keeping Garver from breaking 1,000 points was his situation. The Twins used both him and Jason Castro last season (a veteran with experience), but Castro left in free agency, allowing Garver to take sole possession of the lead role this year.

5/167. Willson Contreras, Cubs (331)

6/180. Salvador Perez, Royals (226): (BUST) Sal was always more of a defensive catcher than an offensive powerhouse. After a full season on the pine, Perez will turn 30 in May, and I see younger players with more upside on this list that catch for better teams. EDIT: Confirmed covid case has sidelined Perez and dropped his projected total and rank into Tier 3.

7/193. Wilson Ramos, Mets (307)

Does Will Smith's draft status jump up in 2020? Photo Credit: Dodger Blue

8/206. Will Smith, Dodgers (304): (SLEEPER) With possibly the future of the catcher position in Smith, Los Angeles has seemingly struck gold on yet another prospect. The rookie average 8.4 points per game in limited action in 2019, which was second only to Mitch Garver. EDIT: The short season may boost Smith's value even higher because of his strong bursts of play.

TIER 3

9/253. Christian Vazquez, Red Sox (269)

10/256. Yadier Molina, Cardinals (287)

11/278. Carson Kelly, Diamondbacks (237): (BUST) With Stephen Vogt lurking behind Kelly, who hasn't exactly solidified himself as a can't-miss starter, Kelly's opportunities could be undercut if he falters for Arizona.

12/289. Omar Narvaez, Brewers (292): (BUST) I'm sorry but I'm not buying it with Narvaez. The guy was a nobody during his days with the White Sox, then because of one decent season with Seattle he gets an opportunity to help fill the void left by Grandal in Milwaukee... and now he's projected to score 700-plus points this season? An average PPG of 6.1 tells us that he was more of an accumulator than an asset for the Mariners, and he may not get as much burn with a Brewers squad that also has Manny Pina (who has more experience with this pitching staff).

If Sean Murphy is thrust into a starter role, how will he fare in 2020? Photo Credit: Prospects 1500

13/293. Sean Murphy, Athletics (233): (UNSURE) Murphy is expected to start for the A's this season, after blasting four home runs in 53 at bats last season. Elevated prospects are always intriguing in fantasy, but Murphy's minor league numbers don't impress me. I'll probably stick to what I know and avoid the Oakland catcher in this year's draft.

14/296. Travis d'Arnaud, Braves (286): (RISKY SLEEPER) EDIT: d'Arnaud is the most unlucky player I've seen with random injury in recent years. In the shortened season there are more safe options (plus this is the type of guy that would be unfortunate enough to test positive for covid midseason), but if he's healthy he is one of the better hitting catchers in the league.

LONG SHOTS

15/327. Jorge Alfaro, Marlins (192)

16/335. Tom Murphy, Mariners (205): (WATCH LIST) Playing for the Mariners down the stretch, Murphy got very little attention despite posting consistent fantasy numbers. He averaged 6.7 PPG with a .273 AVG and 40 RBI through 260 at bats. If he can play at the same clip, his totals should rise this season with Narvaez gone in free agency... but keep in mind that before joining Seattle, Murphy failed offensively in hitter-friendly Colorado.

17/339. Francisco Mejia, Padres (159): (WATCH LIST) Mejia has yet to stand out in the majors, but 2020 may be his first opportunity to get some consistent playing time. At 24 years of age, there is at least the possibility of growth for the San Diego backstop.

Danny Jansen didn't live up to the draft hype last season, but how many young fantasy catchers actually do? Photo Credit: The Toronto Star

18/347. Danny Jansen, Blue Jays (230): (BUST) Jansen struggled during his rookie campaign for the Jays, batting a miserable .207 with only 4.6 PPG. He is another reminder that we must show caution when drafting prospects in baseball, especially when they're catching prospects!

19/350. Kurt Suzuki, Nationals (242): (WATCH LIST) If Yan Gomes wasn't on this roster, Suzuki would still be an upper echelon catcher, even at his current age (7.8 PPG last season). Being that Washington seems perfectly content employing both veterans equally throughout the year though, any fantasy value either might have goes out the window (barring an injury to one).

20/351. Roberto Perez, Indians (214)

21/353. Robinson Chirinos, Rangers (195)

22/359. Jason Castro, Angels (211): (WATCH LIST) Castro was once an okay hitter, but he was out-shined by Garver in Minnesota. Now given a fresh start in Los Angeles, Castro could be a candidate for a renaissance campaign.

23/365. Austine Romine, Tigers (181): (WATCH LIST) Always shined off the bench for the Yankees. Now starting in a short season, is Romine actually an option at catcher?

26/449. Jacob Stallings, Pirates (203) (WATCH LIST-POSSIBLE SLEEPER)

29/454. Mike Zunino, Rays (185)

31/461. Pedro Severino, Orioles (142)

(Honorable Mention) James McCann, White Sox: (WATCH LIST) EDIT: Unlikely to be traded now, McCann loses all value and hurts Grandal's value.

OPT-OUTS (so far)

Buster Posey, Giants

Welington Castillo, Nationals

To me, there are only six or seven catchers that are actually desirable in fantasy this season, with a few younger high-risk sleepers that should be available at the end of the draft, and a few options for your early season watch list. I recommend queuing up your main catcher candidates at the start of the draft. So long as you aren't targeting Realmuto, you should be able to monitor the picks as they fall into place, which should give you a good idea of when to pull the trigger.