The catcher position is just the worst for fantasy, as any experienced player knows. Nine catchers finished within the top 200 players in rotisserie leagues last year, and only one (J.T. Realmuto) finished in the top 100.
The physical demands on the position are great, which not only means that their offensive production is lower than other positions on a per-plate appearance basis, but also that they accumulate far fewer counting statistics than any other position. Only four catchers had more than 482 plate appearances last year and only one catcher hit higher than .278. It’s a wasteland.
Nevertheless, it is a fantasy position and, as such, we must continue to harness our rankings and try to find value where we can. As you can see, compared to the expert consensus, I’m a bit bullish on Francisco Mejia, who will be batting in an improved lineup and whose prospect pedigree offers upside, and Tom Murphy, who offers plenty of pop and should bat cleanup for the Mariners.
Conversely, I’m much lower on Yadier Molina. As I explained in depth on the FantasyPros Baseball Podcast, it’s hard to find many 38-year-old catchers who offer significant production. I’d rather jump off the train one stop too early than one stop too late.
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Dan Harris is the Editor-in-Chief of FantasyPros. For more from Dan, check out his archive or follow him on Twitter @danharris80.