2020 Catchers
by Pat Cloghessy
Coming off what turned out to be a banner year for fantasy backstop production, we head into 2020 with high hopes. The catcher position has turned a corner, you might say. Well…What does BABS say?
The breakdown:
There are 26 full and mid-timers (7 F, 19 M). Within this group, there are 12 players with power assets (5 PW, 7 p), one with speed asset (s) and eight with BA assets (3 AV, 5 a). Just three of the 26 offer multiple assets, and each of them has at least one liability on their ledger. In fact, just one out of 26 can claim zero ticks in the liability section. Two others have only (Nw) counted against them. Skill liabilities afflict 42 percent of the 26 man pool (5 -P, 6 -A). Elevated injury risk affects 42 percent of this group. Finally, 31 percent are a bit green in the experience department.
The position is laden with injury risk and BA drags. The guy who might help in HR is also a good bet to chisel away at rate stats.
One catcher leagues should do okay, but selecting that 2nd catcher is an annual exercise that goes something like this.
| ASSETS | LIABILITIES | ||||||||||||||||||
| ADP | R$ | CATCHERS | Pos | Tm | PT | Pw | Sp | Av | * | Pk | Rg | Sk | Inj | Ex | Nw | Pk | Ag | Rg | |
| 55 | $19 | Realmuto,Jacob | 2 | PHI | F | p | s | AV | inj- | ||||||||||
| 647 | $(6) | Allen,Austin | 2 | OAK | P | PW | AV | EX | Nw | ||||||||||
| 116 | $11 | Garver,Mitch | 2 | MIN | M | PW | a | * | e | ||||||||||
| 121 | $11 | Contreras,Willson | 2 | CHC | F | p | a | inj- | |||||||||||
| 486 | $(3) | Vogt,Stephen | 2 | ARI | P | p | a | Nw | |||||||||||
| 246 | $4 | Molina,Yadier | 2 | STL | M | AV | INJ | Ag | |||||||||||
| 85 | $14 | Sanchez,Gary | 2 | NYY | M | PW | INJ | ||||||||||||
| 211 | $5 | Kelly,Carson | 2 | ARI | M | PW | * | e | |||||||||||
| 738 | $(7) | Nunez,Dom | 2 | COL | P | PW | EX | ||||||||||||
| 199 | $6 | Vazquez,Christian | 2 | BOS | M | a | |||||||||||||
| 273 | $3 | Posey,Buster | 2 | SF | F | a | INJ | ||||||||||||
| 292 | $2 | Suzuki,Kurt | 2 | WAS | P | a | Ag | ||||||||||||
| 389 | $(1) | Caratini,Victor | 23 | CHC | P | a | inj- | e | |||||||||||
| 96 | $13 | Grandal,Yasmani | 23 | CHW | F | p | * | Nw | |||||||||||
| 180 | $7 | Perez,Salvador | 2 | KC | F | p | INJ | ||||||||||||
| 179 | $7 | Ramos,Wilson | 2 | NYM | F | AV | -P | ||||||||||||
| 391 | $(1) | Astudillo,Willians | 2 | MIN | P | AV | -P | INJ | EX | ||||||||||
| 231 | $4 | Murphy,Sean | 2 | OAK | M | inj- | EX | ||||||||||||
| 242 | $4 | Mejia,Francisco | 2 | SD | M | inj- | EX | ||||||||||||
| 253 | $4 | D Arnaud,Travis | 23 | ATL | M | Nw | |||||||||||||
| 285 | $2 | Jansen,Danny | 2 | TOR | M | Rg | EX | ||||||||||||
| 311 | $2 | McCann,James | 2 | CHW | P | Rg | |||||||||||||
| 449 | $(2) | Romine,Austin | 2 | DET | P | Nw | Rg | ||||||||||||
| 486 | $(3) | McGuire,Reese | 2 | TOR | P | EX | |||||||||||||
| 150 | $9 | Smith,Will | 2 | LA | M | PW | -A | EX | |||||||||||
| 271 | $3 | Murphy,Tom | 2 | SEA | P | PW | -A | e | |||||||||||
| 443 | $(2) | Castro,Jason | 2 | LAA | M | PW | * | -A | Nw | ||||||||||
| 215 | $5 | Narvaez,Omar | 2 | MIL | F | a | * | -P | Nw | ||||||||||
| 217 | $5 | Alfaro,Jorge | 2 | MIA | M | p | -A | e | Rg | ||||||||||
| 316 | $1 | Chirinos,Robinson | 2 | TEX | M | p | * | -A | Nw | Ag | |||||||||
| 437 | $(2) | Gomes,Yan | 2 | WAS | P | p | -A | ||||||||||||
| 447 | $(2) | Zunino,Mike | 2 | TAM | M | p | Rg | -A | INJ | ||||||||||
| 450 | $(2) | Sisco,Chance | 2 | BAL | P | p | -A | EX | |||||||||||
| 489 | $(3) | Flowers,Tyler | 2 | ATL | P | p | -A | ||||||||||||
| 513 | $(3) | Castillo,Welington | 20 | FAA | P | p | -A | inj- | Nw | ||||||||||
| 678 | $(6) | Avila,Alex | 2 | MIN | P | p | * | -A | INJ | Nw | |||||||||
| 371 | $(0) | Barnhart,Tucker | 2 | CIN | M | * | -P | inj- | |||||||||||
| 513 | $(3) | Stallings,Jacob | 2 | PIT | M | -P | EX | ||||||||||||
| 526 | $(4) | Wolters,Tony | 2 | COL | M | -P | |||||||||||||
| 288 | $2 | Perez,Roberto | 2 | CLE | M | * | -A | inj- | Rg | ||||||||||
| 436 | $(2) | Severino,Pedro | 2 | BAL | P | -A | e | ||||||||||||
| 594 | $(5) | Phegley,Joshua | 2 | CHC | P | -A | |||||||||||||
| 607 | $(5) | Maldonado,Martin | 2 | HOU | P | -A | Nw | ||||||||||||
| 607 | $(5) | Hedges,Austin | 2 | SD | P | -A | |||||||||||||
| 682 | $(6) | Barnes,Austin | 2 | LA | P | * | Rg | -A | e | ||||||||||
| 693 | $(6) | Rogers,Jake | 2 | DET | P | -A | EX | ||||||||||||
| 736 | $(7) | Greiner,Grayson | 2 | DET | P | -A | INJ | EX | |||||||||||
ASSETS: PT (Playing time), Pw (Power), Sp (Speed), Av (Batting Effectiveness), * (OBP help), Pk (Park help), Rg (Regression help). LIABILITIES: Sk (Skills risk), Inj (Injury), Ex (Inexperience), Nw (New team), Pk (Park hurt), Ag (Age decline), Rg (Regression hurt)
Of the six dual-asset (or better) catchers, only JT Realmuto (p,s,AV|-inj) and Willson Contreras (p,a|-inj) are projected for full-time plate appearances. Mitch Garver (PW,a|e) measures up well as the most skilled mid-timer.
The remaining full-time contingent consists of five players: Buster Posey (a|INJ), Yasmani Grandal (p), Salvador Perez (p|INJ), Wilson Ramos (AV|-P) and Omar Narvaez (a|-P). Amassing plate appearances from this group is less likely to hurt you in other areas. Their ADP range allows great draft day flexibility.
If we exclude the zero-timers, there are just 14 BA assets. Total. This includes part-timers like Austin Allen (PW,AV|EX), Stephen Vogt (p,a), Victor Caratini (a|inj-,e), Kurt Suzuki (a),and Willians Astudillo (AV|-P,INJ,EX). So, eight. There are eight BA-asset catchers projected for mid or full-time PA.
Additionally, BABS shows 16 receivers sporting power as their lone asset. Of these 16, a full 11 come strapped with batting average liability (-A). This includes the rising Will Smith (PW|-A,EX). His BABS comps, if you will, are guys like Jason Castro (PW|-A) and Robinson Chirinos (p|-A).
Are there any safe spaces? Maybe.
Gary Sanchez (PW|INJ) seems to be the consensus 2nd overall catcher. Great power, BA floor appears palatable. Carson Kelly (PW|e) brings a similar skill set, but at a fraction of the cost. Christian Vazquez (a) might not have the most voluminous asset mix, but he is an oasis in this desert. Ditto Omar Narvaez (a|-P), albeit with some skepticism of his 2019 power spike. Home games in Milwaukee could be a slight mitigating factor.
The market has identified, seemingly in concert with BABS, some of the “safer” options available at lower rates. Even without any assets, these placeholders can at least (hopefully) help keep the BA at sea-level. They have their own shortcomings, but in BABS’ eyes, negative BA and power aren’t among them. This includes mid-timers Travis D’Arnaud, Francisco Mejia and Danny Jansen. Along with part-timers James McCann, Pedro Severino and Austin Romine. These are the personification of “first do no harm.”
This position so beset with skill deficiencies and flush with risk is also unignorable. We must roster at least one catcher (often two). Heed the risk and don’t get stuck searching for options too deep in the end game.
NOTES: The chart above may vary slightly from the latest database update which was run after this analysis was written. To engage with other readers on this topic, head over to the Reader Forums. If you have a question that would be best answered by one of our experts and benefit everyone, submit it on our Contact Page and put MAILBAG in the Subject Line.