The Catcher’s Position
February 15th, 2012 | by Ray Flowers |
I say it every year – the catcher’s position is a field filled with landmines. There are certainly options that are elite when it comes to offensive output, but at the same time there is always an inherent risk with anyone who wears the tools of ignorance (Victor Martinez injured his knee – a torn ACL – knocking him out for the season. Was it the result of wear and tear? We may never know.). So what are my thoughts on how you should handle the catchers position, especially if you are in a league (as you should be) that has two starting backstops?
Consider the following.
Strike One.
Last year only one catcher appeared in 150 games – Carlos Santana (155).
Last year four catchers appeared in 140 games – Martinez, Alex Avila, Miguel Montero and John Buck.
Last year six catchers appeared in 130 games – Yadier Molina, Matt Wieters, Jonathan Lucroy, Kurt Suzuki, Carlos Ruiz and Miguel Olivo.
In total we have 11 catcher eligible players who appeared in 130 games, or, to put it another way, there were only 11 catchers who appeared in more than 80 percent of their teams games. How about this – there were only 11 catchers who missed as few as a month worth of games. Think about that for a moment. If you were in a 15 team league last year you had about a 50 percent chance that your starter behind the dish missed a month worth of game action. That alone should cause you pause when you think about reaching early for a catcher. Hidden inside this digression about games played is the point I brought up at the start – that is the fact that injuries are a huge issue for a backstop. Do you really want to spend a high level pick on a player that is, in the best case scenario, going to miss 15 percent of his teams games? What if there was a fair amount of risk that even that number would be missed (i.e. another injury – think Mike Napoli who is still dealing with an ankle injury from last season)?
Strike Two.
How about this one – how many catchers stole 10 or more bases last year? The answer is zero. Moreover, only four eligible catchers even stole five bases (Russell Martin 8, Miguel Olivo 6, Chris Iannetta 6 and Santana 5). Strike two is a total lack of speed from the player who you will have fill the catcher’s position. There simply no juice at all from backstops in the steals category.
Strike Three.
How about we talk about batting average. Amongst catcher eligible players who had 400 plate appearances do you know how many hit .290? The answer is four – V-Mart (.330) Napoli (.320), Yadier Molina (.305) and Alex Avila (.295). That’s a pretty high batting mark, so let’s drop the qualification down to .275. How many catchers hit .275? The answer is just seven (add in A.J. Pierzynski .287, Carlos Ruiz .283 and Miguel Montero .282). If we drop that number down to .270 we only add two more guys (Yorvit Torrealba .273 and Brian McCann .270). So all told we’ve got nine, not nineteen but nine, catchers who had 400 plate appearances that also hit just .270. Clearly catcher isn’t the place to look for batting average help.
Strike Four.
Is there big time power at the catchers spot? The answer is not really (five catchers hit 20 homers in 2012: Mike Napoli 30, Carlos Santana 27, Brian McCann 24, J.P. Arencebia 23 and Matt Wieters 22). The reason, chiefly, is that they just don’t play enough games. There were nine other catchers who hit between 15 and 19 homers, but that makes my point for me doesn’t it? After a mere handful of guys, pretty much any catcher you will draft is going to hit you something like 15 homers. If the difference between the #6 guy at the position in homers and the #14 guys is just four homers, less than one a month, does it really matter who your catcher is? Further, there were also four more catchers who hit 14 homers (that brings the total to 18 backstops who went deep at least 14 times). The bottom line here is that there was a lot of parody at the catcher’s position, at least in terms of the power output they provide.
I know you have to take a catcher, and I know it matters who you end up with. There is no doubt that there is a significant difference between Mike Napoli and Kurt Suzuki, but my point is that I’m concerned enough about the potential injury situation to always be reluctant to spend big on a catcher. Further, with most catchers missing so much playing time, it just doesn’t make much sense to reach for a catcher. In addition, no catcher is a five category contributor which should further diminish the value of those players at the position. I’m not suggesting you wait until your stuck drafting the #19 and #23 catchers as your starters, but at the same time I’m also much more comfortable targeting catchers in the 8-15 range than I am reaching early, or waiting late, on getting my backstop duo.
Check out the link to Fleaflicker for their rankings on the catcher’s position.
By Ray Flowers
Tags: ADP, Alex Avila, Brian McCann, Carlos Ruiz, Carlos Santana, Catchers, Joe Mauer, Kurt Suzuki, Matt Wieters, Miguel Olivo, Mike Napoli, Mock Drafts, Russell Martin, Victor Martinez, Yadier Molina
By Mike on Feb 15, 2012
Ray – I agree that because catchers face a higher injury risk, play materially less games than regular position players, and rarely contribute to the steals category, they generally deserve to be drafted below regular position players. This year, however, I think you could make a case that Carlos Santana may be deserving of a much-higher pick. In my opinion, the three best-hitting catchers are (in no particular order) Santana, Mike Napoli and Victor Martinez. Well, Martinez is out for the year and Napoli still is feeling the remnants of an injury. I also think that while Napoli’s power is for real, his batter average is likely to regress. Santana – and other American League catchers – have the benefit of being able to hit as the DH periodically. Santana also can and will play 1B. Thus, Santana should get a reduced workload at C (thereby reducing his injury risk), and either play DH or 1B most days when not catching. The dual position eligibility is attractive. Other than Napoli, I’m not sure there any many other AL catchers that will be used at another position, or DH, when not catching (Napoli, Mauer?, Doumit?, Wieters?) In addition to being the best-hitting catcher, Santana may wind up with many more at bats than any other catcher. If his average improves, as it should, you could see .270BA-30HR-90R-90RBI-8SB. If you consider this type of production realistic and scarce from the catcher position, Santana could justify a higher pick than other catchers. Just my two cents. Thanks, Mike
By Scott on Feb 15, 2012
Ray: I made a trade and I need a subjective evaluation. In a mixed Roto 12 team mixed 5 x5 one year keeper league I traded Alex Gordeon $10, Gio Gonzalez $9, BJ Upton $19 and Maybin $10 for Walden $1 and Dee Gordon $10
My other intended keepers include Haren 13, matt Moore 10, Jordon Zimmerman 10
with Belt $1, Barun 36 (if he is spared) and K Jansen 10.
I would not have kept maybim or Upton.
What is your feedback. I can take it!
By Ray Flowers on Feb 15, 2012
Mike – Love the in-depth posting. You make a good point. IF Santana does what is expected/hoped for, he could very easily lap the competition. You can go early for Santana with a reasonable expectation that he will be able to provide some very impressive numbers for the Indians.
By Zach on Feb 15, 2012
Great article Ray – I will be waiting on drafting a catcher this year and spend the money elsewhere!
Just a quick correction – V-Mart also hit for average last year: .330 in 595 plate appearances.
Thanks for all the wonderful advice and the great guide!
By Ray Flowers on Feb 15, 2012
Zach – Good point on VMart. Will make the change. I had left him out cause of his injury.
By Ryan on Feb 16, 2012
Ray, How often do you update the Draft Guide?
By Ray Flowers on Feb 16, 2012
Ryan – As often as neccessary. Since players haven’t officially gotten going yet, it’s pretty slow for now, but it will pick up quickly.
By Jason on Feb 17, 2012
I’m sure this has been discussed somewhere before, but what is your reasoning behind 2 catcher leagues?
I’ve never been a part of one, but my big money league is considering a change for next season (if it passes vote this year).
Also, if we purchased your spectacular draft guide already, will we be able to get an updated version when our drafts get closer?
Thanks Ray!
By Ray Flowers on Feb 18, 2012
Jason – ALL industry experts leagues use two catchers. All of them. It would be like doing a fantasy football league with two WRs instead of three. Some do it, but it’s not the standard. Beyond that, it’s just more challenging when you add more players to the starting lineup, and I’m all for that.
As the write for the Guide says – everyone can get one free update. Just send me your receipt, and I’ll send you the updated rankings.
By Reed on Feb 19, 2012
I was wondering the same thing about the two catchers. I get that it’s somewhat arbitrary, but I don’t see the parallel in the example you gave. Isn’t it true that many (most?) NFL teams start three WRs? Obviously in baseball the team doesn’t start two catchers, though I suppose they are more likely to use a couple. Is that the logic? That, practically speaking, an MLB team must carry and utilize two catchers, so a fantasy team should also have to do so?
By Ray Flowers on Feb 20, 2012
Reed – The point is that I’d like to see things standardized. In football 3 WRs should be starting. In baseball, 2 catchers should be starting. There isn’t a direct parallel with the sports, wasn’t implying there was. Point is this = people do fantasy leagues that are too shallow. I do 2 catcher leagues every time, and I do NL only leagues of 13 teams with two catchers. These people in 10 or 12 team mixed leagues that start only one catcher — it’s just too simplistic for me.