Brian McCann and Position Scarcity
After a down season in his sophomore year in the majors in 2007, Brian McCann bounced back last year to be in the top four among catchers in AVG, HR, RBI and Runs. The projection systems predict McCann essentially to repeat his 2008 performance this year and the mock drafting crowd agrees, making McCann the second-rated catcher with an ADP of 46, three spots behind Russell Martin.
McCann had nothing fluky in his profile last year. He hit equally well at home and on the road, versus LHP and RHP and both before and after the All-Star break. He posted the highest BB% of his brief career, and checked in with a 10.1 percent walk rate. His K% dropped over two full points to 12.6 percent and his BABIP was a normal .308 for the season.
With McCann the question is not so much where he rates among players at his position, he clearly ranks among the top catchers in the game, but rather when to draft catchers. According to the RotoTimes Player Rater, McCann turned in a $13.94 season last year. That placed 64th among hitters in mixed leagues. Add the top pitchers to the pool and does it make sense to spend a fourth-round pick on McCann?
Yes it does.
One of the challenging things to incorporate into projections is position scarcity. Last year Mauer was the top catcher with a $14.89 value. There were 12 first basemen with higher dollar values. Mauer’s $14.89 was worth more than Derrek Lee’s $15.96, much like how a run in the Astrodome in 1968 was worth more than two runs in Coors Field in 1996.
Yet somehow it is easier to wrap our heads around the idea of park factors and run environments than it is to understand position scarcity. Perhaps this is because when we attempt to calculate position scarcity, we have to not only compare how each player at a position does versus his direct peers, but also how that rates with all of the players in MLB.
Catchers are undervalued by their raw stats. The next time you participate in a mock draft, try drafting a catcher in the first three-to-five rounds, if you do not normally do this. And then examine the impact on your team and see if you are better off with McCann as your catcher than with Yadier Molina or whomever you normally get in the 20th round, even though you passed on an impact hitter like Nick Markakis or Jason Bay.
Properly calculating position scarcity is beyond the scope of this piece. It is one of the most valuable things at pay sites ranging from FantasyPros911.com to BaseballHQ to The Fantasy Baseball Sherpa. But position scarcity is real and it makes McCann a good value at his current ADP.
The only problem I have with this is that there are a handful of catchers you can grab late in the draft who are much better than Yadier Molina. I mean is your team going to suffer with Ryan Doumit, Chris Iannetta, Mike Napoli, or Pablo Sandoval? I can understand getting a catcher early in a 2 catcher league, but with only one, I rather wait and get Doumit a few rounds later.
Yep yep it’s Teddy, ready with the one-two checka. Wreckx-n-Effect is in effect but I’m the Recca.
According to the projections, 7 HR, 25 RBI, and 7 points in batting average is what you give up by waiting for Doumit. That’s $15-$17 in value.
I’d caution against using computers to project playing time and RBIs.
All of the catchers you listed are better than Yadier but you also have to worry about timing their selection. Over at MDC owners are taking both Doumit and Iannetta earlier now than they were at the beginning of mock draft season. Certainly you’re not going to get either one of those as late as the 20th round and I would be surprised if you got them after round 12.
They can both provide excellent value from the catcher position.
There are a lot of question surrounding Napoli, including playing time and his ability to repeat what he did in 2008. Sandoval does not qualify in all leagues as a catcher and is unlikely to play there much in 2009.
Now they’re talking about Napoli not starting the season. Still though, he’s hit 16 homeruns and 20 homeruns in fewer than 270 at bats two separate times. I would say the power is more than legit. Like you said though, he has plenty of other quesiton marks.