Catcher ADP Market Report: 12/6/21

With drafts beginning to ramp up, it is important to monitor where players are being draft on a regular basis. Throughout draft season, I will be doing that work for you with regular updates on the Average Draft Position on NFBC up until Opening Day.

Top 100 Players Rising

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Top 100 Players Falling

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Top 200 Players Rising

Tyler Stephenson (+14.57) – With Tucker Barnhart being traded to the Tigers, Stephenson’s price has been rising and he is now the seventh catcher off the board. This is actually a fair price for a catcher that has legit power and should get at bats at DH if that comes to the National League permanently. 

Travis d’Arnaud (+15.08) – There is no real reason that D’Arnaud is rising up the ADP except for maybe a couple of homers in the postseason. He missed nearly two months of the season with a torn thumb ligament which adds to his long injury history. His Statcast profile is disappointing and while he made some nice gains in his contact profile, there is no reason to think he will be a 20+ home run hitter for the first time in his career. 

Adley Rutschman (+15.18) – Rutschman is expected to be up early in the season which explains why he is rising in the ADP. Steamer has him projected for 15 homers and three stolen bases with a .260 average in just 98 games. After crushing AAA last season, there is no reason to think he can’t beat those projections. I usually avoid rookie catchers, but 

Top 200 Players Falling

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Top 300 Players Rising

Christian Vazquez (+36.01) – Vazquez is climbing likely because he is a known quantity. However, I think there are reasons to not buy into the climb. The only thing that salvaged Vazquez’s year was the eight steals. While he has speed, it is hard to bank on those all returning. His Statcast profile was awful, sporting  a 6% barrel percentile and an 8% percentile average exit velocity. I am probably avoiding him this year in drafts. 

Mitch Garver (+13.3) – Garver only played in 68 games due to a couple of IL stints that caused him to miss the majority of two months. In spite of this, Garver still hit 13 home runs and had a palatable .256 batting average. His Statcast numbers were very impressive with a 17% barrel percentage and a max exit velocity in the 82 percentile. He is still a decent value even with the masses catching on.  

Joey Bart (+13.96) – Bart is likely rising in response to the retirement of Buster Posey. With Posey gone, it seems likely that the Giants will let Bart play regularly and if the National League does get the designated hitter this season, he could get more plate appearances than the average catcher. His price will likely continue to rise though. 

Elias Diaz (16.77) – Diaz is coming off of a nice season and has emerged as the top catcher in Colorado. His extension with the Rockies is likely contributing to the rise as well. He doesn’t have great Statcast numbers, but what he does have is Coors field which will always be intriguing to people. 

Top 300 Players Falling

Alejandro Kirk (-20.19)- Kirk is falling because there is a bit of a logjam in Toronto at the catching position with Danny Jansen and Reese McGuire still there. If the Blue Jays move one of them, Kirk could become a really interesting target as a player with power and average, but until that happens, it is hard to find a path to 400+ late appearances. 

Others of Note

William Contreras (-87.89)- With the addition of Manny Pina, it is hard to see contreras getting playing time until there is an injury. He is likely bound for AAA.