Heading into this season, Salvador Perez was a trendy pick for those who were diligent with their homework. He wasn’t exactly considered mainstream, but he also wasn’t considered a hidden gem or sleeper either. The now 23-year old Kansas City backstop was somewhere right in the middle. His somewhat impressive 39-game cup of coffee in 2011 helped put him on the map but a knee injury in the spring of 2012 took him right off as he missed the entire first half. But many still kept tabs on him and when he returned to the field in July of 2012, he put on a second-half display that immediately recaptured the attention of those fantasy owners still cultivating their teams. Now, during a season where some would call Perez’ overall performance a disappointment, he is finishing the year on an extremely high note and salvaging what many thought was lost. Read the rest of this entry »

Last week when I published the September Catcher Rankings, there were a few people who questioned the ranking of Colorado Rockies backstop Wilin Rosario, who was sitting fourth in the second tier. The first to question Rosario’s ranking was Cuck City who threw a little sarcasm my way and said, “Lets just ignore that Rosario outperforms tier1 in everything but AVG,” which was quickly followed up with another splash of the tongue-in-cheek from manjun who noted the catcher’s .290 batting average. And so when Check YoSelf asked, “…what’s the deal…?” I decided to actually check myself and look into Rosario a little deeper and see if these readers were right. Is Rosario the top catcher in fantasy baseball? Read the rest of this entry »

Well, here it is  — the final look at the catcher tiers for the season. There really isn’t a whole lot of movement save for some injuries and changes of scenery, but let’s take a look and see… Read the rest of this entry »

Few players have exceeded expectations more than Jonathan Lucroy. At age-24, Lucroy was forced into a full-time role with the Milwaukee Brewers. It showed, as Lucroy’s posted a .282 wOBA. Things improved slightly in year-two, but it was starting to look like Lucroy was a stop-gap defensive catcher. But something changed in 2012. Lucroy exploded out of the gate, hitting .320/.368/.513 before a broken hand prematurely ended his season. While there were some questions about Lucroy’s ability to continue playing at that level, he’s quieted the doubters this season. He’s managed to turn himself into one of the best all-around catchers in the game.

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One of the biggest concerns at this time of year is whether or not your guy is going to play the same amount in September as he did during the previous five months of the season. Young pitchers deal with innings caps which cuts down on the number of starts while veterans on non-playoff teams run the risk of losing at-bats to the September call-ups. Given the fact that squatting behind the plate is the most physically taxing position, your catchers are no different. After five months of work behind the dish, some are, much to the chagrin of fantasy owners, in need of some time off whether they’re playoff-bound or not. Here are a few backstops who could see fewer at-bats in September… Read the rest of this entry »

Joe Mauer just hit the 7-day concussion DL, joining the likes of Alex Avila, John Jaso, Miguel Montero, and even Carlos Corporan as the list of injured catchers grows in seemingly exponential fashion. With a little more than a month to go in roto league and the playoffs coming in head to head play, you’re going to need to start filling in the blanks on your roster in order to press ahead and try to win your league. There’s probably not a whole heck of a lot left sitting on your waiver wire and what’s there probably doesn’t conjure up images of champagne corks popping and ticker-tape parades. But you need to make a move. You can’t go without a catcher even though the improvement you get might not be all that much. But at this point in time, something is better than nothing, so here are a few names to consider… Read the rest of this entry »

Ever since the Mets acquired top catching prospect Travis d’Arnaud this offseason from the Blue Jays in exchange for R.A. Dickey, fantasy owners and fans alike have been counting down the days until his arrival. That day finally came on Saturday when incumbent John Buck left the team for a couple of games on paternity leave. The question now is two-fold: does d’Arnaud stay up when Buck returns and become the regular catcher for the rest of the season, and, if so, how will he perform?

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Darin Ruf is hitting just short of .300 with great power in his first 150+ plate appearances in the big leagues. Evan Gattis has 15 home runs in less than half of a debut season, and is catcher-eligible to boot. Let’s get crazy.

Of course, you knew what was coming, because titles work that way: they’re old. As terrible as it sounds for a mid-thirties desk jockey who has never been much better than the second- or third-best player on the court for his weekly lawyer league style pickup basketball game, two players that will be 27 years old at the end of the week are old, and that means something about their ceilings.

Still, there might be a chance these players are in different situations.

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Once again, it’s time to take a look at the Catcher Tiers and see where everyone is at for the month of August. There’s been a little more movement this month than last, though not too much. Some movement has occurred within the tiers, but there are definitely some tier-jumpers with whom to take notice. Not to mention, as the season has progressed, so has this list. A number of names have been added, including those whose contributions to fantasy are minimal. So without further ado… Read the rest of this entry »

While Yadier Molina may not be hitting for as much power as he has in the past two seasons, he remains a strong three-category contributor on par with the likes of Joe Mauer and maybe even a slight step above. Molina’s eight home runs may seem pedestrian, but his 54 RBI rank fourth amongst catchers, his 46 runs scored ranks third, and his .330 average ranks first among all qualified catchers. Speed isn’t exactly the first thing you think of, but his three steals have him tied for fourth. Replacing him here at the start of August isn’t an easy task, but remember, we don’t need for a replacement to do what he’s done, we just need one to do what Molina was going to do. Read the rest of this entry »