Justin Mason’s Top 50 Catchers: 2/2/2021

Drafts are in full swing and now I am 10 drafts into the season, here are my current ranks for the catcher position for 2021. I will post updates every 2-4 weeks as things change with signings, injuries, or news in Major League Baseball.

Justin Mason’s Top 50 Catchers
Rk Player Team Position(s) ADP Notes
1 J.T. Realmuto PHI C 35.93 Best catcher in fantasy, but the price is difficult to pull the trigger on.
2 Salvador Perez KC C 77.82 In spite of missing time with an eye infection, he was a monster.
3 Will Smith LAD C 108.93 Could easily be the top catcher in game, but it depends a lot on his volume.
4 Willson Contreras CHC C 132.36 Likely to be traded, but would still have a ton of value on any team.
5 Yasmani Grandal CWS C 137.32 Should bounceback in what is shaping up to be one of the best lineups in MLB.
6 Travis d’Arnaud ATL C 149.86 Love the talent and the situation, but injury history has me dropping him a bit.
7 Christian Vazquez BOS C 153.79 Don’t know if 2019 happens again, but he has a very safe floor.
8 Austin Nola SD C 170.93 I believe in the talent, but he is now hitting at the bottom of the lineup.
9 Gary Sanchez NYY C 187.04 It has been a fall from grace for Sanchez, but he still delievers a lot of power.
10 Sean Murphy OAK C 166.64 A solid catcher that may hit in the middle of the lineup.
11 James McCann NYM C 184.96 Love that he gets more time, but that may overexpose him a bit.
12 Daulton Varsho ARZ C, OF 151.21 Concerns that he could start the year in the minors drops him a bit.
13 Mitch Garver MIN C 217.96 Do we get the 2019 or the 2020 Garver? Probably somewhere in the middle.
14 Buster Posey SF C 265.68 Hopefully the time off from last year keeps him healthy.
15 Jorge Alfaro MIA C 272.21 Talk of a trade for Willson Contreras could mean he is no longer the guy.
16 Tom Murphy SEA C 327.18 Coming off of a lost season, but if healthy, he could be a steal at the price.
17 Carson Kelly ARZ C 282.68 I believe he will bounceback a bit from the disappointing 2020.
18 Pedro Severino BAL C 340.68 Seems like the starter but Rutschman should be up at somepoint.
19 Yadier Molina FA C 297.04 I throughly believe that he will resign in St. Louis.
20 Ryan Jeffers MIN C 321.82 I think the Twins plan to play Jeffers a bunch
21 Yan Gomes WAS C 337.75 Boring option, but he will play.
22 Omar Narvaez MLW C 369.11 He improved his defense last year so he should play a lot.
23 Alejandro Kirk TOR C 291.71 Roster additions hurts his playing time, but the projections are enticing.
24 Danny Jansen TOR C 317.86 I am not completely quitting him.
25 Tyler Stephenson CIN C 355.54 Love his bat, but the Reds haven’t commited to him.
26 Jacob Stallings PIT C 383.75 Going to play a lot, but will that matter much?
27 Wilson Ramos DET C 382.32 Love the move to Detroit, but his ceiling is capped.
28 Jason Castro HOU C 528 Love the move to Houston and the price.
29 Max Stassi LAA C 394.57 Stassi was fantastic when healthy, but we don’t know if he is.
30 Kurt Suzuki LAA C 428.39 Signing speaks a lot about the injury of Stassi
31 Adley Rutschman BAL C 459.68 When will he be up?
32 Francisco Mejia TB C 436.14 Prospect pedigree is the only reason to draft him at this point.
33 Joey Bart SF C 441.71 Going to start the year in the minors, but kid has a ton of talent.
34 Roberto Perez CLE C 477.36 2020 was a disaster, but he should get the bulk of time behind the plate.
35 Tucker Barnhart CIN C 472.96 He is the starter for now.
36 Austin Barnes LAD C 528.71 Plays just enough to annoy Will Smith owners
37 Kyle Higashioka NYY C 476.96 If Sanchez continues to struggle, Higgy could find himself playing more.
38 Luis Torrens SEA C 418.71 Going to play, but how much time does he lose to Murphy?
39 Sam Huff TEX C 352.68 Might start the year in the minors.
40 Elias Diaz COL C 450.89 Should play a fair amount and Colorado helps.
41 Mike Zunino TB C 524.39 He is going to play, but is that worth much?
42 Andrew Knizner STL C 491.18 Loses value if Molina signs as expected.
43 Jose Trevino TEX C 440.04 Will start for now, but I don’t think that matters much.
44 Martin Maldonado HOU C 467.89 Now the back up with Castro in town.
45 Victor Caratini SD C 438.86 Darvish’s personal catcher should find some time
46 Jacob Nottingham MLW C 643.57 Nottingham will backup Narvaez, but is a former prospect of note.
47 Chance Sisco BAL C 487.46 Sisco needs to prove he can be viable so that way he finds a team somewhere else.
48 Austin Romine CHC C 566.43 Could become the starter in Chicago if they move Contreras.
49 Willians Astudillo MIN C 633.79 Everyone’s favorite player doesn’t have a place to play.
50 Curt Casali SF C 572.07 Should back up Posey.
NFBC ADP for Draft Champions League 1/1-1/31





Justin is the co-host on The Sleeper and The Bust Podcast and writes for Rotographs covering the Roto Riteup as well as other periodic articles. In addition to his work at Rotographs, Justin is the lead fantasy writer/analyst and co-owner for FriendswithFantasyBenefits.com, and the owner of The Great Fantasy Baseball Invitational. He is also a certified addiction treatment counselor. Follow Justin on Twitter @JustinMasonFWFB.

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stockhfcrx2member
3 years ago

Thanks Justin, love how deep you went. Where would kiner-falefa fall with c eligibility? I know he has it in ottoneu and believe he will in yahoo as well. Thanks!

nootenmember
3 years ago
Reply to  stockhfcrx2

I’m no expert, but just for fun I’d say just outside the top 10? Maybe 12th? A safe bet to play 140 games (vs 110 for a regular catcher) in what is presumed to be a slightly shortened season. No power but a batting average floor of about ~.275, which won’t hurt. Not a sexy pick, but reasonably safe.