Archive for Catchers

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 »

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 »

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 »

With the non-waiver trade deadline just one week away, fantasy owners should be preparing themselves for the potential upheaval caused by the abundant player movement we are likely to see. While trades have been known to pop up from nowhere, usually, through the vast media coverage of buyers and sellers, we can see where most of the action is going to come from and which players are most likely to find themselves with a change of address. The catchers, for example, are known to be a rather uninspiring group for both trade possibilities and fantasy ramifications at this time. Still, there just might be a few names who could be on the move that would change things up for fantasy rosters and cause a bit of an impact. Read the rest of this entry »

Two weeks ago in this space, I discussed five sleeper first base prospects.  Read the rest of this entry »

If you’ve been playing fantasy baseball for a while, there’s little doubt that you too haven’t fallen for a player and continue to go back to him year after year regardless of how many times he’s let you down. Whether you got the opportunity to watch him play and he impressed you or you owned him during a hot streak and was just able to follow him a little more closely than usual, there’s something about him that makes you believe that he is undoubtedly better than what his overall numbers are saying. You even find yourself making excuses for his poor performance, truly believing that had things just gone a little differently, then the guy could be a potential All-Star if you have a Lou Brown-ish sense of optimism. Nick Hundley is that guy for me and with Yasmani Grandal lost for the season and Hundley back in a starting role, I’m left with the question of whether or not to go back to that well just one more time. Read the rest of this entry »