Catchers are like the tight ends of fantasy baseball. You’ll probably only need one, but that doesn’t mean we don’t take the position seriously.
This is how I would rank the catcher group if I were entering a fantasy baseball draft today. What has happened so far is just an audition. Assume a 5×5 scoring system as usual.
Salaries are linked to data and observations, but of a non-scientific nature. This is not a formulaic exercise. The goal is to show where pockets of value cluster. Players with the same salary are considered equal.
Respectful disagreements? That is good. That’s why we play. Find me on Twitter/X: @scott_pianowski.
And there we go.
The big tickets
Volume is an important part of maintaining a fantasy catcher’s value. You’ll notice that every backstop with 200 or more hits is ranked among the top 14 catchers — essentially a starter in most leagues. There’s some survivor bias built into this, but you definitely want a catcher who can handle a heavy workload and possibly stay in the lineup even when he’s no Catching.
Contreras checks all the boxes. The .308/.374/.471 slash speaks for itself, but also note that he’s only missed one game all year (about a week ago he managed to escape a day off). Second in the order agrees with him – Contreras leads the National League in rushing. Johnny Bench is the only catcher to have led his league in that category before – Bench was also taken down by Sparky Anderson in the 70s, but that’s a story for another day. If only the NL had the DH back during Bench time.
Rutschman is another catcher stationed at second pitch and has increased his power and average in his third season. His walk and strikeout rates were better last year and he’s also chased more this season, but given the increase in his strikeout rate, there’s no reason to worry. This is an MVP award waiting to happen.
Legitimate building blocks
Bailey passes the vision test as well as the metric test, having averaged .300 and .433 slugging according to Statcast data. He is also an excellent defender, which marks his territory in the lineup. The Giants have placed him between second and fourth the past three weeks; he became a key part of the offense.
Over the past four weeks, Stevenson has been a fantasy godsend, slashing .317/.353/.468 and providing solid production in Cincinnati’s lineup. He enjoys one of the best hitting environments in baseball, and perhaps the timing is right for a career year — it’s his age-27 season.
Talk to them, talk to them
Wong was a pleasant surprise for the Red Sox, but he’s also the luckiest catcher on the board, with a batting average 74 points above Statcast expectations and a slugging percentage of 60 points. Wong was a below-average hitter last year; This year, his OPS+ has sailed to 136. He’s certainly outperformed his skis at the moment, and I’d assume he’s closer to league average the rest of the way. It’s still worth climbing, but don’t be swayed by the current line.
Garver was in the midst of a lost season before bouncing back last week, hitting two homers and walking twice. He also drove in eight runs. The Mariners still pick him up occasionally and let him DH most of the time. If he’s been ruled out in two-catcher leagues, it might be worth giving him a kick in the tires.
