2015 Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Catcher (C) - February Update

Last month, we brought you RotoBaller's preliminary catcher fantasy baseball rankings. The February update is here. We'll be releasing all the other positional rankings updates this week, with analysis from all the RotoBaller writers on their favorite risers and fallers at each MLB position.

Make sure to also check out our MLB Fantasy Baseball Rankings blog, along with all of RotoBaller's catcher rankings content. 
 

2015 Fantasy Baseball Catcher Rankings

Brad Johnson (Lead MLB Editor)

Jonathan Lucroy recently suffered a hamstring injury and will miss the next four to six weeks. Unfortunately, that's most of spring training. I hope the club eases him into his catching duties by taking time from Adam Lind at first base, but it's too soon to make decisions based on that hope. Despite the injury, I wasn't able to justify moving anybody but Devin Mesoraco ahead of him in the rankings.

Down the list, Yasmani Grandal held steady as my 12th ranked catcher. He's a guy I'm targeting as a breakout candidate. He's a great target for leagues that roster two backstops.

Kyle Bishop (MLB Writer and Editor)

In the time it took me to type this sentence, the Padres have completed five more trades involving catchers. San Diego's wild offseason necessitated some adjustments in my catcher rankings, namely moving Yasmani Grandal up the list. I'm not drinking the Kool-Aid by the gallon like Kantrell, but I was too bearish in my initial forecast. Now that he's healthy, out of Petco, and the clear starter in a much better lineup, maybe we'll see him finally deliver on his promise. Other than Travis d'Arnaud, Grandal looks like the best bet for a breakout backstop.
 
 
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Jeff Kahntroff (MLB Writer)

While Lucroy is expected to be fully healthy by opening day, I never trust hamstring injuries.  They have a way of lingering.  To adjust, I moved him below Carlos Santana, and considered moving him below Gattis.  If any problems occur in healing from the injury, I will do so.

Kyle Braver (MLB Writer)

I've always had something of a soft spot for the Brewers. It saddened me then when I heard that star catcher Jonathan Lucroy had gone down with a hamstring injury. While the expected rehab for this kind of injury (4-6 weeks) shouldn't prevent Lucroy from breaking camp with the team, hamstring strains are the type of injury which can linger and, especially for a catcher, pop up again during the season. Seeing Lucroy practice at full strength during the end of Spring Training should be enough to return him to his former #2 spot. Until I can see him go through the rehab process without further injury or setback, I'd advise caution. Caution in this case means Devin Mesoraco.

Justin Berglund (MLB Writer)

Well Jonathon Lucroy, it was fun with you at the #1 spot while it lasted. I wrote a piece (http://www.rotoballer.com/jonathan-lucroy-injures-hamstring-out-4-6-weeks/) on why Lucroy's hamstring injury is bad news for his fantasy owners even though he will likely not miss any playing time once the season starts. That said, I still have him ranked fourth under Posey, Meserasco and Santana.

I did drop Matt Wieters from sixth on my list to eighth, switching him with Evan Gattis. However, that has more to do with how much I like Gattis and less to do with Wieters. Last season before he was hurt, Wieters was having a career year with a .308/.339/.500 slash before getting hurt. Catchers are always a thin position, and considering he is being drafted after guys like Brian McCann, I am totally fine with taking a chance with his health for what he could be producing in 2015.

Harris Yudin (MLB Writer and Editor)

I love Russell Martin. Take his high OBP and combine it with the stout offensive attack surrounding him in Toronto, and Martin becomes an elite fantasy catcher who can really help your team in a bunch of categories. At a position where so many players post a sub-.300 OBP, Martin managed a .402 OBP in 2014. Now that is clearly his career high, but it just proves that when he hits in a good park with a good team around him, he finds ways to get on base. I think his numbers can be better than someone like Salvador Perez' across the board, and Perez will absolutely garner more attention on draft day.

Josh Leonard (MLB Writer)

Steamer projects Evan Gattis to hit 29/69/81. If this prophecy comes true, Gattis would be the first catcher to hit over 27 HR since steroids was cool.  Only catchers like Mike Piazza, Javy Lopez and Ivan Rodriguez put up those type of HR numbers. Gattis’ current ADP makes him a very solid pick.

In terms of a #1 catcher? Posey or Lucroy could go either way but, picking from a hat, I like Lucroy. If pitch framing were a fantasy stat, Buster Posey would be drafted ahead of Mike Trout, but that’s a debate for a different story.

Alex Roberts (RotoBaller Co-Founder)

The way to approach drafting catchers is very similar to the approach for drafting QBs. In a single QB league, or a single catcher league, you can waiver till the middle or later rounds and still end up with a fine option who will keep pace with most of your competition. In a two-QB or two-catcher league, you need to reach early and often to ensure you have serviceable options in both roster spots.

Buster Posey's current ADP is about 24th overall. I'm speechless. Posey is a great player, but if you take him in the 2d or 3rd round, you are putting your team in a huge, and entirely avoidable hole to start the year. Yan Gomes can be drafted 70 picks later and will return the same HR, R, and RBI, with 20-30 points less in BA. Sign me up.

Yadier Molina lost 20 lbs and should be a bit more consistent this year. Still, with no speed, if he can't break double digit home runs you might want to pass in favor of higher upside options like Sal Perez, Brian McCann and Evan Gattis.

While I dislike spending as much as a 6th-7th round pick on a catcher, the one player I might reach for is Devin Mesoraco. He has 30 HR and 90 RBI upside and the Reds' management wants him to catch 145 games in 2015.

2015 RotoBaller Fantasy Baseball Catchers (C) Rankings