6 years agoPittsburgh Pirates catcher Francisco Cervelli found a slight power stroke in 2018. The right-handed swinger hit a career-high 12 HR and 57 RBI last season while batting .259 and scoring a modest 39 runs in 104 games. Credited to the new best in HR was a more fly ball oriented approach that we haven’t seen before from Cervelli. Significantly above his 1.93 GB/FB in 2017 was a 0.93 mark in 2018. Although he put the ball in the air more, he didn’t hit it much harder than before as his 33.9% last season barely eclipsed his 32.8% from the previous year. His .259 AVG is a respectable mark for a backstop, but his excellent .378 OBP was the best mark among catchers with 400 plate appearances. Conceding more playing time to a proficient Elias Diaz in recent years, Cervelli will enter the 2019 season as a 33-year-old with more questions about playing time than ever before. Battling concussions in 2018 will further limit his ability to stay in the lineup, but he can be reasonably productive when active. A career .273 hitter, he’s likely past this prime, but he’s capable of an above average number for a catcher if he stays above .250 again. Don’t expect another HR total in the double digits as his 2018 result was the only time he’s ever hit more than seven. His R and RBI counting stats are likely to suffer as well if the playing time dwindles, but he was never more than a 40/40 threat anyway. Cervelli is being selected as the 19th catcher off the board with a 289 ADP. Right now he’s only worth rostering in two-catcher leagues as a source of batting average production.--Riley Mrack - RotoBaller