Consensus Position Rankings/Projections: Top 30 Catchers for 2014, Part 1

Alex Kantecki opened Catcher week here at Fake Teams with the fantasy state of the position earlier this morning. Now we bring you our consensus fantasy catcher rankings for 2014. We used a points system for each of the 30 catchers ranked by each of the Fake Teams writers who participated in the consensus rankings series.

The writers who participated in this series include the following:

Ray Guilfoyle

Jason Hunt

Brian Creagh

Alex Kantecki

Daniel Kelley

Matt Mattingly

Joe Pytleski

Zack Smith

We feel that providing you our consensus position rankings, you get an average ranking from the Fake Teams writers, rather than hearing me spew my rankings nonsense throughout the offseason. You will see some players ranked higher by one Fake Teams writer than the others, so this helps the reader see both sides of the argument for/against a certain player who might be getting too much love this offseason.

Each of the position rankings will be split into two parts, rankings and player profiles for catchers ranked 1 - 15 in part 1, and rankings and player profiles for catchers ranked 16 - 30 in part 2 to be published on Wednesday morning. Consensus rankings should bring about discussion amongst you, our readers, and the Fake Teams writers who participated in this series.

In addition to the rankings, we are now offering your 2014 projections for each player ranked, courtesy of Dan Schwartz from Fake Teams and Rotobanter. He has spent all offseason on his projections, and to learn more about how he calculates his projections, you can read his explanations here: Part 1| Part 2| Part 3. Part 1 details his projection approach, Part 2 details how he calculates his hitter projections and part 3 details how he calculates his pitcher projections.

We didn't stop at just providing you rankings and projections, as we are also providing you with auction values, courtesy of Dan, along with the Equivalent Fantasy Average for each player ranked, courtesy of Daniel Kelley. The fantasy average can be used to compare players at the same position.

Here is a brief explanation of Equivalent Fantasy Average, from Daniel's Fantasy Average Positional Breakdown piece a few weeks ago:

Those who have been around the last week or two probably saw my Fantasy Average piece, in which I attempted to use standard deviations to present every offensive players' fantasy contributions in terms of a batting average-like number. That presentation is a useful ranking tool and, since it's on a scale we're all familiar with, is a heck of a shorthand for overall strength. If your guy hit ".300" by Fantasy Average, he's a heck of a player.

And all of this is consolidated, with player photos, into statistical tables thanks to the work of Jason Hunt.

Fantasy Catcher Rankings for 2014

Without further ado, here is our consensus fantasy catcher rankings for 2014 for catchers ranked 1 - 15:

Rank	Player	Team	Ranking Points	Ray	Matt	Brian	Alex	Daniel	Joe	Jason	Zack
1	Buster Posey	SFG	254	3	1	1	1	1	1	1	1
2	Joe Mauer	MIN	241	5	5	2	2	2	2	2	3
3	Carlos Santana	CLE	236	2	2	3	3	3	6	5	4
4	Brian McCann	NYY	226	1	4	4	4	8	8	3	6
5	Yadier Molina	STL	226	6	6	5	5	5	5	4	2
6	Wilin Rosario	COL	225	4	3	6	6	4	4	7	5
7	Jonathan Lucroy	MIL	211	7	7	7	8	6	3	6	9
8	Salvador Perez	KCR	195	8	9	8	7	10	7	10	10
9	Jason Castro	HOU	184	12	11	9	12	9	11	8	8
10	Matt Wieters	BAL	184	9	8	10	9	11	10	11	12
11	Wilson Ramos	WSN	175	11	10	16	11	12	9	9	11
12	Miguel Montero	ARI	157	16	12	13	10	16	12	15	13
13	Evan Gattis	ATL	155	10	13	14	13	27	13	12	7
14	Russell Martin	PIT	135	17	19	15	17	14	20	13	14
15	Jarrod Saltalamacchia	MIA	133	13	15	18	16	7	25	18	19

Rankings and Player Profiles

	# 1 Buster Posey (SFG)
Photo Credit: Kyle Terada - USA Today Sports

2013 FANTASY STATISTICS
AVG	R	HR	RBI	SB
0.294	61	15	72	2
2013 SECONDARY STATISTICS
PA	OBP%	SLG%	BB%	K%
595	0.371	0.450	10.08%	11.76%
2014 ROTOBANTER PROJECTIONS
AVG	R	HR	RBI	SB
0.310	71	18	83	1
Auction Value: $17.22		Equivalent Fantasy Average: 0.288

Posey has been the consensus #1 fantasy catcher over the last few seasons, but he slumped in a big way in the second half last season. Let's take a look at his first and second half splits for 2013, courtesy of Baseball-Reference:

He had a terrific first half, so the drop off in the second half looks even more dramatic, but even still, you can't overlook the huge drop in power. Granted his second half consisted of just 58 games, while he played 90 games in the first half. The slugging percentage dropped from .536 to just .310 in the second half, and he totaled just 61 total bases on his 48 hits. What fantasy owners have to ask themselves on draft day is whether or not his second half is a sign of things to come, or if it was just a bad second half and he returns to the Posey from 2012.

Looking at his performance at the plate when playing first base (.357-.420-.575 in 280 career at bats), one wonders if the Giants will ever consider moving him there on a full time basis.

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	# 2 Joe Mauer (MIN)
Photo Credit: Derick E. Hingle - USA Today Sports

2013 FANTASY STATISTICS
AVG	R	HR	RBI	SB
0.324	62	11	47	0
2013 SECONDARY STATISTICS
PA	OBP%	SLG%	BB%	K%
508	0.404	0.476	12.01%	17.52%
2014 ROTOBANTER PROJECTIONS
AVG	R	HR	RBI	SB
0.300	78	10	71	0
Auction Value: $12.56		Equivalent Fantasy Average: 0.275

The coming season might bring us the final year that Mauer is eligible at catcher, and according to Twinkie Town, SB Nation's Twins fan site, the move to first base might be due to Mauer's stance on MILK, of all things. Ok, so maybe it was just a joke. I bought it hook, line and sinker. Anyway, a move to first base should benefit Mauer, as it will keep his bat in the lineup most every day and keep him healthy, both are positives for fantasy owners.

Mauer is one of the more consistent fantasy performers at the catcher position. Last season, he hit .322 vs lefties and .324 vs righties, .323 at home and .324 on the road. Here are his monthly batting averages last season: .287, .371, .297, .360, and .320 (he missed the month of September). That's consistency.

The move to first base in 2014 could improve Mauer's power totals, but nothing like the 28 home runs he hit in 2009. He could put up mid to high-teens home runs, as he won't have to deal with all the nagging hand injuries that catchers deal with throughout the season.

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	# 3 Carlos Santana (CLE)
Photo Credit: Jake Roth - USA Today Sports

2013 FANTASY STATISTICS
AVG	R	HR	RBI	SB
0.268	75	20	74	3
2013 SECONDARY STATISTICS
PA	OBP%	SLG%	BB%	K%
642	0.377	0.455	14.49%	17.13%
2014 ROTOBANTER PROJECTIONS
AVG	R	HR	RBI	SB
0.261	73	20	75	2
Auction Value: $10.24		Equivalent Fantasy Average: 0.280

When you go to Carlos Santana's player page at Baseball-Reference, it says he is a catcher and a first baseman, You can probably add third baseman as well, as Santana played some third base this offseason in the Dominican Winger League Santana ranks second in my 2014 catcher rankings, and one of the main reasons is due to the fact he plays some first base and DH in addition to catching, so the Indians are doing their best to keep Santana healthy and keep his bat in the lineup. The Indians feel he can play third base too, as he played there in the Dominican Winter League this offseason. That is good news for his fantasy owners. Over his career, he has shown that he hits better when playing a position other than catcher, courtesy of Baseball-Reference:

As you can see he does hit better when not catching, so maybe this is why the Indians are looking to move Santana from behind the plate. That and the performance of young catcher Yan Gomes. We could see another year like 2011 from Santana this season.

	# 4 Brian McCann (NYY)
Photo Credit: Noah K Murray - USA Today Sports

2013 FANTASY STATISTICS
AVG	R	HR	RBI	SB
0.256	43	20	57	0
2013 SECONDARY STATISTICS
PA	OBP%	SLG%	BB%	K%
402	0.336	0.461	9.70%	16.42%
2014 ROTOBANTER PROJECTIONS
AVG	R	HR	RBI	SB
0.266	62	24	75	0
Auction Value: $9.58		Equivalent Fantasy Average: 0.276

I think you know how much I love the Yankees signing of McCann this offseason, as I moved McCann to the #1 spot in my fantasy catcher rankings. I see McCann improving upon his 20 home run, 57 RBI performance he put up in 102 games last season with the Braves. McCann has hit 20 or more home runs in seven of his eight seasons in the big leagues, but hasn't driven in 80 or more runs since 2009. I see that changing in 2014, especially in the improved Yankees lineup that now includes Jacoby Ellsbury and Carlos Beltran, along with Mark Teixeira, Brett Gardner,Alfonso Soriano, Derek Jeter and Kelly Johnson. Over the past three seasons, McCann ranks fourth among all catchers with 64 home runs, behind only Mike Napoli, Matt Wieters and Carlos Santana, but the move to Yankee Stadium and the power-friendly right field porch should help him change the order come 2015.

Should he not approach the 30 home run level in 2014 (there were only 14 hitters to hit 30+ homers in 2013), I see him exceeding his career high of 24 home runs accomplished twice, in 2006 and 2011. He hit .291 with 12 home runs and 32 RBI in the first half last season, but struggled in the second half, hitting just .220 with 8 home runs and 25 RBI. I think Yankees manager Joe Girardi will sit him or DH him to keep him fresh for the second half and September.

	# 5 Yadier Molina (STL)
Photo Credit: Steve Mitchell - USA Today Sports

2013 FANTASY STATISTICS
AVG	R	HR	RBI	SB
0.319	68	12	80	3
2013 SECONDARY STATISTICS
PA	OBP%	SLG%	BB%	K%
541	0.359	0.477	5.55%	10.17%
2014 ROTOBANTER PROJECTIONS
AVG	R	HR	RBI	SB
0.306	63	11	71	3
Auction Value: $10.90		Equivalent Fantasy Average: 0.279

Molina is the best defensive catcher in the game, and helps his pitching staff immensely, but unless you play in leagues that count defense, that doesn't help you. Lucky for Molina owners, he also is one of the better fantasy catchers, and he seems to be getting better with age. Last season, he hit .319, after hitting .315 in 2012 and .305 in 2011.

One can make the case that he is the National League version of Joe Mauer, a catcher who can hit for a high average, with double digit power and 70-80 RBI every year. I prefer to draft power at the catcher position, but Molina and Mauer won't hurt you in any category and should be drafted as such.

	# 6 Wilin Rosario (COL)
Photo Credit: Rick Scuteri - USA Today Sports

2013 FANTASY STATISTICS
AVG	R	HR	RBI	SB
0.292	63	21	79	4
2013 SECONDARY STATISTICS
PA	OBP%	SLG%	BB%	K%
466	0.315	0.486	3.22%	23.39%
2014 ROTOBANTER PROJECTIONS
AVG	R	HR	RBI	SB
0.274	67	25	84	4
Auction Value: $14.65		Equivalent Fantasy Average: 0.293

Rosario proved his doubters wrong last season, as he was able to duplicate the 20 home run power again in 2013, along with driving in 70+ runs and scoring 60+ runs. Over the last two seasons, Rosario leads all fantasy catchers in home runs, hitting 49 home runs, two ahead of Mike Napoli and four ahead of Matt Wieters. He is also tied for fourth with Indians catcher Carlos Santana with 150 RBI over the same time frame, despite playing in 40-60 less games than the catchers ahead of him. The Rockies might move Rosario around this season, as there has been talk that he could play some outfield and first base in an effort to keep his power bat in the lineup on days he needs rest. This seems like a trend that many teams are using now, so expect more teams to follow suit.

Rosario is one of the rare catchers who can hit for power and hit for a solid batting average, despite a very low walk rate (3.2% in 2013). He should continue to hit for power, especially since he calls Coors Field home these days. He actually hit more home runs on the road than he did at home last year, and has no platoon splits, so his power and batting average appears for real. Bid accordingly.

	# 7 Jonathan Lucroy (MIL)
Photo Credit: Jake Roth - USA Today Sports

2013 FANTASY STATISTICS
AVG	R	HR	RBI	SB
0.280	59	18	82	9
2013 SECONDARY STATISTICS
PA	OBP%	SLG%	BB%	K%
580	0.340	0.455	7.93%	11.90%
2014 ROTOBANTER PROJECTIONS
AVG	R	HR	RBI	SB
0.285	58	17	81	6
Auction Value: $11.72		Equivalent Fantasy Average: 0.288

When you play for a bad team like the Brewers, a good year at the plate tends to go unnoticed. But, I am here to let you know that Lucroy should get more love on draft day, especially after the terrific season he had in 2013, where he hit .280-.340-.455 with 18 HRs, 59 runs, 82 RBI and even tossed in 9 stolen bases. I am not sure if he will continue running, but manager Ron Roenicke is not afraid to be aggressive on the base paths.

Lucroy played in a career high 147 games last season, so he doesn't take too many days off, and his counting stats should stay at a high level should he continue to play almost every day. Lucroy consistently hits line drives at a 21% rate, or higher, so his batting average should remain in the .280 range or so. if he can hit a few more fly balls, he could exceed the 20 home run level in 2014, especially considering Miller Park is one of the better home run hitting parks. Over the last two seasons, Miller Park has ranked in the top 5 in home runs according to the ESPN Ball Park Factors.

	# 8 Salvador Perez (KCR)
Photo Credit: Jake Roth - USA Today Sports

2013 FANTASY STATISTICS
AVG	R	HR	RBI	SB
0.292	48	13	79	0
2013 SECONDARY STATISTICS
PA	OBP%	SLG%	BB%	K%
526	0.323	0.433	3.99%	11.98%
2014 ROTOBANTER PROJECTIONS
AVG	R	HR	RBI	SB
0.301	49	15	80	0
Auction Value: $9.95		Equivalent Fantasy Average: 0.272

Like Wilin Rosario, Perez doesn't walk much (just 4.0% last season), but he adds value in the batting average, RBI and power categories. In his first full season, Perez hit .292-.323-.433 with 13 HRs, 48 runs and 79 RBI. His RBI total tied for third with Matt Wieters, ranking behind only Brewers catcher Jonathan Lucroy and Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina; while his .292 batting average tied for fourth with Rosario in 2013.

Perez had just one bad month last season, when he hit .208 in July, but he hit .267 or higher in every other month of the season, and actually hit better in the second half of the season, .303 with 9 HRs and 41 RBI, than he did in the first half, .284 with 4 HRs and 38 RBI. Perez hits in an improving Royals lineup, so his RBI and runs total could improve a bit in 2014.

	# 9 Jason Castro (HOU)
Photo Credit: Derick E. Hingle - USA Today Sports

2013 FANTASY STATISTICS
AVG	R	HR	RBI	SB
0.276	63	18	56	2
2013 SECONDARY STATISTICS
PA	OBP%	SLG%	BB%	K%
491	0.350	0.485	10.18%	26.48%
2014 ROTOBANTER PROJECTIONS
AVG	R	HR	RBI	SB
0.256	64	17	58	2
Auction Value: $3.97		Equivalent Fantasy Average: 0.268

Castro had a breakout season in 2013, hitting .276-.350-.485 with 18 home runs, 63 runs and 56 RBI in 120 games. While his power took a nice leap, so did his strikeout rate, so that is something to watch in 2014. He does know how to take the free pass, so one can live with the strikeouts knowing he has a an idea at the plate. His home run/fly ball rate jumped to over 16% last season, up from 10% in 2012, so we will learn whether the power breakout was for real or a fluke. While he hits a good number of fly balls, his line drive rate of 25.2% ranked in the top 32 in all of baseball last season, and gives owners the comfort that he could provide a solid batting average once again in 2014. There is talk that he could get traded and if the Astros can get a young pitching prospect for him, I am sure they would jump at the chance. That said, a trade could benefit his fantasy value depending upon the destination.

	# 10 Matt Wieters (BAL)
Photo Credit: Derick E. Hingle - USA Today Sports

2013 FANTASY STATISTICS
AVG	R	HR	RBI	SB
0.235	59	22	79	2
2013 SECONDARY STATISTICS
PA	OBP%	SLG%	BB%	K%
579	0.287	0.417	7.43%	17.96%
2014 ROTOBANTER PROJECTIONS
AVG	R	HR	RBI	SB
0.253	60	22	73	2
Auction Value: $6.76		Equivalent Fantasy Average: 0.275

Wieters led all qualified catchers in home runs last season with 22, and was tied for third with Perez and Rosario with 79 RBI last season, but all that came with a low .235 batting average. If you have a few .290-.300 hitters in your lineup ( Joey Votto or Miguel Cabrera), one can stand having Wieters as your fantasy catcher. His power and RBI totals will keep his draft day ranking in the top 6-10 fantasy catchers in 2014, but his batting average won't help. He has 30 home run potential if everything comes together for him. He has hit 20 or more home runs in three straight seasons, but his batting average has dropped in each of the last two seasons, and coincidentally his plate discipline stats reflect that he is swinging at more pitches outside the zone, so this bares watching going forward. If he can lay off more pitches outside the zone, we could see a rebound in the batting average and his counting stats as well.

	# 11 Wilson Ramos (WSN)
Photo Credit: Brad Barr - USA Today Sports

2013 FANTASY STATISTICS
AVG	R	HR	RBI	SB
0.272	29	16	59	0
2013 SECONDARY STATISTICS
PA	OBP%	SLG%	BB%	K%
303	0.307	0.47	4.95%	13.86%
2014 ROTOBANTER PROJECTIONS
AVG	R	HR	RBI	SB
0.278	48	20	72	0
Auction Value: $6.49		Equivalent Fantasy Average: 0.269

Ramos missed a good part of the 2013 season due to a knee injury, but he made up for lost time in the second half of the season, as he put up a full season worth of home runs and RBI in just 75 games. Ramos hit .272-.307-.470 with 16 HRs, 29 runs and 59 RBI in just 287 at bats. I don't expect him to keep up that pace in 2014, as part of the reason for the solid RBI total was due to the fact that the middle of the Nationals lineup underperformed last season. He would be a slam dunk for 20+ home runs in 2014 if he could improve his fly ball rate, and one cannot expect him to repeat his 27.6% HR/FB% which ranked second behind only Chris Davis among hitters with 300 or more plate appearances last season. Ramos did have a 23.1% HR/FB rate in 2012, so maybe he is one to watch in spring training to see if the power carries over. The power is certainly intriguing, and he could be the better version of Matt Wieters in 2014.

	# 12 Miguel Montero (ARI)
Photo Credit: Jake Roth - USA Today Sports

2013 FANTASY STATISTICS
AVG	R	HR	RBI	SB
0.230	44	11	42	0
2013 SECONDARY STATISTICS
PA	OBP%	SLG%	BB%	K%
475	0.318	0.344	10.74%	23.16%
2014 ROTOBANTER PROJECTIONS
AVG	R	HR	RBI	SB
0.254	58	13	79	0
Auction Value: $4.05		Equivalent Fantasy Average: 0.264

Montero had an unchararacteristic down season in 2013, hitting just .230-.318-.344 with 11 HRs, 44 runs and 42 RBI in 116 games. His numbers were down across the board as his walk rate and power dropped, and his strikeout rate bumped up a bit. With Mark Trumbo now in Arizona, I see Montero moving from the middle of the DIamondbacks lineup to the six spot, which should be more to his liking. Playing in the hitter-friendly Chase Field, Montero could be a sleeper on draft day, as a bounce back to his normal 15 HRs, 60+ runs and 80+ RBI is a possibility for the 30 year old catcher.

	# 13 Evan Gattis (ATL)
Photo Credit: Kim Klement - USA Today Sports

2013 FANTASY STATISTICS
AVG	R	HR	RBI	SB
0.243	44	21	65	0
2013 SECONDARY STATISTICS
PA	OBP%	SLG%	BB%	K%
382	0.291	0.480	5.50%	21.20%
2014 ROTOBANTER PROJECTIONS
AVG	R	HR	RBI	SB
0.253	44	19	53	0
Auction Value: -$0.21		Equivalent Fantasy Average: 0.256

Gattis might be the National League version of Matt Wieters, as they are basically the same guy. Both hit for power, drive in runs, but won't help in the batting average category. Gattis should be the Braves starting catcher in 2014, but could lose some at bats to recently acquired Ryan Doumit from the Twins. Gattis had a solid first full season in the big leagues, hitting .243-.291-.480 with 21 HRs, 44 runs and 65 RBI in jut 105 games last season, while playing catcher and left field. He actually played more games in left field than he did behind the plate, but I don't see that being the case in 2014 with Brian McCann now in pinstripes. Gattis had a solid first half of the season, hitting 14 of his 21 home runs, but hit just 7 home runs in the second half, so one has to wonder if pitchers caught up to him or not. Even still, he should be good for 20+ home runs in 2014, with the chance for more with the increased playing time.

	# 14 Russell Martin (PIT)
Photo Credit: Derick E. Hingle - USA Today Sports

2013 FANTASY STATISTICS
AVG	R	HR	RBI	SB
0.226	51	15	55	9
2013 SECONDARY STATISTICS
PA	OBP%	SLG%	BB%	K%
506	0.327	0.377	11.46%	21.34%
2014 ROTOBANTER PROJECTIONS
0.221	49	14	52	7
Auction Value: -$3.83		Equivalent Fantasy Average: 0.263

Martin peaked as a fantasy catcher way back in 2007 when he hit 293 with 19 home runs and stole 21 bases. He still hits for power, and will steal 5-10 bases for you, but he won't hit much higher than .230-.240. He has scored and driven in 50 or more runs in seven of his eight seasons, so there's some value in that, and he plays every day. Two years ago, he hit 21 home runs as a Yankee, but I would be surprised to see him duplicate that in PNC Park. He is a late round pick in mixed and NL-only leagues.

	# 15 Jarrod Saltalamacchia (MIA)
Photo Credit: David Manning - USA Today Sports

2013 FANTASY STATISTICS
AVG	R	HR	RBI	SB
0.273	68	14	65	4
2013 SECONDARY STATISTICS
PA	OBP%	SLG%	BB%	K%
470	0.338	0.466	9.15%	29.57%
2014 ROTOBANTER PROJECTIONS
0.231	47	14	49	1
Auction Value: -$4.52		Equivalent Fantasy Average: 0.249

Saltalamacchia leaves the productive lineup in Boston for the run-starved lineup in Miami in 2014, as he signed a three year deal with the Marlins this offseason. Salty had a solid year at the plate last season, hitting .273-.338-.466 with 14 HRs, 68 runs and 65 RBI, but I see him numbers moving south along with his move from Boston. He strikes out a ton, at least 30% in each of the last three seasons, so the batting average could take a dive back into the .230 range in 2014. He's good for double digit home runs, and 50ish RBI and runs, but that's about it. I see he and Russell Martin putting up similar stats next season.

Fantasy Rundown

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