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Consensus Position Rankings/Projections: Top 30 Catchers for 2014, Part 2

It's officially fantasy baseball ranking season, and we open with our consensus fantasy catcher rankings for 2014. Check out where your favorite Fake Teams writers ranks Yan Gomes, Mike Zunino, Devin Mesoraco and others.

Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

We published part 1 of our Top 30 fantasy catchers for 2014 on Monday morning, and today, we bring you part 2, where we provide profiles for Devin Mesoraco, Yan Gomes, Travis d'Arnaud and several others.

The bottom half of our Top 30 fantasy catcher rankings is littered with young catchers who are looking to prove their fantasy worth and catchers who are looking to bounce back. A few of the catchers looking to make their mark in 2014 are Travis d'Arnaud, Josmil Pinto, Mike Zunino, Yasmani Grandal and Devin Mesoraco. Pinto and Mesoraco are two catchers who I think could have breakout seasons in 2014, as both should be playing every day, the Kurt Suzuki signing notwithstanding.

Rank Player Team Ranking Points Ray Matt Brian Alex Daniel Joe Jason Zack
16 A.J. Pierzynski BOS 130 14 16 29 15 15 15 14 16
17 Travis d'Arnaud NYM 122 21 21 11 14 25 14 16 20
18 Yan Gomes CLE 119 18 25 12 23 19 16 17 15
19 Welington Castillo CHC 104 24 24 17 22 13 24 19 17
20 Devin Mesoraco CIN 103 15 17 27 21 20 22 21 18
21 Mike Zunino SEA 87 28 18 20 20 26 18 22 25
22 Alex Avila DET 81 23 20 21 27 21 19 25 27
23 Carlos Ruiz PHI 73 22 22 26 18 23 29 28 23
24 John Jaso OAK 55 23 26 17 20 24
25 Yasmani Grandal SDP 54 25 23 28 19 26 23
26 Dioner Navarro TOR 49 29 24 30 17 27 22
27 Josmil Pinto MIN 48 19 22 28 28 20
28 A.J. Ellis LAD 42 20 28 29 27 26 26
29 J.P. Arencibia TEX 42 30 14 24 25 30
30 Ryan Doumit ATL 42 27 27 19 29 21


Others Receiving Votes: Chris Iannetta (36), Derek Norris (36), Geovany Soto (33), Kurt Suzuki (14), Jesus Montero (6), Nick Hundley (4), Josh Phegley (3)

Player Profiles

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# 16 A.J. Pierzynski (BOS)

Photo Credit: Mark J. Rebilas - USA Today Sports
2013 FANTASY STATISTICS
AVG R HR RBI SB
0.272 48 17 70 1
2013 SECONDARY STATISTICS
PA OBP% SLG% BB% K%
529 0.297 0.425 2.08% 14.37%
2014 ROTOBANTER PROJECTIONS
AVG R HR RBI SB
0.266 40 13 60 0
Auction Value: -$0.92 Equivalent Fantasy Average: 0.254

Despite playing in his age 36 season, Pierzynski put up another solid season at the plate, hitting .272-.297-.425 with 17 HRs, 48 runs and 70 RBI in 134 games in the Rangers lineup. He now moves to a more productive lineup in Boston, and he seems like a nice fit for that team. Over the last two seasons, Pierzynski ranks 4th in home runs and 7th in RBI, which is surprising considering his age. Does age catch up to him in 2014? I doubt it. He is still a productive fantasy catcher and I don't see that changing much in 2014.

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# 17 Travis d'Arnaud (NYM)

Photo Credit: Steve Mitchell - USA Today Sports
2013 FANTASY STATISTICS
AVG R HR RBI SB
0.202 4 1 5 0
2013 SECONDARY STATISTICS
PA OBP% SLG% BB% K%
112 0.286 0.263 10.71% 18.75%
2014 ROTOBANTER PROJECTIONS
AVG R HR RBI SB
0.251 51 11 56 0
Auction Value: -$1.97 Equivalent Fantasy Average: 0.252

d'Arnaud is one of the catchers looking to prove themselves in 2014, but he will have to prove he can stay healthy for a full season first. He struggled in his cup of coffee last season, hitting just .202-.286-,263 with a home run, 4 runs and 5 RBI in 112 plate appearances. d'Arnaud should be the Mets starting catcher out of spring training, and should hit for decent power and a solid batting average, but health is going to be the key to his success next season. He hasn't played more than 114 games since 2009 due to a variety of injuries.

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# 18 Yan Gomes (CLE)

Photo Credit: Jake Roth - USA Today Sports
2013 FANTASY STATISTICS
AVG R HR RBI SB
0.294 45 11 38 2
2013 SECONDARY STATISTICS
PA OBP% SLG% BB% K%
322 0.345 0.481 5.59% 20.81%
2014 ROTOBANTER PROJECTIONS
AVG R HR RBI SB
0.264 50 15 52 3
Auction Value: $1.00 Equivalent Fantasy Average: 0.264

Gomes's success at, and behind, the dish last season is a big reason why the Indians have Carlos Santana trying his hand at third base in the winter league this offseason. Gomes had a solid rookie season, hitting .294-.345-.481 with 11 HRs, 45 runs and 38 RBI in 88 games. It is quite possible that he will be the Indians "full time" catcher in 2014 with Santana playing some catcher, third base, first base and DH next season. Gomes hit righties (.275) and lefties (.327) well last season, so he could be a solid late round pick in mixed and AL only league drafts in 2014.

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# 19 Welington Castillo (CHC)

Photo Credit: Jake Roth - USA Today Sports
2013 FANTASY STATISTICS
AVG R HR RBI SB
0.274 41 8 32 2
2013 SECONDARY STATISTICS
PA OBP% SLG% BB% K%
428 0.349 0.397 7.94% 22.66%
2014 ROTOBANTER PROJECTIONS
AVG R HR RBI SB
0.261 46 11 48 1
Auction Value: -$2.55 Equivalent Fantasy Average: 0.251

I gotta say I always thought Castillo had two "Ls" in his first name till now. Castillo was the Cubs starting catcher last season, hitting .274-.349-.397 with 8 HRs, 41 runs and 32 RBI in 113 games. He hit six of his eight home runs in the second half of the season,including four in the month of September, so there is a chance he reaches double digits home runs in 2014.

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# 20 Devin Mesoraco (CIN)

Photo Credit: Jake Roth - USA Today Sports
2013 FANTASY STATISTICS
AVG R HR RBI SB
0.238 31 9 42 0
2013 SECONDARY STATISTICS
PA OBP% SLG% BB% K%
352 0.287 0.362 6.82% 17.33%
2014 ROTOBANTER PROJECTIONS
AVG R HR RBI SB
0.245 38 12 51 0
Auction Value: -$5.39 Equivalent Fantasy Average: 0.245

Maybe I am too high on Mesoraco, but I think 2014 is his breakout season. The former top 20 prospect has struggled at the plate in his first two seasons in the big leagues, serving as the back up catcher to Ryan Hanigan. But now Dusty Baker is gone and Hanigan is in Tampa Bay, so the starting catcher gig is his. But for a breakout to happen, he is going to have to solve his problem hitting right-handed pitchers, as he hit just .212 against them last season and .183 against them in 2012. On the positive side, Mesoraco hits lefties very well, as he owns a .312 career average against them. He has the benefit of hitting in a hitter-friendly ball park, so an everyday job should result in a bump in his counting stats and hopefully a higher batting average. I see double digit home runs and a .260-.270 batting average from him in 2014.

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# 21 Mike Zunino (SEA)

Photo Credit: Christian Petersen - Getty Images
2013 FANTASY STATISTICS
AVG R HR RBI SB
0.214 22 5 14 1
2013 SECONDARY STATISTICS
PA OBP% SLG% BB% K%
193 0.290 0.329 8.29% 25.39%
2014 ROTOBANTER PROJECTIONS
AVG R HR RBI SB
0.229 58 16 51 1
Auction Value: -$2.39 Equivalent Fantasy Average: 0.255

Zunino had a brilliant debut as a professional in 2012, asbolutely owning Low A ptiching before a promotion to AA saw him continue to have his way at the plate. Last year, he started the season in AAA, where he struggled, hitting .227-.297-.478 with 11 HRs, 38 runs and 43 RBI in 52 games. Nice counting stats, but could have been a product of the Pacific Coast League hitting environment. The Mariners promoted him to the big leagues where he continued to struggle at the plate, hitting .214-.290-.329 with 5 HRs, 22 runs and 14 RBI in 193 plate appearances. I think he may have been rushed last season, as he could have benefitted from more at bats vs AA pitching.

For 2014, I see more of the same from Zunino, but with the chance for double digit power should he play every day in Seattle, which is my expectation.

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# 22 Alex Avila (DET)

Photo Credit: Kim Klement - USA Today Sports
2013 FANTASY STATISTICS
AVG R HR RBI SB
0.227 39 11 47 0
2013 SECONDARY STATISTICS
PA OBP% SLG% BB% K%
379 0.317 0.376 11.61% 29.55%
2014 ROTOBANTER PROJECTIONS
AVG R HR RBI SB
0.238 46 12 57 0
Auction Value: -$3.52 Equivalent Fantasy Average: 0.248

Avila is slowly falling lower and lower in our catcher rankings as he gets further away from his 2011 breakout season. That season looks more and more like an outlier right now and he is nothing more than a .240ish hitter with low double digit power and 40-50 RBI in the Tigers lineup.

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# 23 Carlos Ruiz (PHI)

Photo Credit: Kim Klement - USA Today Sports
2013 FANTASY STATISTICS
AVG R HR RBI SB
0.268 30 5 37 1
2013 SECONDARY STATISTICS
PA OBP% SLG% BB% K%
341 0.320 0.368 5.28% 11.44%
2014 ROTOBANTER PROJECTIONS
AVG R HR RBI SB
0.269 38 7 39 1
Auction Value: -$6.30 Equivalent Fantasy Average: 0.244

I have no idea why the Phillies would give Ruiz a 3 year deal when more than likely he would not have gotten that on the free agent market, but this is Ruben Amaro Jr. we are talking about, so all logic is thrown out the window. Ruiz turns 35 years of age today, so wish him a happy birthday. Ruiz will be the starting catcher in Philadelphia for the foreseeable future, and he should be good for a decent batting average, but nothing more, as his 2012 season is probably a career season for him.

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# 24 John Jaso (OAK)

Photo Credit: Kyle Terada - USA Today Sports
2013 FANTASY STATISTICS
AVG R HR RBI SB
0.271 31 3 21 2
2013 SECONDARY STATISTICS
PA OBP% SLG% BB% K%
249 0.387 0.372 15.26% 18.07%
2014 ROTOBANTER PROJECTIONS
AVG R HR RBI SB
0.252 37 4 29 3
Auction Value: -$10.01 Equivalent Fantasy Average: 0.240

If you play in OBP leagues, Jaso is the catcher you grab in the later rounds of drafts as he is one of the better catchers who knows how to get on base. If you play in standard roto or fantasy leagues, Jaso doesn't offer much other than a solid batting average with a chance to reach double digit homers if the wind is particularly strong at O.co Stadium.

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# 25 Yasmani Grandal (SDP)

Photo Credit: Rick Scuteri - USA Today Sports
2013 FANTASY STATISTICS
AVG R HR RBI SB
0.216 13 1 9 0
2013 SECONDARY STATISTICS
PA OBP% SLG% BB% K%
108 0.352 0.341 16.67% 16.67%
2014 ROTOBANTER PROJECTIONS
AVG R HR RBI SB
0.266 38 6 44 0
Auction Value: -$6.40 Equivalent Fantasy Average:

Grandal is coming off a PED suspension for his involvement with Biogenesis, so we have no idea what type of hitter he is at this point, since his big league experience is comprised of just over 300 plate appearances. He is probably waiver wire fodder on draft day, unless you play in two catcher leagues, or in a deep NL-only league.

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# 26 Dioner Navarro (TOR)

Photo Credit: Jake Roth - USA Today Sports
2013 FANTASY STATISTICS
AVG R HR RBI SB
0.300 31 13 34 0
2013 SECONDARY STATISTICS
PA OBP% SLG% BB% K%
266 0.365 0.492 8.65% 13.53%
2014 ROTOBANTER PROJECTIONS
AVG R HR RBI SB
0.274 42 12 46 0
Auction Value: -$2.35 Equivalent Fantasy Average: 0.251

Navarro moves from Chicago to Toronto in 2014, and he will be playing almost every day. What catcher plays every day anyway? He is coming off his best season at the plate in his career, as he hit .300-.365-.492 with 13 HRs, 31 runs and 34 RBI in 89 games last season.

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# 27 Josmil Pinto (MIN)

Photo Credit: Derick E. Hingle - USA Today Sports
2013 FANTASY STATISTICS
AVG R HR RBI SB
0.342 10 4 12 0
2013 SECONDARY STATISTICS
PA OBP% SLG% BB% K%
83 0.398 0.566 7.23% 26.51%
2014 ROTOBANTER PROJECTIONS
AVG R HR RBI SB
0.259 34 8 38 0
Auction Value: -$7.78 Equivalent Fantasy Average: 0.239

Pinto is one of several catchers in the lower half of our catcher rankings who could put up a breakout season in 2014. Pinto hit very well in his cup of coffee in the Twins lineup last season, hitting .342-.398-.566 with 4 HRs, 10 runs and 12 RBI in just 83 plate appearances. I don't see him hitting that well this season, but he has hit double digit homers in four of his five minor league seasons, so he should not hurt you in that category. He should be the Twins starting catcher even with the team signing Kurt Suzuki this offseason. He should be owned in all deeper mixed and AL only leagues.

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# 28 A.J. Ellis (LAD)

Photo Credit: Rick Scuteri - USA Today Sports
2013 FANTASY STATISTICS
AVG R HR RBI SB
0.238 43 10 52 0
2013 SECONDARY STATISTICS
PA OBP% SLG% BB% K%
448 0.318 0.364 10.04% 17.41%
2014 ROTOBANTER PROJECTIONS
AVG R HR RBI SB
0.240 44 7 51 0
Auction Value: -$6.80 Equivalent Fantasy Average: 0.242

Ellis is usually a solid catcher for OBP leagues. That is until last season when he hit just .238 with a .318 OBP. Part of the reason for the drop in BA/OCP was a 60 point drop in BABIP, as Ellis traded some line drives for fly balls last season. Ellis is good for a solid batting average, low double digit home runs and 50ish RBI in most seasons. He is only draftable in deep mixed and NL only leagues, or the previously mentioned OBP leagues.

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# 29 J.P. Arencibia (TEX)

Photo Credit: Derick E. Hingle - USA Today Sports
2013 FANTASY STATISTICS
AVG R HR RBI SB
0.194 45 21 55 0
2013 SECONDARY STATISTICS
PA OBP% SLG% BB% K%
497 0.227 0.365 3.62% 29.78%
2014 ROTOBANTER PROJECTIONS
AVG R HR RBI SB
0.220 23 10 29 0
Auction Value: -$13.31 Equivalent Fantasy Average: Not Projected (Less than 300 ABs Projected)

Arencibia signed with the Rangers this offseason, and at this point, is considered the back up to Geovany Soto, even though Soto is not ranked in our top 30 fantasy catchers for 2014. There is a reason for that, his power. Arencibia has big time power, but little else, and he is known to strike out from time to time. Ok, it's more than that, as he strikes out about 30% of his plate appearances. The catcher battle between Soto and Arencibia is something to watch in spring training, as Arencibia has more fantasy potential for players in deep mixed and AL only leagues.

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# 30 Ryan Doumit (ATL)

Photo Credit: Derick E. Hingle - USA Today Sports
2013 FANTASY STATISTICS
AVG R HR RBI SB
0.247 49 14 55 1
2013 SECONDARY STATISTICS
PA OBP% SLG% BB% K%
538 0.314 0.396 8.92% 18.40%
2014 ROTOBANTER PROJECTIONS
AVG R HR RBI SB
0.249 25 7 31 1
Auction Value: -$11.75 Equivalent Fantasy Average:Not Projected (Less than 300 ABs Projected)

Doumit still has catcher eligibility, but may not see much time behind the plate in Atlanta, unless Evan Gattis gets injured. Doumit is eligible at catcher and outfield in 2014, so he provides some use to owners in deeper leagues. He won't hurt you when he does play, but right now he is more of a bat off the Braves bench and a spot starter.

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