2015 Catcher Rankings: A Look Back

The end of the 2015 fantasy baseball season has arrived, and we hope we were able to help you win your leagues this season, or at least finish in the money. If not, we hope our baseball and prospect coverage helped you begin your rebuild to win your leagues in 2016.

Our prospect team just completed publishing their Top 10 Fantasy Prospects for all American League East teams on Sunday, and they will continue to release their top 10 fantasy prospects for each team in the weeks and months ahead. Beginning sometime in January, we will begin to publish our 2016 consensus position rankings, but before that, I will review our 2015 consensus position rankings, beginning with the catcher position today. In addition to reviewing our preseason position rankings, I will address the impact of many of the offseason free agent signings and trades, and publish some player profiles along the way as well.

In each rankings review, I will provide 2015 season stats courtesy of FanGraphs, along with the end of season rankings for the top 30 players at each position according to the ESPN Player Rater.

With all that said, let's take a look at how our preseason top 30 catchers performed in 2015, along with some thoughts on a few of the players, including a few catchers that out-performed our rankings in 2015.

Buster Posey, Giants

Posey once again showed that he is the top fantasy catcher and will be again in 2016. While his home run output dropped a bit, he showed growth in the other three categories, runs scored (74), RBI (95)and batting average (.318). His 34.6% hard contact rate was unchanged vs 2014, but he improved his strikeout and walk rates. He scored and drove in the most runs since his 2012 season where he put up a 7.7 fWAR.

Once Andrew Susac shows he can play catcher on an every day basis, Posey will remain the Giants every day catcher, but I see manager Bruce Bochy playing him at first base more and more to keep him healthy and his bat in the lineup. That said, they will have to figure out what to do with first baseman Brandon Belt. Maybe the National League will adopt the DH in the coming years, so it could become a moot point.

Evan Gattis, Astros

Gattis was the second ranked fantasy catcher according to the ESPN player rater, as he hit 27 home runs and drove in 88 runs. An excellent campaign for any hitter, but Gattis will no longer be catcher eligible in 2016, as he did not catch a single game this season. He is eligible at DH and the outfield (in leagues requiring 10 games at a position). He provide that he can be a consistent 20+ home run hitter, hitting 20 or more home runs for the third consecutive season.

He should once again be the Astros DH next year, and fantasy owners can count on him to put up another 20-75 season in 2016.

Kyle Schwarber, Cubs

Coming into the 2016 season, the prevailing thought was that Schwarber was not a catcher long term, and that we wouldn't see him in the Cubs lineup for a couple years. But, Schwarber absolutely dominated in his stints in AA and AAA this season, was called up midseason and is now one of the top fantasy catchers heading into the 2016 season. Schwarber hit 32 home runs across three levels this season, and his 131 wRC+ ranked second among all catchers with 250 or more plate appearances in 2016.

He will be my #2 ranked fantasy catcher in 2016 and I wouldn't be surprised to see in the industry some rank him at #1. He has 25-30 home run potential, and should be an every day fixture in the Joe Maddon lineups next season, as he can play catcher, left field, right field and DH.

Devin Mesoraco, Reds

Mesoraco was a source of frustration for many a fantasy owner in 2015 as he dealt with a hip injury that sidelined him for most of the season, yet the Reds were reluctant at times to place him on the disabled list. We will have to monitor his health in the offseason, but I plan to rank him as if he will be 100% healthy heading into the 2016 season. He is a middle of the order hitter, who could see time at catcher and left field next season.

Blake Swihart, Red Sox

Like Schwarber, Swihart was not expected to contribute in 2015, but injuries to Christian Vasquez and Ryan Hanigan changed that plan. Swihart was productive in his first season in the big leagues, hitting .274 with 5 home runs, 47 runs scored, 31 RBI and 4 stolen bases in just over 300 pate appearances.

The Red Sox will have to decide who their starting catcher will be in 2016, as Vasquez should be back and is known more for what he can do behind the plate than at the plate. Swihart has the better bat, so the Red Sox could decide to platoon the two catchers next season, assuming Vasquez is healthy.

If Swihart is their every day catcher, he could put up double digit home runs and stolen bases with a solid batting average, so he could be very valuable for his fantasy owners next season.

Fantasy Rundown

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