Fantasy Baseball 2016: Tiered Catcher Rankings

You've been there before. The catcher you were targeting in the 12th round goes off the board, and you are scrambling for a catcher who could put up similar or better stats this season. You are looking at the names and no one jumps out at you. No one. Nyet.

So, you grab your first closer instead and forget about the position as you are building your rotation and infield. By the 19th round, you still don't have a catcher and are left to pick from a list that includes Jason Castro, James McCann and Chris Iannetta. Yuck.

No one wants to leave a draft with one of those guys are your #1 catcher. This is where tiered position rankings can help you on draft day. I usually have an idea of which cluster of catchers I want to target in case my main target is drafted before I am ready to pick him. I don't write them down, I just have them in what is left of my brain.

But the distractions that can occur during a draft is reason enough to use tiered rankings. You've attended an in-person draft. The beers are flowing, the games are on, and you are thinking about whether to have that third slice of pizza or moving back to the chips and having another beer. Owners are yelling at the one guy who is taking 5 minutes to make his next pick. You are thinking to yourself "did this guy not prepare for the draft like I did?" You need tiered rankings to keep you focused. Or, if you lose focus, something to use when it is your turn to make a pick.

Some Quick Thoughts

I have included a column for the NFBC average draft position (ADP) to reflect where each catcher is being drafted in the 15 team, mixed leagues drafts over at NFBC.

• I won't be drafting Cubs catcher Kyle Schwarber in any league this year, as the hype is way too much for my liking, and his ADP is reflecting that right now.
• After Posey in round 2, most NFBC drafters are waiting till the 8th round to draft the Tier 2 catchers below, including Brian McCann, Salvador Perez and others. If d'Arnaud can stay healthy all season, he could lead all NL catchers in home runs this year.
• After the Tier 2 catchers are off the board, NFBC owners are waiting to the 10th -11th rounds to grab several of the Tier 3 catchers ranked below, including d'Arnaud, Mesoraco, Vogt and Wieters. I like Grandal and Castillo in the Tier 3 ranking and you can grab them in the 14th-15th rounds in NFBC drafts. They could outperform some in the Tier 2 group this season.
• Marlins catcher J.T. Realmuto is getting plenty of love from the NFBC owners, as he is being drafted in the 12th round of most drafts, ahead of many of the catchers I have included in Tier 4. I like Realmuto since he adds the speed dimension that most catchers don't have.

2016 Tiered Catcher Rankings

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