Buster Posey won his third World Series Championship with the San Francisco Giants in 2014. (Getty)
With Major League Baseball’s Opening Day [April 6th] less than two weeks from now, that means fantasy baseball is right around the corner too and Heavy.com has it covered.
Heavy ranks and projects the top players at each position including their 2014 statistics as well as a player preview for the upcoming 2015 season. The follow list is Heavy’s projected top 20 catchers for the 2015 season.
The stats included for reach player listed are: Games, Batting Average, On Base %, Slugging %, OPS (OB + SLG), Home Runs, Runs Batted In.
1. Buster Posey
2014 Stats: 147 G; .311/.364/.490; .854; 22 HR; 89 RBI
2015 Outlook: Posey is the new Derek Jeter; he is consistent, reliable, and a winner. There are always questions about durability in the back of fantasy owners’ minds, but Posey has answered the call in the last three seasons playing in at least 147 games in each. He won’t match the .336 batting average he hit in his 2012 MVP season, but Posey checks out as a .300 hitter. .300 catchers remain a virtual rarity.
2015 Projections: 145 G; .305/.358/.465; .823; 21 HR; 95 RBI
2. Jonathan Lucroy
2014 Stats: 153 G; .301/.373/.465; .837; 13 HR; 69 RBI
2015 Outlook: He was easily the Brewers best hitter last season. .300 catchers are a rarity, and Lucroy has hit the .300 mark in two of his last three seasons, although he missed half the season in 2012 due to an injury. Lucroy is signed through 2016 with a team option for 2017, meaning the Brewers have a stranglehold on him for the duration of his prime. If Jean Segura bounces back and Carlos Gomez continues to be Carlos Gomez, Lucroy should see a small spike in his production in 2015.
2015 Projections: 148 G; .285/.335/.450; .785; 18 HR; 78 RBI
3. Salvador Perez
2014 Stats: 150 G; .260/.289/.403; .692; 17 HR; 70 RBI
2015 Outlook: One of the most impressive things about Perez is that he isn’t even 25-years-old yet – he turns 25 in May. He is the closest thing to a “franchise player” that the Royals have now that James Shields is a Padre. Perez’s average and OBP dipped in 2014 and he was not that much better in the postseason –once again, the Bumgarner effect – but he hit a career-high 17 home runs.
Perez’s offensive numbers have progressively gone down in his four major league seasons, but that may be due to the Royals overusing him. If Perez plays less games in 2015, his numbers should actually trend a bit upward closer to his 2013-14 levels.
2015 Projections: 144 G; 270/.310/.425; .735; 15 HR; 72 RBI
4. Yadier Molina
Yadier Molina of the St. Louis Cardinals (Getty)
2014 Stats: 110 G; .282/.333/.386; .719; 7 HR; 38 RBI
2015 Outlook: Yadier is still the second best catcher in baseball behind Posey. Molina’s thumb injury cost him a good chunk of 2014. His numbers were already trending slightly downward in comparison to his MVP-level 2013. Molina is healthy. He won’t match 2013 again, but he’ll likely project to his 2014 numbers extrapolated over a full season.
2015 Projections: 135 G; .285/.330/.435; .765; 14 HR; 70 RBI
5. Matt Wieters
Matt Wieters should return to the Baltimore Orioles by the end of May or early June. (Getty)
2014 Stats: 26 G; .308/.339/.500; .839; 5 HR; 18 RBI
2015 Outlook: Tommy John surgery isn’t just reserved for pitchers, but catchers as well. Wieters knows this firsthand – just as he was finally starting to put it all together at the plate. With the departures of Nelson Cruz to Seattle and Nick Markakis to Atlanta, Manny Machado and Matt Wieters will be counted on to slide back into the middle of the order and produce for the Baltimore lineup.
Wieters was a top five catcher before the Tommy John surgery. He may start the season on the Disabled List, but he should be back by mid-May, where he will flourish to his pre-surgery levels.
2015 Projections: 135 G; .275/.340/.440; .770; 18 HR; 75 RBI
6. Devin Mesoraco
2014 Stats: 114 G; .273/.359/.534; .893; 25 HR; 80 RBI
2015 Outlook: Mesoraco hit 25 home runs in just 114 games- and that was with an early-season trip to the DL. In 145 games, Mesoraco would have hit 30 home runs. Did the 26-year-old have an absurdly career season that will act as the outlier or did he legitimately breakout? Before 2014, there was no indication that he was going to develop borderline 30-home run potential.
Be cautiously optimistic about his 2015 production. 2014 was probably fluky – he won’t sustain his .309 BABIP (batting average on balls in play) – but there were enough strides to solidify himself as a top 10 fantasy catcher.
2015 Projections: 138 G; .245/.320/.405; .725; 20 HR; 70 RBI
7. Brian McCann
2014 Stats: 140 G; .232/.286/.406; .692; 23 HR; 75 RBI
2015 Outlook: At this point: it’s fair to peg in McCann for his usual .250/20/70 self. Also, the Yankees probably want nothing to do with Alex Rodriguez so expect McCann to continue making spot-starts at first base as well as catcher.
2015 Projections: 130 G; .235/.310/.410; .720; 18 HR; 70 RBI
8. Russell Martin
2014 Stats: 111 G; .290/.402/.430; .832; 11 HR; 67 RBI
2015 Outlook: Russell Martin signed a back-loaded five-year, $82 million contract with the Toronto Blue Jays in the offseason. Martin cashed in on a huge spike in his average in 2014 – he jumped from .226 in 2013 to .290 in 2014.
Martin is somewhere in between, but that still makes him a productive catcher with some pop in his bat.
2015 Projections: 135 G; .250/.320/.390; .710; 15 HR; 65 RBI
9. Evan Gattis
Evan Gattis was traded from the Atlanta Braves to the Houston Astros in the offseason. (Getty)
2014 Stats: 108 G; .263/.317/.493; .810; 22 HR; 52 RBI
2015 Outlook: The Braves traded Gattis to the Houston Astros in January. Gattis will supplant Jason Castro as the Astros catcher – he may also fill in as the Astros DH as well.
Gattis’ power potential is evident, the major problem is: how will he handle the shift from the National League East to the American League West? The Angels, Mariners and Athletics will all most likely boast better pitching staffs than Gattis saw in the National League East. Understandably, the Athletics are weaker, but GM Billy Beane always figures out a way to replenish his pitching staff.
2015 Projections: 110 G; .235/.300/.485; .785; 18 HR; 60 RBI
10. Travis d’Arnaud
2014 Stats: 108 G; .242/.302/.416; .718; 13 HR; 41 RBI
2015 Outlook: The 26-year-old – and one of the two players acquired in the R.A. Dickey trade – d’Arnaud put it together halfway through last season after being recalled from Triple-A, Now, the big question is: can he build off his improved 2014 second-half numbers.
2015 Projections: 130 G; .250/.320/.350; .670; 17 HR; 64 RBI
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11. Yan Gomes
2014 Stats: 135 G; .278/.313/.472; .785; 21 HR; 74 RBI
2015 Outlook: A 2014 Silver Slugger, Gomes broke out to the tune of 21 home runs. While he won’t match his power output, Gomes should be a reliable middle-round pick up in a platoon situation.
2015 Projections: 128 G; .270/.305/.450; .755; 18 HR; 68 RBI
12. Wilson Ramos
2014 Stats: 88 G; .267/.299/.399; .698; 11 HR; 57 RBI
2015 Outlook: Injuries have mostly derailed Ramos’ career. He can’t be relied on to play a full season, but if he plays at least 110 games, he’ll come close to being top 10 in fantasy.
2015 Projections: 100 G; .260/.310/.370; .680; 15 HR; 62 RBI
13. Yasmani Grandal
2014 Stats: 128 G; .225/.327/.401; .728; 15 HR; 49 RBI
2015 Outlook: Grandal has come a long way since being suspended 50 games for testosterone use in November 2012. In regular playing time with the Padres, he showed glimpses of why he was the 12th-overall selection in the 2010 MLB Draft.
Grandal is now the catcher for the Dodgers, which means he’ll have opportunities to drive in runs more frequently.
2015 Projections: 138 G; .235/.330/.390; .720; 17 HR; 58 RBI
14. Miguel Montero
2014 Stats: 136 G; .243/.329/.370; .699; 13 HR; 72 RBI
2015 Outlook: Montero has played in at least 140 games in three of the last four seasons. The Cubs acquired Montero because they needed a veteran and reliable backstop after Geovany Soto flamed out. Montero will have his games limited in 2015 to keep him fresh, so expect a slight drop in his usual production.
2015 Projections: 108 G; .250/.310/.340; .650; 10 HR; 64 RBI
15. Mike Zunino
2014 Stats: 131 G; .199/.254/.404; .658; 22 HR; 60 RBI
2015 Outlook: After Montero – a slim case can be made for Montero due to his mild consistency over the past four seasons – the position falls off a cliff offensively. Zunino, the former 3r-overall selection in the 2012 MLB Draft, hit 20 home runs, so there is power potential there, but at the cost of a .199 batting average.
Zunino’s defense is enough to keep him at the Major League level for now, but if he fails to reach even .220 in 2015, the Mariners will be looking to upgrade the position through a mid-season call-up or through a trade.
2015 Projections: 136 G; .210/.270/.380; .650; 15 HR; 55 RBI
16. Derek Norris
2014 Stats: 127 G; .270/.361/.403; .763; 10 HR; 55 RBI
2015 Outlook: Norris parlayed a solid season with the Athletics into a trade with the Padres and their starting job. His career slash line of: 246/.336/.392/.727 in 285 games is enough to prove that while he may not be a good catcher, he’s worth being a back-up in 10-team fantasy leagues.
2015 Projections: .245/.340/.375; .715; 10 HR; 50 RBI
17. Jarrod Saltalamacchia
2014 Stats: 114 G; .220/.320/.362; .681; 11 HR; 46 RBI;
2015 Outlook: “Salty” has made a career of being mediocre and just good enough in contract seasons to land his next contract and stay in the Majors. He’s in year two of a three-year deal with the Marlins, and anything he posts in 2015 will be seen as an immediate upgrade on what he did in 2014. That alone makes him borderline attractive as a fantasy backup.
2015 Projections: 125 G; .235/.305/.340; .645; 12 HR; 50 RBI
18. John Jaso
2014 Stats: 99 G; .264/.337/.430; .767; 9 HR; 46 RBI
2015 Outlook: Jaso was Oakland’s other catcher in 2014. Jaso is a platoon catcher who will start somewhere between 100-120 games for the retooling Rays in 2015.
2015 Projections: 110 G; .240/.310/335; .645; 10 HR; 50 RBI
19. Tyler Flowers
2014 Stats: 127 G; .241/.297/.396; .693; 15 HR; 50 RBI
2015 Outlook: Not many catchers offer 15-home run type of potential. As a late-round grab, you could probably do a lot worse than Flowers.
2015 Projections: 118 G; /240/.305/.350; .655; 10 HR; 50 RBI
20. Nick Hundley
2014 Stats:
2015 Outlook: This spot was reserved for Colorado’s Wilin Rosario who lost his job to Hundley. Hundley had a good season in just 50 games with the Orioles, helping fill in for the hurt Wieters. Hundley won’t provide huge numbers, but in that Colorado air, he may belt out 10-plus home runs.
2015 Projections: 105 G; .250/.310/.325; .635; 9 HR; 45 RBI
