Pitchers and catchers are finally reporting! Getting past that anticipated milestone means the 2017 MLB season is just around the corner and will graciously be upon us soon. The only way for those of us not fortunate enough to live in Arizona or Florida to get our minds off winter and on baseball is to prepare for the upcoming season with vigorous, warmth-giving research before fantasy drafts commence. After going over the Top 100+ Starters last week, Pitcher List will now be examining the best fantasy hitters across The Show to complement coverage of starting rotations. The analysis starts now with a rundown of which catchers’ bats should yield the most fantasy dividends this year.
Tier 1: C.R.E.A.M. of the Backstop Crop
1a. Kyle Schwarber (Chicago Cubs) – I'm paraphrasing, but I believe the expression is "catching rules everything around me." As such, we begin our rankings with a group of exceptional catchers less than half the size of Wu-Tang Clan in number, and you'd be wise to end up with a member of this quartet on your roster. To anticipate your question and then nip it in the bud, yes, Yahoo has made an exception for Kyle Schwarber and he will be eligible at catcher despite not meeting normal criteria for minimum games played at the position last season. He poses arguably the biggest power threat of anybody playing the position. Willson Contreras figures to be the more frequent starter at the 2 for the Cubs, but Schwarber should still get a lot of playing time in the outfield and his bat will still prove immensely valuable in fantasy lineups for this reason. He’s also set to lead off ahead of Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo, and they’re, uh, pretty talented at baseball as well. What I’m saying is Schwarber will circumstantially be getting a shot to score a ton of runs and you'll want a piece of that action.
Hey there! Loving the articles. A little confused why you classify Castillo as a guy who “doesn’t really hit for power” seeing as he has hit HRs in the teens the past three years.
This was more of a relative statement, considering that the elite catchers who I consider to be more productive power hitters are approaching 20 HRs. Schwarber, Sanchez, Grandal, Sal Perez and possibly Russell Martin are more the guys I consider to be worthy of consideration in that regard. Castillo is no slouch, and you’re right that he has posted teens numbers recently but the hard contact doesn’t necessarily yield as many homers as I would like. The 19 he hit in 2015 looks for the moment to be more anomalous than his norm, as of right now. If and when he eclipses the 15 mark, I’ll be more satisfied with his long-range work. Fair?
Totally fair! Thanks for the response.
Awesome rankings for catchers! I was insanely high on Schwarber last year (believe I used a 3rd or 4th round pick on him), and we all know how that turned out…
I did luck into Sanchez when he got called up, which almost single-handedly saved my fantasy squad. So of course, I now have an affinity to both Schwarber and Sanchez. Not sure which direction I’ll go, but with the top-level talent at C so thin, I feel like I might reach a little if I have to.
I appreciate the feedback, David. Yeah, Schwarber is going to be a beast when healthy, and I’m excited to see what Sanchez is capable of, as I believe he has yet to scratch the surface of his deep skill set. You’re dead on that the top-flight talent is limited at the position: I believe Sanchez could end up being a more valuable play just because of how the Yankees are going to utilize him, given that he is THE guy with Brian McCann’s departure to Houston. Schwarber has the right to a ton of playing time, as mentioned, but Maddon has to carve out spots for him that may compromise defensive prowess at other spots when guys have to sit for Schwarber’s bat. The World Series obviously showed us he has potential as a DH if he were ever to find himself on an AL roster. Lots to consider when trying to draft one of these studs at an appropriate moment. Both could merit keeper consideration if they have monster years in 2017. Thanks again for reading.
I’m late to this party, but:
Nautical puns? I sea what you did there
Dear Andrew, big fan of your work!
Why so high on Gattis? Do you think he gets enough playing time to produce?
Thank you and all the best!