The catcher position is historically a thin position, but lately there have been a lot of backstops that have emerged as viable fantasy options. Add into the mix that the top of the list is populated by guys who are moving off the position in Carlos Santana’s probable/possible move to third base and Joe Mauer’s sure move to first, for this year at least there are a lot of catchers that can help you. Below the rankings is a more detailed preview of the top 10 catchers.
| Ranking | Alex | Chris | Kendall | Kevin | Kyle | |
| Buster Posey | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Carlos Santana | 2 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| Yadier Molina | 3 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 5 |
| Joe Mauer | 4 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 2 | 6 |
| Jonathan Lucroy | 5 | 6 | 7 | 3 | 6 | 3 |
| Wilin Rosario | 6 | 14 | 1 | 5 | 8 | 4 |
| Salvador Perez | 7 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 8 |
| Brian McCann | 8 | 9 | 10 | 7 | 5 | 7 |
| Jason Castro | 9 | 7 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 11 |
| Matt Wieters | 10 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 9 | 9 |
| Evan Gattis | 11 | - | 8 | 14 | 16 | 10 |
| Jarrod Saltalamacchia | 12 | 12 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 14 |
| Wilson Ramos | 13 | 13 | - | 20 | 13 | 12 |
| Yan Gomes | 14 | 10 | 12 | - | 14 | 13 |
| Travis d’Arnaud | 15 | - | 16 | 13 | - | 15 |
| Miguel Montero | 16 | - | 14 | 11 | 15 | - |
| AJ Pierzynski | 17 | 20 | 20 | 17 | 11 | 16 |
| Welington Castillo | 18 | 15 | - | 19 | 12 | 17 |
| Carlos Ruiz | 19 | 17 | - | 12 | 20 | 19 |
| Russell Martin | 20 | 8 | - | - | 19 | 20 |
| Others receiving votes: Alex Avila, Josmil Pinto, Nick Hundley, Mike Zunino, Ryan Doumit, Devin Mesoraco, John Buck | ||||||
Top 10 fantasy catchers
Buster Posey (SF) – Posey was a near unanimous pick for the top spot on this list. While Posey saw his numbers dip from his 2012 MVP campaign, he still posted an OPS+ of 138 last season. His home run total dropped from 24 to 15 last year. I see Posey as a 15-20 HR guy but where he brings so much value is that he carries a career .308 average and .377 on base with that power.
Carlos Santana (CLE) – Santana already plays all over the field. In 2013 he caught 84 games, was the designated hitter 47 times and played first base 29 times. With a potential addition of third base eligibility that only raises Santana’s stock. He’s durable and he can rake. He has a career OPS+ of 130, never having a season OPS+ under 121.
Yadier Molina (STL) – Yadi has a similar skill set to Posey with the power and hit tools, but he’s a few ticks behind Buster’s on base skills. As an overall (not fantasy) I’d take Yadi as my number one catcher. His defensive skills are hot. He showed some pop in his bat with 22 HR in 2012, but came back down o Earth with 12 last season. I think that’s around where Molina settles in as he is now entering his age 31 season.
Joe Mauer (MIN) – Mauer will only play first base this season but he will still maintain catcher eligibility this year. Mauer is a guy who has elite batting average and elite on base skills. That’s about all you’re going to get from Mauer. He’ll hit around 10 bombs, score 60 runs and drive in 70 runs every year. Nothing sexy about that except the hair.
Jonathan Lucroy (MIL) – He seems to be the catching darling of this offseason. Last year it was Sal Perez. He’s emerged as a very solid offensive catcher. He had his best offensive season last year and is entering his magic unicorn age 27 season. I expect big things from Lucroy this season but be aware on draft day that he has a lot of helium this spring and you may need to overpay to get him.
Wilin Rosario (COL) – Rosario followed up his breakout 2012 with a solid 2013 that saw him hit 21 bombs and maintain a .292 average. If you’re in and OBP league you’ll need to look closely at his poor .315 OBP last season. He only took 15 walks in 466 plate appearances.
Salvador Perez (KC) – Perez continues to put up solid numbers. In 2013 his numbers declined a little and left most people a little disappointed. Similar to Lucroy this off season, last winter Perez was getting all the love. If you wanted to roster Perez, you were going to have to pay through the nose for him. That probably won’t be the case for him so much this year as he’s not the catcher d’jour.
Brian McCann (NYY) – this guy drives me nuts, but he can sure hit. He’s hit 20+ home runs in 7 of the last 8 seasons. At some point catching 1035 games over his 9 year career will catch up to him. Now that he’s in the AL, he’ll be able to get a break and slide in as the Yankees DH occasionally. His lefty bat will play well in Yankee Stadium and I anticipate McCann continuing to be a productive player for a few more years.
Jason Castro (HOU) – Another guy heading into his Magic Unicorn age 27 season, 2013 saw the Astros backstop post a 130 OPS+ with 18 bombs. He still strikes out way too much, 130 times (26.5%) in 2013. If he can clean that up without sacrificing his power, Castro will move up this list in the coming years.
Matt Wieters (BAL) – While Wieters was once thought to be the next great catcher, he’s fallen short of that description. Last season he hit .235 with a .287 OBP. The only thing keeping him in the top 10 is his power production, averaging just over 22 homers per year over the last 3 seasons.