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2012 Fantasy Baseball Undervalued Catchers
View the RotoChamp Catcher Rankings and Projections
The following is a list of players that we think are undervalued in 5x5 standard leagues based on their ADP (courtesy of MockDraftCentral).
These are the players we would target on draft day. We try to show players that will go early, middle, and late to give you the most flexibility when picking at this position. We also indicate at which pick you should start thinking
about picking the player.
Buster Posey (early rounds, 60+) - Posey was heading for fantasy superstardom after a stellar 2010 campaign and good start to
the 2011 season when an ankle injury ended his season prematurely. Because of position scarcity,
catchers are more valuable even when they don't put up mind-blowing numbers, but there is always more
risk because of the dangers of the position. The Giants say he is on track for spring training. They
want to give him a few more starts at 1B and have instructed him not to block the plate this year, so
perhaps we can get a full season from Buster. There isn't a of value as he's going only slightly worse
in mock drafts than his true value, but he provides the upside of a top 20 pick if he can stay healthy
and develop. Only 24, there will be some big years out of Posey in the future, and the future might be
2012. If you want to take a catcher early, Posey could provide the best upside, though we recommend waiting a little later to take a catcher.
Joe Mauer (early-mid rounds)- Mauer is a fantasy mystery. After hitting 28 HRs in 2009 it looked like he would be an annual 1st
rounder, but the Twins moved into a big ballpark and his power suffered in 2010. He posted 3 straight
years of 500+ ABs until injuries limited him to only 296 ABs last year. His xBA was .310 last year, so
the .287 average was flukey on the unlucky side. Expect a bounceback to over .300 and better health
this year. If he can ramp up his HR total to the mid-teens or higher he becomes a top 40 pick, giving
him a lot of upside, especially considering his ADP of 80 right now.
Jesus Montero (mid-late rounds, 120+) - When a catcher has the ability to put up 20 HRs and 80 RBIs and is currently going around pick 150 in
mock drafts, you know you have the guy you want to target. Although Montero lost some value when he
was traded from the Yankees to the Mariners for Michael Pineda, his new team probably gives him more
job security. The biggest question....will he catch? In some leagues he may only have Utility
eligibility until he catches 10 or more games. The Mariners say they still view him as a catcher, but
he will spending most of his time at DH. In the minors, his splits were stronger when he was the DH
versus catcher, and the extra focus on hitting will do nothing but boost his fantasy value. Most
project him as a 30+ HR, 100+ RBI middle of the order bat for years to come. If he even reaches part
of his potential this year, he will be a fantasy steal. We will be targeting Montero in every fantasy
draft this year.
Kurt Suzuki (late rounds, 280+)
- If you passed up Montero and all the catchers on this list and want to grab a solid late round
catcher, we advise that you target Suzuki. His xBA the last 2 years were .284 and .280, so we should
see a nice bounce from his actual average last year of .236. He's good for double digit HRs and should
be hitting somewhere in the middle of Oakland's lineup, which should boost his RBI total from last
year, though let's not expect miracles. The Athletics are pretty anemic and this is a late round pick.
Don't expect him to come anywhere close to carrying your team, but he won't hurt it much, either.
Flyers
Salvador Perez (KAN) - Only 21, the Royals just signed him to a 6-year extension. In only 148 ABs, he hit .331 last year with an xBA of .340, which indicates his bat his legit. He's currently going 300+ in mock drafts, but
we expect him to be a popular sleeper so that number will improve.
Devin Mesoraco (CIN) - Mesoraco is the catcher for the future in Cincinnati, but it's unclear whether Dusty will give him enough ABs this year to have a fantasy impact. Ryan Hanigan is a
solid veteran and we think Dusty will favor him over the young Mesoraco, but if the door opens you are looking at a catcher with 20+ HR pop that will be unlikely to relinquish the position for years.
Ryan Lavarnway (BOS) - Much like Mesoraco, Lavarnway is blocked by a veteran with a long last name that I won't attempt to spell. If Salty slumps or gets injured, the door would be open for Lavarnway, who
hit an impressive 32 HRs last year in the minors.
2012 Sleepers - C
2012 Sleepers - 1B
2012 Sleepers - 2B
2012 Sleepers - SS
2012 Sleepers - 3B
2012 Sleepers - OF
2012 Sleepers - Pitchers