Fantasy Baseball Draft Day Strategy: One-Catcher Formats

Catcher is one of those positions that people like to have a specific way of attacking. 

Some people make sure that they get one of the elite catchers by selecting one in the first three rounds.

Others like to wait until the last few rounds, preferring to stack other positions rather than “wasting” an early pick on a position that is susceptible to injuries.

Obviously, the strategy changes depending on if you play in a one or two-catcher format. 

Today, we will take a look at one-catcher formats and will address two-catcher formats in the near future.

Position scarcity is one thing, but let’s focus on the three catchers who have an ADP in the first three rounds:

Joe Mauer
Victor Martinez
Brian McCann

Few are going to argue the skill of these players, but does it make sense to use such an early pick on any one of these three in a one-catcher format?

Let’s take a look at McCann’s 2010 numbers, for instance:

.269, 21 HR, 77 RBI, 63 R, 5 SB in 479 AB

Granted, the average was below his career norm (.289 career average) due to an increased strikeout rate (20.5 pecent vs. 15.3 percent for his career).

McCann's RBI were also far below his career norm (between 87 and 94 from 2006 to 2009).

Outside of those two marks, the other numbers were all reasonable. For argument's sake, let’s say that he is going to rebound back to his normal marks and hit .295 with 23 home runs, 90 RBI and 70 runs.

Solid numbers, but are they third-round solid?

If you take him in the third round you could be bypassing Kevin Youkils (.307, 19 home runs, 62 RBI, 77 runs in just 362 at-bats).

I know he’s going to open the year just as a 1B, but it won’t take long for him to gain eligibility at 3B, a position that is extremely shallow. 

If you want to claim position scarcity, how can you overlook Youkilis?

You also would likely be drafting him before Felix Hernandez, Jon Lester, Cliff Lee and a slew of other ace pitchers who could fortify your pitching staff.

Don’t like drafting pitching early? How about drafting him before shortstops like Jose Reyes or Jimmy Rollins, who may not be the elite shortstops they once were, but have the potential to perform like years past if healthy?

McCann is one of the elite catchers in the league, but let’s compare his numbers to someone like Miguel Montero or Carlos Santana, both of whom have ADPs going in around Round 11. 

Yes, both have injury concerns hanging over them, but both also have the potential to put up similar numbers to McCann’s. 

Montero is just a year removed from hitting .294 with 16 home runs and 59 RBI in 425 at-bats. Santana has been dubbed the next Victor Martinez and backed it up in his brief stint with the Indians in 2010 before suffering a knee injury.

Santana hit .260 with six home runs and 22 RBI in 150 at-bats after hitting .316 with 13 home runs and 51 RBI in 196 at-bats at Triple-A. He has the potential to be a top-five catcher and is available eight rounds later than McCann.

The point is that the disparity between a Round 3 catcher and a Round 11 catcher is not so significant. So, in a one-catcher format, why would you bypass the talent available in Round 3 just to get an “elite” catcher?

It is a much deeper position than people realize at this point.

Unless a bargain presents itself, I’d much rather take elite talent at other positions and ultimately focus on “mid-tier” catchers such as Santana, Montero, Geovany Soto and Matt Wieters, among others

Obviously, they go later for a reason, as there is risk involved. Therefore, I would look to take two of them, mitigating some of the risk.

It allows me to focus on other spots of my roster while covering myself at catcher as well.

What about you? What is your strategy in drafting catchers in shallower formats? Are you someone who targets the top three or four names or would you rather wait until later in the draft?

Make sure to order your copy of the Rotoprofessor 2011 Fantasy Baseball Draft Guide, selling for just $5, by clicking here.

Make sure to check out our 2011 rankings:

Top 15 Catchers
Top 15 First Basemen
Top 15 Second Basemen
Top 15 Shortstops
Top 15 Third Basemen
Top 30 Outfielders
Top 30 Starting Pitchers
Top 15 Closers

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