by 2012 Rankings: C | 1B | 2B | SS | 3B | OF | SP | RP | 
Cheatsheet
2012 Fantasy Baseball Catcher Rankings Outlook:
The youth movement has come in terms of catchers. Over the past few seasons we have heard about top prospects: Carlos Santana, Buster Posey, and Matt Wieters and now they are our top three catchers. All can provide great power numbers in terms of RBIs and homeruns. All three have a chance to hit 30 jacks this year with Santana being the most likely to hit that feet.
Â
With the youth movement securing the top spots guys like McCann, Napoli, and Mauer get bumped down but any owner would have to be happy with any of them. Napoli can be argued as the top catcher this season as he hit 30 bombs in only 369 at bats. This season there are talks that he could become more of an everyday player and get his at bats up over 500 but we cannot bank on talks. One other factor why he is not our top guy is because he had a 320 average last season, something that was out of the norm for him.
Â
If you miss out on the top guys there is still upside and talented players you can grab in the late rounds. So if you cannot land a top guy you might want to wait and not panic. There is no reason to waste a middle round pick simply since you need to fill your catcher spot. We really like two late gambles in Lucroy and Perez.
Â
Draft-Day Advice: Catcher is a top heavy position so if you want a stud you will have to pay the price for them. By no means is that a bad idea but what that does mean is if you don’t get a top guy don’t panic and reach for an average catcher in the early middle rounds. Just wait and take one of the younger upside guys late in your draft.
The following are our 2012 Fantasy Baseball Rankings, which are based on standard 5×5 scoring and take into account projected stats as well as upside and risk. Offensive categories include BA, HRs, Runs, RBIs, and SBs. Pitching categories are Wins, ERA, WHIP, Ks, and Saves. Although several players are eligible at multiple positions, they are listed at the position that they will most likely play the most in 2012. All leagues have different position eligibility requirements so be sure to check your settings before draft day.
| Rank | Tier | Player | Tm | AB | H | AVG | HR | R | RBI | SB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Carlos Santana | CLE | 552 | 132 | 0.239 | 27 | 84 | 79 | 5 |
| 2 | 1 | Buster Posey | SF | 162 | 46 | 0.284 | 4 | 17 | 21 | 3 |
| 3 | 2 | Matt Wieters | BAL | 500 | 131 | 0.262 | 22 | 72 | 68 | 1 |
| 4 | 2 | Mike Napoli | TEX | 369 | 118 | 0.32 | 30 | 72 | 75 | 4 |
| 5 | 2 | Brian McCann | ATL | 466 | 126 | 0.27 | 24 | 51 | 71 | 3 |
| 6 | 2 | Joe Mauer | MIN | 296 | 85 | 0.287 | 3 | 38 | 30 | 0 |
| 7 | 2 | Jesus Montero | SEA | 61 | 20 | 0.328 | 4 | 9 | 12 | 0 |
| 8 | 3 | Alex Avila | DET | 464 | 137 | 0.295 | 19 | 63 | 82 | 3 |
| 9 | 3 | Miguel Montero | ARZ | 493 | 139 | 0.282 | 18 | 65 | 86 | 1 |
| 10 | 3 | J.P. Arencibia | TOR | 443 | 97 | 0.219 | 23 | 47 | 78 | 1 |
| 11 | 3 | Wilson Ramos | WAS | 389 | 104 | 0.267 | 15 | 48 | 52 | 0 |
| 12 | 4 | Salvador Perez | KC | 148 | 49 | 0.331 | 3 | 20 | 21 | 0 |
| 13 | 4 | Jonathan Lucroy | MLW | 430 | 114 | 0.265 | 12 | 45 | 59 | 2 |
| 14 | 4 | Yadier Molina | STL | 475 | 145 | 0.305 | 14 | 55 | 65 | 4 |
| 15 | 4 | Russell Martin | NYY | 417 | 99 | 0.237 | 18 | 57 | 65 | 8 |
| 16 | 4 | Geovany Soto | CHC | 421 | 96 | 0.228 | 17 | 46 | 54 | 0 |
| 17 | 5 | Jarrod Saltalamacchia | BOS | 358 | 84 | 0.235 | 16 | 52 | 56 | 1 |
| 18 | 5 | Kurt Suzuki | OAK | 460 | 109 | 0.237 | 14 | 54 | 44 | 2 |
| 19 | 5 | Ryan Doumit | MIN | 218 | 66 | 0.303 | 8 | 17 | 30 | 0 |
| 20 | 5 | A.J. Pierzynski | CWS | 464 | 133 | 0.287 | 8 | 38 | 48 | 0 |
| 21 | 5 | Josh Thole | NYM | 340 | 91 | 0.268 | 3 | 22 | 40 | 0 |
If you have any questions for our fantasy experts, or you’re ready to start talking some baseball, sign up to join our free Fantasy Sports Forum.
