Fantasy Baseball Player Rankings
Updated 1/24/11
CATCHERS
Kyle Stafford – @KStafford32
Player Rankings by Position:
Outfield… coming soon
Starting Pitchers… coming soon
Relief Pitchers… coming soon
Closers… coming soon
The rankings are based upon the following:
Random Variance Score- shows the results random variance had on a player’s 2011 season and the probability that a player will exceed or regress in 2012. Scoring is a -5 to +5 scale that measures several sabermetric categories that reflect if a player is prone to regression.
The Mayberry Method- a 0-5 scale of a fantasy players Power, Speed, Batting Average, and Playing Time.
Health & Age- Player is given a score A to F based on the combination of health history and age/regression.
Runs Above Replacement (RAR)- Estimated number of runs a player will generate above his replacement
On Base Plus Slugging Average (OPS)- Combines On Base percentage plus slugging percentage to show a players overall performance. Elite players will bat .900 or higher. Stars will bat .800 or higher. The average player will bat above .650. A bad score is anything under .650
1. Mike Napoli, Tex
Age: 30 2011 Stats: .320-30-75
| Rand Variance | Mayberry | Health / Age | RAR | OPS |
|
-2 |
5145 |
B- |
44.1 |
1.044 |
Napoli was the MVP of the second half, hitting .378-20-50. Obviously, hitting in Arlington and in that All-Star lineup has helped. He is still in the same position coming into 2012 to continue his breakout. My only concern is his health. Playing in the Texas heat has proven to be a factor for players. With him reaching the 30 year old mark, you would hope Washington puts him at DH in Late July and into August.
2. Brian McCann, Atl
Age: 28 2011 Stats: .270-24-71
| Rand Variance | Mayberry | Health / Age | RAR | OPS |
|
0 |
4125 |
B |
16.1 |
.816 |
One of the more consistent catchers in the game over the past 5 seasons. I would take note in the oblique injury that he suffered in 2011. There are reports of possible effects that could resurface in 2011. You should expect the usual 70+ RBI, 20+ HR.
3. Carlos Santana, Cle
Age: 26 2011 Stats: .239-27-79
| Rand Variance | Mayberry | Health / Age | RAR | OPS |
|
+1 |
4125 |
A- |
26.4 |
.809 |
2012 should be a big year for Santana. He has 35-40 Homerun, 110+ RBI potential. He is an asset that I would try to keep and hold onto if you are building the core of your team.
4. Miguel Montero, Ari
Age: 28 2011 Stats: .282-18-86
| Rand Variance | Mayberry | Health / Age | RAR | OPS |
|
0 |
4135 |
C+ |
16.3 |
.813 |
One of the most underrated players in fantasy baseball, Montero quietly put up 18 Homeruns, 86 RBIs, while batting .282. He is in his prime and on a very good Arizona team that is on the rise. I could see his batting average drop some, but his power potential is 30 HR.
5. Matt Wieters, Bal
Age: 26 2011 Stats: .262-22-68
| Rand Variance | Mayberry | Health / Age | RAR | OPS |
|
+1 |
4135 |
A+ |
12 |
.777 |
I admit, I almost gave up on Wieters. So I kept him last year and gave him one last shot and he made it well worth the wait. Displaying that power that we all heard about, he his has 30-35 HR potential with a chance to drive in 100 RBIs.
6. Alex Avila, Det
Age: 25 2011 Stats: .295-19-82
| Rand Variance | Mayberry | Health / Age | RAR | OPS |
|
-4 |
4125 |
A |
37.8 |
.898 |
Continuing the trend of power surging catchers, we welcome in Mr. Avila and his 2011 breakout season. 10 HR in the first half and 9 in second shows the power is legit. The metrics show that his batting average will not hold up, but at his age I see a lot of growth still ahead.
7. Buster Posey, SF
Age: 25 2011 Stats: .284-4-21
| Rand Variance | Mayberry | Health / Age | RAR | OPS |
|
-2 |
2225 |
D- |
1.7 |
.744 |
Coming off such an ugly injury, it is hard to really predict what Posey will do in 2012. The injury will hurt his power, until he regains full strength in his lower body. I think it is conservative to say his projections for 2012 will be .255-10-60. In deep keeper leagues it is still worth paying for the “Star Pedigree”, just be patient.
8. Yadier Molina, Stl
Age: 29 2011 Stats: .305-14-65
| Rand Variance | Mayberry | Health / Age | RAR | OPS |
|
-1 |
2145 |
B+ |
14.5 |
.816 |
You can bet on an average hovering around .300 for Molina. What we saw last year was a surge in his power numbers. Even as a cardinal fan, I don’t put Molina in that “Elite” category. He is Elite behind the plate, but at the plate he is All-star worthy but not Elite.
9. Joe Mauer, Min
Age: 29 2011 Stats: .287-3-30
| Rand Variance | Mayberry | Health / Age | RAR | OPS |
|
+1 |
1145 |
F |
3.9 |
725 |
Catchers are like running backs in football, and guys like Joe Mauer and Buster Posey prove my point. To be honest, I thought about leaving Mauer out of my top 10. He made it on pure potential alone, because he has shown me nothing. What he has shown is an aging player, that is overworked and can’t stay on the field to justify that mega contract the Twinkies threw at him a few years back. Here is a tip when it comes to evaluating catchers: When a catcher begins to have lingering back or leg/knee problems, run as far away from them as possible. I was jumping off the Mauer bandwagon after the 09 season when his injury problems started. I would only take a shot at Mauer LATE in the draft. Consider it a favor to your team when the rest of the league drafts him with a top round pick.
10. Kurt Suzuki, Oak
Age: 28 2011 Stats: .237-14-44
| Rand Variance | Mayberry | Health / Age | RAR | OPS |
|
+1 |
2125 |
A |
-3.7 |
.680 |
I have been waiting for Suzuki to have that breakout season since 2007. It has to happen this year. The potential shows 20+ HR power. His batting average has fallen almost 40 points the past 3 seasons. At 28, he is in the prime years, lets hope he makes the best of it.
If you would like to explore more in-depth about Advanced Metrics, here are some amazing resources/people that have made a priceless impact on the way I evaluate players and it has shown in the success I have each year. I do not get any kick backs from this list, just like to promote great materials/information when I see it.
http://www.baseballhq.com – Ron Shandler is amazing, buy Baseball Forecaster… it’s my “Fantasy Bible”
http://baseballguys.com/ – Ray Flowers gives simple, but great wisdom on the world of Fantasy Sports. Follow him on twitter @Baseballguys
http://www.billjamesonline.com/ - Bill James is the Godfather of SABR, If you are new to the game here is where you start to learn advanced metrics
