
If you have read my previous work, you already know by now my bias towards the catcher position. Borderline on blatant absurdity, I oftentimes give too much value and attention to players who have less of a bearing on the fantasy game. But hey, it’s the position I played for over 12 years and know the best. The biggest takeaway: tireless work on the game’s defensive elements was paramount to keep my bat in the lineup. As a result, coach would run drills involving balls in the dirt, egg catching with oven mitts to create soft hands and the electrical tape throw. Break an egg? Run laps. By placing black electrical tape around the diameter of the baseball, one needs to throw more over the top to avoid wobbling the line. One hundred throws, and a pushup for every wobble. That’ll keep those throws down to second on target!
In the end, listen to what Ray and Vlad have to say and take my words with a grain of salt or as interesting fodder that puts you ahead of the competition. Speaking of which, Vlad’s piece (NFBC Position Tiers: Catchers) discusses the hitting prowess of backstops and where they should be taken in NFBC drafts. This piece will build upon what Vlad wrote by highlighting Catcher Framing, CS rates and Catcher Defensive Adjustment. These items will keep your star catcher, who you exhausted draft capital to attain, in the lineup more. In a deep league or need to start two catchers? These guys will be serviceable and ready to answer the Call of Duty.
CATCHER DEFENSIVE LEADERBOARDS
Catcher Framing
According to Baseball Savant, catcher framing (CF) is the art of a catcher receiving a pitch in a way that makes it more likely for an umpire to call it a strike. A backstop can turn a borderline pitch into a strike with good CF, while poor framing can take pitches traveling through the strike zone and make them appear as a ball. What we’re looking for is a high Strike Rate (SR) percentage in the Shadow Zone (SZ). MLB’s league average for SR sits at 48.5%. Runs From Extra Strikes (RES) converts strikes to runs saved on a .125 run/strike basis and includes park and pitcher adjustments. The league average for RES is exactly zero.
Pitchers love a catcher who calls a good game and is an excellent receiver. Here are the best in that department as well as a few notable names who need to improve (Qualifier: six called pitches in the SZ per team game – stats reflect 2019 & 2020).
CATCHER | TEAM | PIT | RES | SR | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Austin Barnes | Dodgers | 2490 | 1.5 | 52.2% | ||
Max Stassi | Angels | 1990 | 4.0 | 52% | ||
Victor Caratini | Padres | 1957 | 2.0 | 52% | ||
Austin Hedges | Indians | 3423 | 7.5 | 51.6% | ||
Austin Nola | Padres | 1442 | 2.0 | 51.6% | ||
Ryan Jeffers | Twins | 581 | 1.0 | 51.6% | ||
Roberto Pérez | Indians | 3893 | 7.0 | 51.5% | ||
J.T. Realmuto | Phillies | 4703 | 5.5 | 51.2% | ||
Christian Vázquez | Red Sox | 4426 | 7.0 | 50.9% | ||
Carson Kelly | D-backs | 3652 | 3.0 | 50.9% | ||
Yasmani Grandal | White Sox | 4779 | 7.5 | 50.8% | ||
Omar Narváez | Brewers | 3792 | -1.0 | 50.2% | ||
Willson Contreras | Cubs | 3961 | -1.0 | 49.9% | ||
Tucker Barnhart | Reds | 3355 | 1.5 | 49.7% | ||
Yadier Molina | Cardinals | 4646 | 1.0 | 49.6% | ||
Jacob Stallings | Pirates | 2613 | 3.0 | 49.6% | ||
Sean Murphy | Athletics | 1359 | 3.0 | 49.3% | ||
James McCann | Mets | 3806 | -6.5 | 48.2% | ||
Will Smith | Dodgers | 2440 | -3.0 | 47.3% | ||
Salvador Pérez | Royals | 3925 | -5.5 | 46.4% |
Austin Barnes converted 52.2 percent of non-swing pitches into called strikes in the SZ and thus, tops this leaderboard. He will back up Will Smith (-3 RES, 47.3% SR), and justifiably so. However, don’t be surprised if he sees his fair share of at-bats based on his defense.
Speaking of Smith, he had a rough 2020 behind the dish (-5 RES), converting 44.1 percent of non-swing pitches into called strikes in the SZ. The good news – his 2019 was defensively much better (+2 RES, 50.5% SR, 1558 PIT). Smith also projects for 21 HR, 57 R, 60 RBI, .247/.336/.481, .347 wOBA and a wRC+ of 120 in 414 PA.
Max Stassi isn’t a sexy name, but his defense is. He makes for a nice second catcher or deep-league streamer. Offensively, he projects for 12 HR, 39 R, 40 RBI, .221/.303/.388, .302 wOBA and a wRC+ of 90 in 340 PA.
Two Padres backstops rank extremely close in defensive production. Austin Nola is the projected starter but will be challenged by Victor Caratini for playing time. Nola’s bat will need to keep him in the lineup. Currently, he projects for seven more homers, 13 more runs and 23 more RBI than Caratini. Furthermore, Nola holds the edge in wOBA (.315 / .298) & wRC+ (98 / 87). Caratini is a switch hitter and could siphon starts against righties, so added value there.
Roberto Pérez and Austin Hedges, dynamic defensive duo! Best of luck deciphering who the starter is day-to-day. Pérez is listed as the starter, but both couldn’t hit their way out of a wet paper bag.
Ryan Jeffers is interesting. Mitch Garver and he will vie for playing time, and while Garver has plus power (projected .428 SLG; 31 HR in 2019), Jeffers kills him defensively and handles righties better. Thankfully, Twins have the DH.
J.T. Realmuto is a stud and the best catcher in the game. You already knew this. He is also the eighth-best framing catcher in the game over the past two seasons. You knew this as well if you read the above table. However, his price is expensive on draft day (41 ADP, 55 VDP). Another obvious point. Why did I even write about J.T. here?
Christian Vázquez will be a target of mine on draft day. He falls in just below Realmuto in framing and has a remarkable seven runs saved from getting extra strikes. In 2019 alone, Vázquez had 11 RES! Oh yeah, his bat plays too and will serve him well sandwiched between J.D. Martinez and Hunter Renfroe in Boston’s lineup.
Yasmani Grandal is on the downswing of his career, but boy, do pitchers love throwing to him. His 7.5 RES is tied for best on this list.
Jacob Stallings is another good second catcher or deep-league streamer I’m high on for 2021. In the last full season of 2019, he had 4 RES and converted 50.6 percent of non-swing pitches into called strikes in the SZ.
I’m surprised Sean Murphy wasn’t higher on this leaderboard. I still want him on draft day like a fat kid wants candy.
James McCann has a new home in New York. He has worked hard on his defensive skills overall, and particularly pitch framing, but he’s got a lot of work left to go with that unsightly -6.5 RES. McCann did go from -15 in 2019 to +2 in 2020, but his combined 48.2% SR is still below league average.
Salvador Pérez’ numbers above are from 2018 & 2020 since he missed 2019 due to injury. Poor defense shouldn’t cost him at-bats due to his hitting proficiency and lack of competition (Cam Gallagher), but you could see him DH more when Jorge Soler isn’t occupying that spot. Something to think about.
CS Rates
Here are the backstops who are proficient at nabbing potential stolen base thieves (stats reflect 2019 & 2020).
SB = Stolen Bases Allowed
CS = Runners Caught Stealing
CS% = Caught Stealing Percentage
CATCHER | TEAM | GP | SB | CS | CS% | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Roberto Pérez | Indians | 150 | 33 | 30 | 47.6% | |||
Yadier Molina | Cardinals | 153 | 28 | 13 | 46.4% | |||
J.T. Realmuto | Phillies | 169 | 64 | 48 | 42.9% | |||
Tom Murphy | Mariners | 67 | 20 | 13 | 39.4% | |||
Jacob Stallings | Pirates | 103 | 30 | 17 | 36.2% | |||
Mike Zunino | Rays | 117 | 38 | 21 | 35.6% | |||
Christian Vázquez | Red Sox | 161 | 57 | 31 | 35.2% | |||
Buster Posey | Giants | 101 | 50 | 24 | 32.4% | |||
James McCann | Mets | 136 | 45 | 21 | 31.8% | |||
Willson Contreras | Cubs | 140 | 56 | 25 | 30.9% | |||
Sean Murphy | Athletics | 43 | 19 | 8 | 29.6% | |||
Yasmani Grandal | White Sox | 169 | 80 | 33 | 29.2% | |||
Jorge Alfaro | Marlins | 147 | 49 | 20 | 29% | |||
Danny Jansen | Blue Jays | 146 | 62 | 25 | 28.7% | |||
Yan Gomes | Nationals | 123 | 59 | 22 | 27.2% | |||
Carson Kelly | D-backs | 139 | 51 | 18 | 26.1% | |||
Pedro Severino | Orioles | 124 | 51 | 17 | 25% | |||
Austin Nola | Padres | 51 | 22 | 7 | 24.1% | |||
Travis d’Arnaud | Braves | 120 | 59 | 17 | 22.4% | |||
Omar Narváez | Brewers | 137 | 74 | 20 | 21.3% |
Yadier Molina is legendary. The 38-year-old catcher still invokes fear into opposing baserunners. The frequency in which they run pales in comparison to the rest of the league’s catchers. It’s no wonder St. Louis is bringing back Molina for an 18th season. His presence provides such an advantage for the Cards and more at-bats for his fantasy owners. Furthermore, the vet is still good for 8-10 HR, 40+ R, 45+ RBI, .249/.303/.394 and 415 PA.
Yasmani Grandal’s total CS of 33 is impressive, yet in the same 169 games played at the position, J.T. Realmuto has nailed 48! With 80 successful swipes, however, Grandal is down to a 29.2% CS rate.
Oh look, there’s that Jacob Stallings guy again.
Mike Zunino is not good at baseball. Don’t let anyone tell you differently. He does excel at throwing down to second base with a 35.6% CS rate. But – and it’s a big but – Zunino may be soon overtaken by Francisco Mejía unless the latter is shifted to the outfield. Mejía hasn’t made much progress as a receiver.
We haven’t seen hide nor hair of Buster Posey since 2019, and he has Joey Bart and Curt Casali to contend with now that he’s back. But just like John Wick, Posey is a bad man with a 32.4% CS rate (2019, career 33%). Posey will be making his swan song upon his return, but he will be fresh and provide solid value with a 260 ADP / VDP. Side Note – Please allow me to use this space to state, I fully support any player’s right to choose health and safety above all. Don’t care what league or sport we are talking about. Ok, back to the analysis.
Danny Jansen may also be playing on borrowed time with hot-shot prospect Alejandro Kirk waiting in the wings (SB – 54, CS – 30, CS% – 35.7%). However, Jansen has thrown out 25 baserunners over the past two seasons.
Hmmmm, Sean Murphy.
Jorge Alfaro can smack the ball around the yard. In the past two seasons, he has posted a 44.8% and 49.1% hard-hit rate, respectively. He also strikes out a ton and lacks plate discipline (34.4% K-rate, 0.11 BB/K). For 2021, he projects to hit 10-12 HR, 35+ R, 37+ RBI, .235/.292/.384 and 350+ PA. While throwing out 29% of would-be base stealers over the past two seasons, he could certainly build upon those floor numbers with more AB.
Yan Gomes is still alive?!? Seems as though he’s been playing for 20 years rather than nine, or is it just me? He’ll see anywhere from as few as 300 at-bats to as many as 378 with another “old geezer” in Alex Avila. Could be even more if Gomes maintains or even improves his 27.2% CS rate. With potential extra AB, 11-13 HR, 38+ R, 42+ RBI, .238/.302/.406 and a wOBA of .310 is possible.
Catcher Defensive Adjustment (CDA)
Different positions are more challenging than others. An adjustment is necessary because, while Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) compare players of the same position, we draft multiple positions at each level. WAR can provide overall player evaluation, yet we are still required to account for the differences in the positions to an extent. Positional adjustments accomplish this by adding runs for challenging positions and subtracting runs for the easier ones. Positional adjustments are based upon 1,458 defensive innings, or in other words, a 162-game season. So if a catcher plays 1,215 innings (135 games) with a +12.5 positional adjustment for a full season, his adjustment for that period will be +10.4 runs. Some good knowledge for when you’re drafting any offensive position.
Here are the defensive statistics from 2020 (Baseball Prospectus). For 2019, click here.
CATCHER | TEAM | DRS | DWAR | CDA | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Omar Narváez | Brewers | 1 | 0.1 | 4.5 | ||
Yasmani Grandal | White Sox | 5 | 0.1 | 4.0 | ||
Austin Nola | Padres | -1 | 0.0 | 4.0 | ||
Jacob Stallings | Pirates | 7 | 0.8 | 3.6 | ||
Christian Vázquez | Red Sox | 1 | 0.2 | 3.6 | ||
Carson Kelly | D-backs | -2 | -0.2 | 3.3 | ||
Austin Barnes | Dodgers | 5 | 0.3 | 3.2 | ||
Travis d’Arnaud | Braves | -7 | -0.5 | 3.1 | ||
Willson Contreras | Cubs | 1 | 0.2 | 2.9 | ||
Tucker Barnhart | Reds | 9 | 0.9 | 2.8 | ||
J.T. Realmuto | Phillies | -1 (12 in ‘19) | 0.1 | 2.4 | ||
Austin Hedges | Indians | 0 (21 in ‘19) | 0.0 | 2.3 | ||
Yadier Molina | Cardinals | 1 | 0.4 | 2.3 | ||
Max Stassi | Angels | 2 | 0.5 | 2.0 | ||
Jose Trevino | Rangers | 0 | 0.1 | 2.0 | ||
Roberto Pérez | Indians | 6 (30 in ‘19) | 0.6 | 1.6 | ||
Kyle Higashioka | Yankees | 2 | 0.2 | 1.6 | ||
James McCann | Mets | 5 | 0.4 | 1.5 | ||
Salvador Pérez | Royals | 2 | 0.4 | 1.5 | ||
Danny Jansen | Blue Jays | -4 | 0.2 | 0.9 |
In the end, it’s all about plate appearances. If your catcher is strong defensively, is a good receiver, and guns down potential base burglars, he’s gonna see more at-bats. These are just facts, plain and simple. Nothing pisses me off more than when my fantasy catcher sits cause an elite arm has his “personal catcher.” If we can stay away from teams who employ such tactics, more production will be attained. Now, these men just need to hit!