2018 Fantasy Baseball Rankings

Sanchez followed up his sizzling 53-game stretch in the majors in 2016 by smacking 33 home runs in just 122 games in 2017. He easily finished as the top catcher in fantasy despite missing time with injuries. Sure, his walk rate and hard-contact percentage dropped a tiny bit, but there's no reason to nitpick. Batting in the middle of an incredible (and somehow improved) Yankees lineup, Sanchez should once again top 30 home runs and be drafted as the top fantasy catcher in the game in 2018.

If not for a strained hamstring that limited him to just 117 games last season, Contreras likely would have been a top-three catcher. As it is, he still finished ranked sixth at the position, swatting 21 home runs, knocking in 74 RBI, and throwing in five steals. All the underlying numbers support his breakout, as he boasted a 10.5% walk rate with a .223 ISO and a passable 22.9% strikeout rate. Batting in the middle of a strong Cubs lineup, expect Contreras to be one of the top catchers in fantasy again in 2018.

From a fantasy standpoint, Posey had perhaps the worst full season of his career last year, hitting just 12 home runs and knocking in just 67 RBI, though he still finished as the third-best catcher in fantasy baseball. But his dip in performance was largely based on his lack of supporting cast, as he had the second-highest batting average and on-base percentage of his career. That supporting cast should look much better this year with Andrew McCutchen and Evan Longoria on board. Posey will be just 31 years old on Opening Day, and should still have another year or two before the inevitable "catcher decline." Though he may have been surpassed by Gary Sanchez, he's still an easy second choice at the position.

While Realmuto showed last season that his .303 batting average from 2016 was a fluke, he did tack on 6 more homers and 17 extra RBIs. He is also the most stolen base friendly catcher, so depending on the makeup of your team, you may want to target him toward the middle of your drafts.

Gattis missed tons of time with injuries last season, playing just a bit more than half a season, but his poor performance wasn't just about his missed time. His power output shrank significantly, as he hit just 12 home runs and posted his lowest HR/FB rate of his career. But there were positive signs, too, as Gattis posted a career-low 15.4 percent strikeout rate. For his 2018 outlook, the most important thing is that with Carlos Beltran's retirement, it appears that Gattis should get most of the at-bats at DH, which should keep him in the lineup most days and lead to good health. Considering that the entire league saw an uptick in power last year, Gattis' low home-run totals should probably be considered a one-off and blamed on his injuries. If fully healthy coming into Spring Training, getting back to the 30-homer plateau should be well within reach.

Molina's value often came from just a heavy workload, as his ability to compile stats usually resulted in a top-12 finish at the catcher position, even if it didn't seem like a great ride. But his 2017 was truly miraculous, as he swatted 18 home runs and stole nine bases, both of which were the second-best marks at his career. His solid year was backed up by a decline in his ground-ball percentage and career-high in hard-contact rate, suggesting it was no fluke. Molina has seen an incredibly high workload in his career and will be 36 years old this season, so the ride should likely end sometime soon. But at an incredibly weak position, he's certainly a safe bet to provide decent and starting-caliber fantasy numbers.

Ramos missed the majority of 2017 recovering from a torn ACL he had suffered the year prior and, as a whole, underwhelmed on the season, with just a .737 OPS in 64 games. But his poor numbers were largely the result of a terrible start as he shook off the rust. He rebounded in August to bat .274, and then truly rounded into form in September when he batted .317 with five home runs and a .600 slugging percentage. His last two months are more in line with what we can expect from Ramos this year in a full season with the Rays. He's certainly below the elite tier of catcher, but he should be one of the few reliable options at the position in 2018.

Although he was sidelined late in the season with a strained intercostal muscle, Perez had perhaps his finest fantasy season, posting a career-high 27 home runs and 80 RBI. His power spike was significant (his .227 ISO was nearly 40 points higher than his previous season-best), but even if he goes back to his career norms, the fact remains that he has now topped 20 home runs three years in a row. Yes, you can count on him slumping hard in the second half, but on draft day, he should be considered just a tick behind the truly elite names.

Despite his advancing age, Castillo had a fine, though injury-plagued season last year with the Orioles, hitting a career-high 20 home runs in just 96 games. Though he clearly benefited from playing in Camden Yards, his underlying numbers, including his strikeout rate and hard-contact percentage, remained right in line with his career-marks, suggesting that his strong season was anything but a fluke. Though he'll leave the friendly confines of Baltimore, he'll find himself in another hitter-friendly home venue with the White Sox in Guaranteed Rate Field. That suggests that Castillo should be able to put up similar numbers to last year's, and he could be an excellent option at the catcher position if he can manage to stay healthier.

Zunino finally reminded everyone why he was such a heralded prospect, hitting 25 home runs with an .840 OPS in just 435 plate appearances last season. But the idea that Zunino has truly figured things out seems far-fetched, as he struck out nearly 37 percent of the time, the highest mark of his career. That number, as well as his inflated BABIP of .355, suggests that his passable batting average of .251 last season is simply unrepeatable. Unlike previous seasons, Zunino likely bought himself some time heading into this year, and so he probably won't be immediately sent down if he reverts back to his ways of a sub-.200 batting average. But don't buy in completely, and only move on Zunino if you have a strong batting average team otherwise and are in a shallow league where replacement level catchers will be available.

McCann's nine-season streak of at least 20 home runs was snapped last year, as injuries limited him to just 399 plate appearances and 18 home runs. There were warning signs for the veteran, such as a career-low in hard-contact rate, but overall, his numbers remained relatively consistent. He'll continue to sit against lefties, but his consistent power stroke and his place in a strong lineup keeps him as a definite starter in mixed leagues, even as he reaches the wrong end of the aging curve for catchers.

Lucroy has dealt with injuries the last few seasons and although he is leaving Coors Field for Kansas City, he should still offer fantasy teams a quality batting average and mediocre pop making him a top-end second catcher in two-catcher leagues.

Grandal had a fine fantasy season for a catcher last season, swatting 22 home runs. But his production dropped off in the second half, and by the end of the season, he had lost significant playing time to Austin Barnes. In the Dodgers' 15 playoff games, Grandal started just two of them, suggesting that he should be in a platoon (at best) with Barnes this year. Still, Grandal has passed the 20-homer plateau in each of the last two years and plays fine defense, so unless word comes out that his playing time will be significantly reduced this year, he can still be drafted as a borderline starter in mixed leagues.

 

The Dodgers used Barnes and Grandal in a platoon type situation last year. That doesn't mean Barnes is guaranteed at-bats, however, in 2018. If he does, it is safe to expect him to take a step back well outside of the top 12 at his position.

Unless you are in a 15-team league or there is some odd manager hoarding catchers, there isn't much of a draw to select Martin because of how limited his ceiling is.

 

While d'Arnaud hasn't offered fantasy owners much over the first handful of years, try to remember that he is a former top prospect and that catchers develop much more slowly offensivley than other positions. He has the upside to swat 20+ homers while batting around .250.

If you whiffed on your top catching targets, there is no need to fret, you can get Avila late and he may just be a top five catcher this year. Last season, his batted ball rates were through the roof. Even with Chase Field adding the humidor, he may be in for a breakout campaign.

 

 

 

Wieters never quite lived up to his lofty potential and struggled to stay healthy for a while, but at this point in his career, we have a pretty good idea that he will offer us a lackluster batting average and enough pop to be serviceable as a C2.

 

 

If you've got a deep bench, Mejia is a terrific late-round flier to take a shot on. He's got the talent to force his way onto the Indians' opening day roster, and if he does, he will likely get 3B at bats while qualifying at catcher. Some have said he can bat .280 as a rookie with decent pop.

 

 

 

Last season, Suzuki was suddenly among the most efficient hitters in all of baseball. If you are counting on that in 2018, you are in for a wake-up call, but that doesn't mean he can't produce as a fringe C1 if the Braves continue to feed him at-bats.