2019 Fantasy Baseball ROS Rankings

Sanchez has proven to be capable of producing truly difference-making numbers at fantasy baseball's weakest position, and this year is no different. He always looked like a good bet to deliver 30+ home runs.

After a slow start to the season, Realmuto has really turned it on. There's no longer any doubt that he is the best fantasy catcher out there.

Another strong 2019, in which he has hit 20 home runs and even set a career high with five steals, has fortified Grandal's status as a top-five catcher. Even though he has fallen back to earth, the 30-year-old will hit around the .250 range with a high walk rate and around 25-30 homers. That will look a lot better behind the plate, and he's especially valuable in two-catcher or OBP leagues.

A rising star came crashing down when Contreras cratered to .249/.339/.390 with 10 homers in 544 plate appearances. He again hit grounders on over half of his batted balls, but this time it came with fewer hard hits (28.9%) and more pop-ups (10.3%). A terrible second half (.264 wOBA) derailed this season, so it wasn't even a full year of regression. He has pressed reset to start 2019, batting .286/.381/.556 with 18 homers and far more fly balls through the All-Star break. Without too much competition, Contreras re-earned his spot as a top-five catcher before landing on the IL with an arch strain. As expected, he only missed the minimum 10 days, but a hamstring strain sidelined him again August 4. He's beginning a rehab assignments in hopes of returning in early September.

Ramos had a mildly disappointing first half, but he's back to his usual strong production. He's a set-it-and-forget-it option at a position where those are hard to find.

Narvaez was well off the fantasy radar prior to 2018, but then he hit .275 with nine home runs in just 280 at-bats for the White Sox. Now in Seattle, he's well on his way to giving fantasy owners that kind of production -- or better -- over the course of a full season.

Garver isn't playing every day, but he sure is hitting when he is in the lineup. That'll do just fine at the catcher position.

Chirinos won't offer much average, but the career .232 hitter has tallied plenty of walks (12.5%). As someone drafted for power, 13 homers is disappointing in this current power environment. Although better suited for OBP and points leagues, he'll offer enough pop in a strong Houston lineup to hold his own as a top-20 catcher.

Despite still possessing abhorrent contact rates, the 25-year-old continues to maintain a decent average (.258) and pop (11 HRs) behind the plate. As witnessed early in the second half, this approach leaves him vulnerable to prolonged slumps. Yet he pummels the balls he reaches enough to make a serviceable op-15 catcher to ride during his hot streaks.

Molina spent two weeks on the injured list with a strained tendon in his right thumb. A little more than a month after returning, he went back on the shelf. This time, he missed around a month. Managers clearly can't count on the 37-year-old to stay healthy, and he was only hitting .261/.286/.368. Even healthy, he's not necessarily a must-own in single catcher mixed leagues.

Prior to this season, Vazquez had a fairly nondescript career as a part-time catcher with little to get excited about from a fantasy perspective. But suddenly, he's hitting for both average and power. He's emerged as a top-10 catcher going forward, if not top-five.

Posey's power is going the path of Joe Mauer. His home runs over the past five seasons: 22, 19, 14, 12, 5. A hip injury limited him to his fewest games (105) since 2011 last season, and he set a personal worst in slugging (.382) while matching a career-low .284 batting average. He has tallied just six long balls in 86 games, missing time with a right hamstring strain and the second concussion of his career. The former MVP's plate approach hasn't decayed enough for his .261 average to stay so low, but an ageing Posey is coasting on name value.

Entering the season as the top sleeper for those who waited on the position, Jansen was batting .170 with two home runs through June 25. He should have been long dropped before homering six times in 10 games before the All-Star break. His OPS climbed from .498 to .661, but the momentum quickly fizzled. Don't worry about him outside of two-catcher leagues.

Kelly has hit .283/.381/.584 with 14 home runs from May 1 onward. A well-regarded prospect is no longer blocked from playing time in Arizona, so he's worth a using even in single-catcher leagues. The 24-year-old has worked his way into a top-12 catcher.

McCann's batting average has predictably regressed, but he's still done enough this season to be a worthy starter in 12-team leagues.

Mejia struggled mightily to begin the season, earning himself a demotion to the minor leagues. But he's back now and playing fairly regularly, and the results have been promising.

Because MLB law requires hitters to flourish once they escape the Mets, d'Arnaud hit an outstanding .342/.425/.711 with eight homers in July, Hopefully managers invested early in the hot streak, as the 30-year-old has fallen hard with just four hits (all singles) through eight games in July. The magical run is probably over, so recent buyers can move on to the next shiny toy in single-catcher formats. Those in deeper leagues, however, should hold on a little bit longer.

After previously hitting 21 homers in five-year career, Perez already has 19. He's hitting .256/.345/.527 with the sixth-highest wRC+ (123) of catchers with at least 150 plate appearances. His 25 barrels already comfortably set a career high, but his batting average has fallen to .232, not a major surprise given his waning contact skills. Perez at least looks like a legitimate top-20 option behind the plate.

Suzuki isn't playing every day quite yet, but when he does play, he'll be helping your fantasy squad with both power (11 HR in 163 AB through the first half) and batting average which is sitting at .270. That is enough to warrant a starting catcher spot in 12-team leagues.

Mike Zunino has been a bust this season and can safely be dropped in all formats. Don't hesitate to scoop him up if he starts to catch fire in the second-half, however.

 

 

Gomes' 2018 (.266, 16 HR, 48 RBI, 52 runs) was enough to make him a top-10 catcher last season. Yet he's splitting time in Washington with Kurt Suzuki, who posted similar numbers (.271, 12 HR, 50 RBI, 45 runs) in a timeshare for the Braves. That makes both of them solid second catchers who can fill is as a one-catcher stopgap if the other one gets hurt.

 

Barnhart doesn't have the best bat, but his elite defense will keep him on the field for nearly 500 at-bats again. In a killer Red's lineup, that should be plenty to get him the counting stats he needs to be draftable.

A red-hot Mitch Garver appeared to displace Castro before landing on the IL. Castro has responded with his own hot streak, homering five times in seven May starts. A below-average hitter since 2013's breakout, he now has 11 barrels and a .775 xSLG in 67 plate appearances. Playing time will be hard to come by once Garver returns, but Castro is well worth adding as a short-term replacement.

Sisco should play every day for the Orioles in the second half and he has plenty of talent so you'll want to keep a close eye on him as a potential catcher pickup off waivers.

 

 

Astudillo missed two weeks with a hamstring strain, but when healthy he has continued to look like a legitimate threat to hit .300 thanks to his prodigious contact rate. He's unlikely to provide much in way the of power, but he doesn't really need to in order to be a helpful fantasy player at a weak position.

There may not be a stranger 2019 success story than Murphy breaking out after leaving Colorado. After continuingly failing to stick with the Rockies, he has hit .293/.325/.614 with 16 homers in 54 games for the Mariners. He's done this with a 34.5% K rate, .373 BABIP, and 27.1% HR/FB rate, so this run screams fluke. Feel free to ride the hot hand, but don't start viewing Murphy as a top-15 catcher.

 

An avalanche of injuries led to Castillo posting a middling .308 wOBA in 49 games, but he clobbered 53 homers over the previous three seasons. The career .259/.318/.427 hitter could combine a solid average with 15 long balls. He should eventually wake up from a treacherous start to 2019, but the early returns have already cost him some playing time to the red-hot James McCann. That could make him a top-20 catcher rather than a top-10 choice going forward.

Even if he continues to split time with Russell Martin all year, Barnes is one of the few catchers out there who is capable of delivering double digit HRs, a decent batting average, and handful of stolen bases.

Iannetta has been getting only 30% of the playing time for Colorado, and while he is playing well, that isn't enough to warrant rostering him in fantasy.

Severino has limited competition for playing time and is batting near the middle of the Orioles lineup most games so he should continue to pile up counting stats to go with a subpar batting average.

Among all catchers with 200 plate appearances, Cervelli corralled the second-highest wOBA (.355) behind Wilson Ramos. His modest 12 homers comfortably cleared his previous high of seven, but concussions limited him to 404 plate appearances. While he looked like a fine placeholder to start the season, he quickly wore out his welcome with a .226 wOBA through 26 games. Move on in mixed leagues, but monitor his status in case he regains last year's form.

 

Promoted by the Dodgers once again, Smith has smacked eight doubles and 12 home runs in 115 plate appearances. He notched 20 homers with a .986 OPS in Triple-A and is now set to get the bulk of playing time behind the plate. Brandishing a 171 wRC+, the rookie has ascended into a possible top-five catcher who should be started in all leagues.