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FANTASY BASEBALL – Updated 2015 C Rankings


BaseballMLB

THORNE’S 2015 MID-SEASON RANKS: 1B | 2B | 3B | SS | C | OF | SP

2015 C Rankings (as of July 14th)

  1. Buster Posey, San Francisco
  2. Jonathan Lucroy, MilwaukeeIts crucial to understand the difference between having a poor first half due to injury or just being downright terrible for 90 games. Thankfully, at least for Jonathan Lucroy owners, the Brewers catcher has experienced the former so far in 2015 – though struggles through his first 12 games are still effecting his overall numbers. Lucroy was hitting a meagre .133 before succumbing to injury on April 20th, so bad the fact that the veteran has hit .274 since his June return has mostly gone unnoticed – and that’s without the benefit of his usual dominance versus left-handed pitching. From 2011 to 2014, Lucroy’s .322 average against southpaws ranked 10th in baseball and his .392 wOBA is tied with noted sluggers Joey Votto and Edwin Encarnacion. It hasn’t been as easy this season. Lucroy is hitting just .150 versus lefties due in large part to a .147 BABIP. That won’t continue. Hopefully, Lucroy’s health will.
  3. Brian McCann, New York
  4. Evan Gattis, HoustonHere’s the important thing about Evan Gattis that people might not be willing to understand: He doesn’t actually strike out all that much. Well, at least when juxtaposed to his Astro teammates. Much like the case of Danny Salazar, where the inability to conserve pitches is not the same as walking opponents, swing rate and strikeout rate are not exclusively intertwined. Gattis’ 56% swing rate would rank him 9th in baseball, but, considering the former Brave also sees the second fewest pitches per plate appearance at just 3.31, he doesn’t stay in the box long enough to swing and miss three times. Gattis’ 22.4% strikeout rate is more than acceptable and, if he can regain anything close to his .298 BABIP from 2014, he could push a .260 average. I’ll take that and 25 home runs in a heartbeat from behind the plate.
  5. Stephen Vogt, OaklandQuick rule of thumb: If a catcher or role player was drafted, at one point rostered, or has been endorsed by the Tampa Bay Rays, Joe Maddon, or Andrew Friedman – said player is likely really, really good at one specific thing. Now, if that player has been a member of both the Rays and A’s organizations, he’s got even more nerd baseball cred. This is why I won’t completely rip apart Stephen Vogt’s first half – though he grossly overachieved. With a 15.6% HR/FB ratio in tow, Vogt not only set a career-high with 14 home runs, but surpassed his career total coming into 2015 (13). He’s also slugged to a .449 wOBA with runners in scoring position, complete with totally unsustainable .350 BABIP. However, the most concerning trend of Vogt’s season might be his seeming inability to make consistent contact since the beginning of June. Putting aside a mundane .246 average since June 1st, the All-Star posted a massive 29.6% strikeout rate in the month – pairing that in July with an out of place 4.9% walk rate, likely a result of overcompensation. Now, Vogt still ranks 11th in MLB with an overall .399 wOBA versus right-handed pitching, so don’t go running off to sell, just expect enough regression in the second half to knock Vogt from the Top 3 catchers.
  6. Russell Martin, Toronto
  7. Yasmani Grandal, Los Angeles
  8. Sal Perez, Kansas City
  9. Carlos Santana, Cleveland
  10. Matt Wieters, Baltimore
  11. Wilson Ramos, Washington
  12. Wilin Rosario, Colorado
  13. Miguel Montero, Chicago
  14. Yan Gomes, ClevelandHere we have the anti-Lucroy. Much of Yan Gomes’ 2015 struggles can be attributed to injury, yes. However, the player that has returned from the disabled list, while clearly resembling Gomes in appearance, looks nothing like the guy who tore up the American League last season. The Brazilian has hit just .218 with a .243 wOBA in 154 plate appearances this year, with the ugliest number reserved for his BB/K ratio. Gomes has just 0.07 walks per strikeout, tied with Danny Santana for the worst mark among players with at least 150 PAs – his 28.6% strikeout rate easily the highest of all inside the Bottom 10. In fact, Gomes has walked just once since the beginning of June, a span in which he’s struck out 33 times. Disgusting. I mean, Gomes was batting .265 in July before the All-Star break disrupted the season and his .125 BABIP with runners in scoring position is due for incredible normalization, but, to me, Gomes is merely auditioning for a chance at redemption in 2016. There are far better options for the second half of this year.
  15. Yadier Molina, St. Louis
  16. Nick Hundley, Colorado
  17. Derek Norris, San Diego
  18. Francisco Cervelli, Pittsburgh
  19. A.J. Pierzynski, Atlanta
  20. James McCann, DetroitAs proven by Derek Norris, Josh Phegley, and John Jaso (more on him below) – platoon players might be the most influential at the catcher position in fantasy, where doing well in a finite amount of at bats is far better than being awful 600 opportunities a season. In the case of James McCann, 2013 All-Star Futures Game participant, these situations present themselves against left-handed pitching. The rookie is batting .318 versus lefties in 2015, with his .396 wOBA the best of any major league catcher with at least 50 plate appearances against southpaw pitching this season. In the context of the league, McCann wOBA trumps those of Kris Bryant and Jose Bautista – not terrible company. This isn’t an aberration either. McCann hit .342 versus lefties in Triple-A Toldeo last season with a more than impressive .879 OPS. He might not get everyday plate appearances, but the amount he gets, in baseball third highest scoring offence, mean more than most. Quality not quantity. 
  21. Travis d’Arnaud, New York
  22. John Jaso, Tampa BayIf you want a player who is truly the epitome of diametric splits, it’s John Jaso. Since the start of 2012, Jaso is 23rd with a .375 wOBA against right-handed pitching – a number tied with Chris Davis (who happens to lead baseball with 131 home runs over this span). Against left-handed pitching? Jaso has managed a .215 wOBA, a single point worse than Pedro Florimon (currently a member of the Pirates Triple-A squad). Still, in six of the eight games the veteran has played in 2015 since returning from injury, Jaso has lead-off for the Rays. Not exactly a dynamic offence, but a run scoring opportunity nonetheless.
  23. Josh Phegley, Oakland
  24. J.T. Realmuto, Miami
  25. Robinson Chirinos, Texas
  26. Welington Castillo, Arizona
  27. Jason Castro, Houston
  28. Kyle Schwarber, Chicago
  29. Dioner Navarro, Toronto
  30. Mike Zunino, Seattle


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