This year, there are four catchers widely accepted as top-50 players: Joe Mauer (ADP 20.59), Brian McCann (29.93), Victor Martinez (29.95) and Buster Posey (45.46). Yet despite this general belief, it’s highly unlikely that any catcher will finish the season as a top-50 player.
Andy Behrens recently dug up some mind-boggling numbers that explain this theory. To paraphrase, only two catchers in the past decade (Javy Lopez in 2003, Joe Mauer in 2009) have finished inside the top-50 overall according to Baseball Monster rankings. In five seasons since 2001, one or zero backstops have finished in the top-100 overall.
So why do we continue to draft catchers so high?
Russell Martin established himself as one of the most valuable fantasy catchers in 2007 and 2008, boasting a superb power/speed threat:
◦2007: 87 runs, 19 HRs, 87 RBI, 21 steals, .293/.374/.469
◦2008: 87 runs, 13 HRs, 69 RBI, 18 steals, .280/.385/.396
In the two seasons since, however, Martin has combined to hit just .249 with 12 HRs and 17 steals...
Wednesday’s post covered this year’s All-Surprise Team. Today, we’re going to visit the opposite side of the ranks as I present the 2009 All-Bust Team.
While compiling this list, I did my best to exclude players who spent a significant amount of time on the disabled list, as I feel it’s unfair to hang the “bust” label on players due to injury....
In last week’s Fantasy Focus, I announced the 2009 All-Underappreciated Team. This week we shift gears, as I present to you the All-Overappreciated Team...
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
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