Fantasy baseball 2020 tiered catcher rankings
By Bill Pivetz
This tier features some catchers you can use as a backup in standard leagues or a starter in deeper leagues. They have some skill and good surroundings but they aren’t consistent enough to move up to the next tier.
Robinson Chirinos, TEX
Chirinos played a career-high 114 games and hit .238 with 17 home runs and 58 RBIs in Houston last season.
Now, back in Texas, Chirinos will reunite with teammates he is very familiar with. I would say ballpark but the Rangers will be playing in a new stadium this season. The new park is set to be facing the opposite direction of Globe Life Park, which could affect how the ball travels.
Chirinos is slated to hit eighth, between Rougned Odor and Ronald Guzman. The team added Todd Frazier but the rest of the lineup remains the same. Chirinos has a good supporting cast but hasn’t hit .240 in any season. If you need power help, he’ll give you some but that’s about it.
Tom Murphy, SEA
Staying in the AL West, Murphy came from Colorado to post career-high numbers across the board last season. In 75 games, he hit 18 home runs, 40 RBI and scored 32 runs with a .273 average.
He was splitting time with Omar Narvaez but he’s on another team (more about him later). The starting catcher job is now Murphy’s. That alone gives a big boost to his fantasy value.
The Mariners offense isn’t that good. Kyle Seager, Murphy and Daniel Vogelbach are hitting in the middle of the lineup. T-Mobile Park ranks below average in home runs and runs. While Murphy gets more playing time, he won’t be a top-15 catcher.
Danny Jansen, TOR
According to Roster Resource, Jansen is listed as the backup behind Reese McGuire. Looking at his 2019 performance, I can see why. Jansen hit .207 with 13 home runs and 43 RBIs in 107 games. McGuire, on the other hand, hit .299 with five and 11 over 30 games.
Either catcher isn’t worth drafting as a starter. The Blue Jays are a younger team on the rise. They’ll win some games but aren’t a top offense like the teams I’ll mention later.
Travis d’Arnaud, ATL
d’Arnaud bounced around to three teams last season. He goes from splitting time in Tampa Bay to splitting time in Atlanta. d’Arnaud is the starter but Tyler Flowers will get some games behind the plate, too.
d’Arnaud has the potential to hit 20 home runs if given the playing time. But, like many other catchers, he’ll hit .245 in the process. Hitting sixth in the Braves lineup will give him plenty of chances to drive in runs.
Buster Posey, SF
Talk about how the mighty have fallen. Posey was a top-three catcher just a few years ago. Now, he’s barely draftable. He hit .318 with 19 home runs and 95 RBIs in 2015. Four years later, Posey hit .257 with seven homers and 38 RBIs.
Obviously, age is a factor. This is going to be Posey’s 12th season. The team context also doesn’t help. The Giants offense’s average age is just under 31 years old. Father Time is undefeated. Hitting at Oracle Park doesn’t help either.
Posey is on the list because of his track record and the lack of five better catchers. I would not go into 2020 with him as my starting catcher.
Sean Murphy, OAK
The rookie catcher played in just 20 games last season. He hit .245 with four home runs and eight RBI in that span. Looking at the Athletics’ depth chart, Murphy will likely play the majority of games behind the plate.
He hit .293 with 20 extra-base hits in just 41 minor league games last season. He’ll help fantasy owners in most hitting categories.
Francisco Mejia, SD
Mejia did not put up the numbers we expected but there’s plenty of time for him to rebound. At just 24 years old, Mejia will be the Padres starting catcher for years to come.
He hit .265 with eight home runs and 22 RBIs in 79 games last season. If he plays in 50 for games, we should see 15 home runs, 47 RBIs and a .260 average. While the team still has Austin Hedges, this is Mejia’s job to lose.
If you play in a keeper or dynasty league, Mejia is likely already owned.