Fantasy baseball 2020 tiered catcher rankings

There are a couple of catchers in the previous tier that could finish with these guys. But, at the start of the season, these three catchers stand out over the rest.

Yasmani Grandal, CWS

Grandal might have been ranked higher if he stayed with Milwaukee. Then again, looking at what Chicago did this offseason and some of the pitching rotations he’ll have to face, Grandal is in a good situation.

The White Sox have Yoan Moncada, Tim Anderson, Jose Abreu, Edwin Encarnacion, Eloy Jimenez, Nomar Mazara, Luis Robert and Leury Garcia. That offense is going to put up runs, similar to what Grandal had with the Brewers.

Grandal hit .246 with 28 home runs and 77 RBIs in 153 games. He is yet another catcher with a sub-.250 batting average. You’ll have to find your high-contact guys at another position. But, he’ll likely hit 30 home runs with 75 RBIs.

Gary Sanchez, NYY

If Sanchez could stay healthy, he’d be far and away the best catcher for fantasy baseball. Unfortunately, that hasn’t been the case. His career-high games played is 122, achieved back in 2017.

He played in just 106 games last season, hitting .232 with 34 home runs and 77 RBIs. If he could get to even 130 games, he’d be close to 40/85.

The Yankees lineup is mostly the same as last season. For fantasy purposes, let’s hope they all stay healthy or at least have minimal IL stints. You can never predict injuries but with Sanchez, it may be baked into his ADP.

Playing in Yankee Stadium and the lineup around him gives Sanchez a boost over the 18 other catchers on this list.

J.T. Realmuto, PHI

Realmuto has been one of the most consistent catchers in the league. He hits for average and power while adding in a few steals. Over the last five seasons (four with MIA and one with PHI), he averages 135 games played, 17 home runs, 63 RBI and eight steals per season.

The NL East has some good pitching but most of the ballparks favor the hitters, Citizens Bank Park and Nationals Park specifically.

The Phillies will get Andrew McCutchen back as well as the addition of shortstop Didi Gregorius. Realmuto is slated to hit third between McCutchen and Bryce Harper. Hitting at the top of this lineup will give Realmuto plenty of chances to drive in runs, get on base and score runs. Looking at the offense, this team will steal some bases as well.

I’m not a fan of drafting a catcher within the first 50-60 picks, but a guy with Realmuto’s numbers will not last long after that. If you want his batting average as well as his power, be ready to spend.

The train is out of the station and there’s no stopping it. The fantasy baseball season is right around the corner. First base will be the next position I rank. Thanks for reading and I hope you follow throughout the entire baseball season.