Fantasy Baseball is coming quicker than a Aroldis Chapman 100-miles-per-hour fastball. In preparation of another competitive fantasy season, check out my Top 5 undervalued catchers for the 2014 season.
Bonus: Is Scott Kazmir the new Cliff Lee?
No. 5: Russell Martin (PIT)
Call me crazy, but signs point to Russell Martin having a great season in 2014. Martin, who hit .226 with 15 home runs last season, is putting together quite the Spring Training. While fans should take Spring Training numbers with a grain of salt, the former All-Star is batting .533 with four home runs in 15 at bats. His swing appears to have smoothed itself out. Martin admitted he struggled at the plate last season and is looking to rebound. Martin is one of my sleeper picks for fantasy baseball this season. When healthy, Martin will hit 20 home runs, drive in 80 RBI and steal 10 or more bases a season. I expect the 31-year old catcher to hit .260, smack 22 home runs, drive in 81 RBI and even steal 11 bases for the Pirates in 2014.
No. 4: Salvador Perez (KCR)
Perez and the Kansas City Royals had breakout seasons in 2013. Perez proved himself to be a young leader for the Royals, who finished the year at 86-76. He hit .292 with 13 home runs and 79 RBI in 138 games. Perez, 23, also had 145 hits, 25 of the hits being doubles. He is a career .301 hitter in three Major League seasons and should continue to improve going forward. I expect Perez to hit .311, smack 15 home runs and drive in 83 RBI for the Royals next season.
No. 3: Wilin Rosario (COL)
Rosario is one of the top young players in baseball. At age 25, Rosario has had multiple 20-home run seasons (28 in 2012 and 21 in 2013) in his three year Major League career. His batting average has also increased year by year (.204 in 2011, .270 in 2012 and .292 in 2013), something Rockies fans should look forward to. Playing in Coors Field for half of the regular season has also boosted Rosario's statistics.
The one thing fantasy owners should be cautious with are Rosario's lack of walks. He walked 15 times in 449 at bats last season. He is not a patient hitter by any stretch (his lifetime OBP of .309 is proof to that). However his power and RBI production (70-plus RBI each of the last two seasons) will make up for his lack of walks. I expect the young catcher to hit .300, smack 25 home runs and knock in 85 RBI during the 2014 season.
No. 2: Buster Posey (SFG)
Posey is going to have another great season for the Giants. The 2012 National League MVP followed up his award winning season by hitting .294, smacking 15 home runs and driving in 72 RBI for the Giants. He hammered 34 doubles in addition to 153 hits in 148 games. The 2010 National League Rookie of the Year was also selected to his second all-star team. While the Giants had a poor season, (finishing third in the NL West at 76-86) Posey maintained his stellar play. I expect Posey to hit .310, smack 21 home runs and drive in 90 RBI for the Giants in 2014.
No. 1: Yadier Molina (STL)
Fantasy owners should be chanting “more from Molina,” heading into the 2014 season. Molina, 31, hit a career-high .319 last season. He smacked 12 home runs and drove in 80 RBI. He also had career highs in hits (161) doubles (44) runs (68) and tied his career-high with 505 at bats. In fact since 2011, Molina has averaged 16 home runs, 74 RBI and a .313 batting average each season. Fantasy owners should get on the Molina (not be confused with the his other brothers, Bengie and Jose) bandwagon for he reaches the downside of his career. For 2014, I expect Molina to hit .320, smack 15 home runs, 45 doubles and drive in 90 RBI for the Cardinals.
Did I leave any underrated catchers off my list? Let us know in the comments section below!
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