How to properly address the catcher position
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The catcher position is unlike any other in fantasy baseball. The influx of young talent at 2B and SS has made catcher by far the most scarce. Not only are there very few elite offensive players at the position, but due to the physical nature of being behind the plate, catchers rest more often than any other position players.
With that being said, fantasy owners should stick to the following four options when addressing the catcher position in 2017:
Option A: Ante up for an elite backstop
Buster Posey and Jonathan Lucroy are by far the two safest options at the position. Posey is coming off a down season, but that still resulted in a .288 batting average, 14 homers and 80 RBIs. Expect him to bounce back in 2017.
Lucroy set a career high with 24 homers last season, 11 of which came in his 47 games with Texas. A full season at Globe Life Park in Arlington, and the American League, should lead to another strong offensive campaign. The option of DHing him will lead to more plate appearances.
Gary Sanchez and Kyle Schwarber represent the two catcher eligible players with the most upside at the position. All Sanchez did was mash 20 homers in 53 games last season. Pitchers will certainly approach him with more caution in 2017, but his talent is undeniable.
Schwarber will spend most of his time in LF in 2017, but will have catcher eligibility. Risks surrounding Schwarber include the fact that he missed virtually all of last season with with a torn ACL and LCL. In 2015, he struck out a ton and couldn't hit a lick against lefties, which could lead to a possible platoon in 2017. Despite all of this, the kid can flat out rake.
It will likely take a pick in the first five rounds of 12-team leagues to scoop up on of these backstops, but stabilizing the most scarce position is a great way to build a balanced lineup.
Option B: Wait until the later rounds
After the top tier of catchers, the talent really drops off. Catchers six and onward are so heavily bunched together that you're better off waiting until the later rounds to draft one rather than the middle rounds.
In leagues that include OBP (which should be every league by now), Yasmani Grandal of the Dodgers is a gold mine. Grandal launched 27 home runs last season. He hit just .228, but his OBP was .339. With no veteran backup like A.J. Ellis or Carlos Ruiz cutting into his playing time, the Cuban backstop should set multiple career highs and can likely be had beyond round 12.
Aside from breakout candidates like Grandal, fantasy owners can turn to reliable veterans in the later rounds. Russell Martin is a safe bet to hit 20 homers and drive in 70 runs, while someone like Yadier Molina, a career .285 hitter, will stabilize your team's batting average.
Those who are unable to snag a potential breakout candidate, and are too ambitious for a stable veteran, can turn to some high-risk, high-reward catchers. This includes Devin Mesoraco, Wilson Ramos and Sandy Leon.
Injuries have limited Mesoraco to just one season with more than 400 PAs. That one season, 2014, he hit .273 with 25 homers and 80 RBIs. He's had only 106 PAs since then, but is now -- finally -- healthy.
Ramos also comes with injury risk. He was enjoying a career year with the Nationals before a torn ACL ended his season. Now with the Rays, Ramos could serve as Tampa's DH by May.
Leon came out of virtually nowhere to hit .310 last year. A .392 BABIP had a lot to do with it, but he did had a 24.7 line drive rate. Was it a fluky season, or is he just a late bloomer? Only time will tell.
Option C: Punt the position
Rather than rostering a below average offensive player (in fantasy terms) who will rest once or twice a week, why not just have an additional bench player instead of a catcher?
This is a strategy that is becoming more popular each year. It's better suited for deep leagues or AL/NL-only formats, but it can still be used in standard 12-team leagues.
Instead of having the aforementioned Russell Martin weigh down your team's batting average, don't even draft a catcher and just draft someone like Brad Miller for your bench. Miller is a superior offensive player compared to Martin and his positional versatility allows him to fill in for any of your regulars when they have a day off.
Option D: Draft two elite backstops (high risk/high reward)
This is the rarest of all options, but it can pay huge dividends if all the pieces fall together.
If you are able to draft both Buster Posey and Gary Sanchez, for example, you could start one of them at catcher and use the other in your UTIL spot until someone in your league becomes desperate enough for a catcher and is willing to overpay.