Here, friend, are some catchers that I will be targeting at my 2016 fantasy drafts after the top options are gone. I’m not going to get into the strategy of punting catchers. Been there, half-drunkenly wrote that years ago. Click on the player’s name where applicable to read more and see their 2016 projections. This is a (legal-in-most-countries) supplement to the top 20 catchers of 2016 fantasy baseball. Now, guys and four girl readers, I am not saying avoid catchers like Matt Wieters if they fall, but to get on this list, you need to be drafted later than 200 overall. And, to preemptively answer at least seven comments, yes, I will go around the entire infield, outfield and pitchers to target very late. Anyway, here’s some catchers to target for 2016 fantasy baseball:
Yan Gomes (Yahoo 217, ESPN 357) Wasn’t that long ago Gomes was one of the best offensive catchers in the game and he’s not that old. On draft day, just remember Guron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie and Superior, that’s GOMES! Grey, you should be in Cirque du Soleil, because you’re good at acrostics!
Devin Mesoraco (Yahoo 204) See what I said for Gomes. Substitute Mesoraco in for Michigan? No, RIV, that wasn’t what I wanted you to look at. Look at the other part. Mesoraco in for Guron? No, Random Italicized Voice, Mesoraco is also only one year removed from a huge year and he too is not that old. That’s Erie! Ugh, forget it.
J.T. Realmuto (Yahoo 330, ESPN 253) This is funny (not funny). I went looking for guys that were being drafted after the top 200 at Yahoo and ESPN, but then I was like, “I’m not going to factor this in, but let me look to see where smarter players are drafting guys at NFBC.” At NFBC, Realmuto is being drafted 166 overall. I told you that it was funny (not funny). So, people do like Realmuto more than Yahoo, ESPN (or even me, for that matter). Since I punt catchers, Realmuto is interesting, but not 166 overall interesting. If he’s drafted after 200 overall? Yeah, I’d buy that for a dollar! Literally, I’d pay one dollar for him. I wasn’t using some old school parlance of ‘I’d buy that for a dollar.’ On a related note, we’re not doing NFBC this year, but we are doing money leagues. You can compete against me, Rudy, Sky (he’s alive!), Tehol, Jay, Big Magoo and others. It’s $88 vs. the $150 of last year. It’s 12 teams vs. 15 teams. It’s no waivers, and it’s a slow draft. Of course, there’s still the free RCL leagues.
Robinson Chirinos (ESPN 570, Yahoo unranked) ESPN 570 is also the radio station where they say Chirinos is a great steal late in fantasy drafts, while using ESPN’s fantasy rankings to say he’s a steal. You see how that works? Yeah, neither do I. Chirinos hit 10 homers last year in only 78 games and this year he’s the everyday catcher. Mr. Prorater says Chirinos is going to be huge! Of course, that’s not Mr. Pro Rater, who actually knows what he’s doing with rating players, but instead the guy whose mail he gets that does very simple math.
Blake Swihart (Yahoo 273, ESPN 459) Half of me thinks Swihart is going to hit 9 homers, steal 5 bases and have a great average like a poor man’s Lucroy. Other half of me thinks that’s some super boring shizz. By the by, a poor man’s Lucroy would be simply Po’boy.
Hank Conger (Unranked by both) I’ve been crazy for Conger two years in a row now. Last year, he had 11 homers in only 73 games. Member how excited you were for Chirinos about 78 words ago (plus or minus a dangling participle)? Chirinos had 10 homers in 78 games; Conger had eleven in 73! If I say that with another two exclamation marks, would it excite you more? Right now, Curt Casali is in the depth charts in front of Conger, but what’s so great about him?
Curt Casali (Unranked by both) Had 10 homers in only 38 games!!! (See, I learned punctuation from my Conger blurb.)
