If you play in an OBP dynasty Fantasy Baseball league, you have come to the right place. With the growing popularity of OBP Fantasy Baseball leagues, I hope to provide quality content for you if you play in that format. Today kicks off the positional dynasty rankings series at the catcher position. The catcher position may not be a fun one to talk about for fantasy purposes, but it is an important position. Which catchers should you target in your dynasty leagues? Let’s take a look at my catcher OBP dynasty rankings!
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Top Catchers for OBP Dynasty Leagues
| Rank | Player | Team | Age |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | J.T. Realmuto | PHI | 29 |
| 2 | Adley Rutschman | BAL | 23 |
| 3 | Will Smith | LAD | 25 |
| 4 | Willson Contreras | CHC | 28 |
| 5 | Sean Murphy | OAK | 26 |
| 6 | Salvador Perez | KC | 30 |
| 7 | Gary Sanchez | NYY | 28 |
| 8 | Joey Bart | SF | 24 |
| 9 | Travis d'Arnaud | ATL | 32 |
| 10 | Yasmani Grandal | CHW | 32 |
| 11 | James McCann | NYM | 30 |
| 12 | Daulton Varsho | ARI | 24 |
| 13 | Austin Wells | NYY | 21 |
| 14 | Francisco Alvarez | NYM | 19 |
| 15 | Alejandro Kirk | TOR | 22 |
| 16 | Heriberto Hernandez | TB | 21 |
| 17 | Christian Vazquez | BOS | 30 |
| 18 | Austin Nola | SD | 31 |
| 19 | Mitch Garver | MIN | 30 |
| 20 | Tyler Soderstrom | OAK | 19 |
| 21 | Ryan Jeffers | MIN | 23 |
| 22 | Luis Campusano | SD | 22 |
| 23 | Tyler Stephenson | CIN | 24 |
| 24 | Carson Kelly | ARI | 26 |
| 25 | Patrick Bailey | SF | 21 |
Catcher Thoughts for Dynasty
In general, I rank catchers fairly low in my dynasty rankings. You will see when my overall rankings debut. Yes, catchers are essential because in most leagues you have to roster one. But, outside of J.T. Realmuto, most catchers do not play enough to warrant a high draft pick in a dynasty startup draft. Unless I get a great value on Realmuto, I prefer to wait until much later to draft a catcher for dynasty leagues.
How much longer can Realmuto hold the top spot? He has been the top catcher in the game for fantasy purposes for the last several years. Realmuto also turned 30 prior to the season. Catchers often do not age well, so it will be interesting to see how long Realmuto can keep performing at the high level that he is.
Adley Rutschman has the chance to overtake Realmuto for the top spot before long. Rustchman has an incredibly high floor and ceiling. There is a very high probability he sticks behind the plate thanks to his defensive ability and arm. He could be a gold glove defender that also hits .280 or better with 25 home runs annually. There is no denying that Rutschman could the top catcher in baseball for both real-life and fantasy purposes. He is expected to debut late in 2021.
Sean Murphy is another young catcher to watch out for in dynasty leagues. He also gets a boost in value for OBP leagues thanks to his solid plate discipline and high walk rates. Murphy brings a contact-oriented approach but also has plenty of raw power left that he can tap into. Murphy is only 26 years old and now could be a great time to acquire him in dynasty leagues.
Catching Prospects
You can find my OBP catcher prospect rankings here. Outside of Adley Rutschman, Francisco Alvarez is a player I love to target. Alvarez was dominant in his professional debut in 2019. He slashed .312/.407/.312 with seven home runs in 182 plate appearances. Alvarez has a great feel to hit and monstrous raw power. The Mets are committed to developing him behind the plate, so they will not rush him, even though his bat is highly advanced. He could be a big riser up rankings in 2021.
The pure power of Francisco Alvarez. 🤯 💪 pic.twitter.com/bgYXVPORbK
— Mets Farm Report (@MetsFarmReport) February 19, 2021
Alejandro Kirk is another catching prospect who made the team in Toronto to start the season. His bat is much better than Danny Jansen, so if Kirk gets the opportunity and proves his worth, he could earn more at-bats this season. He has an incredible hit tool and is one of the few catching prospects who could hit .300 in a season. Kirk should be a solid catcher in the coming years and could be an underrated catcher in your dynasty leagues.
Austin Wells is another catcher who could have a major impact with his bat. He may not stick at the position long term, but his bat will play. The Arizona slugger walked more often than he struck out at the collegiate level and has big power from the left side of the plate. He gets an extra boost in OBP leagues. Wells’s pull side power could also play up extremely well in Yankee Stadium.
Here’s a look at Austin Wells, the #yankees’ first-round pick in last year’s MLB Draft: pic.twitter.com/G4kYqw4MlY
— Bryan Hoch (@BryanHoch) February 18, 2021
Thank you for stopping by and checking out my catcher OBP dynasty rankings. Be on the lookout over the next several weeks for my OBP dynast positional series and my overall rankings!
Media Credits: Bryan Hoch, Mets Farm Report
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