A tough start to 2015 for the Milwaukee Brewers has gotten even worse. All-Star catcher Jonathan Lucroy is DL-bound, joining All-Star outfielder Carlos Gomez. As bad as the news is for the Brew Crew, it may be even worse for fantasy owners.
Catcher is the weakest offensive position overall in fantasy, and Lucroy was the 68th pick overall on average. Investing in him there is a move to ensure production near the top of the catcher class; Lucroy will outpace other catchers, but there's a good chance players taken in the same grouping at other positions will likely post better raw numbers. With Lucroy absent, his owners have lost their catcher advantage and may have missed out on better performers on draft day.
Alas, he's on the DL. Here's three catchers owned in less than 50 percent of leagues you can pick up to hold down the fort.
Miguel Montero, Chicago Cubs
Montero's stats look ugly right now, I won't lie. But he's available, and he's guaranteed at-bats. Montero's last two seasons have been subpar, but realistically when you've lost your catcher finding a replacement that actually plays is most important. He's shown a slightly better walk rate in 2015 than in the previous two campaigns, and Chicago's lineup is much better than Arizona's. If Montero can get on base, he'll at least provide his owners with runs. He also has high upside in the batting average department. He's hit sub-.250 for two seasons, but prior to that he consistently hit in the .280s. .
Tyler Flowers, Chicago White Sox
Staying in the Windy City, here's another catcher that is like taking a slightly bitter vitamin pill in the morning. It's not going to kill you, but you don't really want to take it. Just like you don't really want to pick up Flowers.
Flowers' batting average is sitting at a cool .333, and thus far he's drastically cut down on his strikeouts. Last year he socked 15 home runs, and he should be able to duplicate that with regular at-bats in an improved lineup. He should also score more runs and generate more RBI.
Geovany Soto's presence makes Flowers a little risky. Should Flowers hit a rough patch, it's conceivable he could lose his gig to Soto. But Flowers is also a plus defender, so while that means nada for owners, it could keep him on the field.
Alex Avila, Detroit Tigers
Avila is batting under .200, with just one home run. But he's the catcher in MLB's best lineup right now, and even though he hits low in the order, he should pile up runs and drive them in as well when the heart of the order gets on base. Avila has shown power in the past, and so far he's posted a .200 BABIP. That's bound to regress upward, so ride that positive regression until Lucroy gets back.
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