Sunday's Catcher Value Rankings
Here are theScore's catcher value rankings for Sunday, August 14 (all stats exclude Saturday's games):
Value Rankings
C | 1B/DH | 2B | SS | 3B | OF | SP
Top Options
| NAME | OPPONENT | VALUE |
|---|---|---|
| Tuffy Gosewisch (ARI) | at BOS | 9 |
| Wilson Ramos (WAS) | vs. ATL | 8 |
| Buster Posey (SF) | vs. BAL | 8 |
At a bargain basement cost, Gosewich has two home runs in the last three contests while going 5-for-14 at the dish over that same span. Even with Red Sox' RHP Rick Porcello on the mound, all Gosewich needs to do in order to return value is get on base.
It's best to just pay up for one of Ramos or Posey on Sunday. Ramos' astounding .338 average against RHP provides both a high-floor and ceiling against the Braves' erratic RHP Tyrell Jenkins and his 13:20 BB:K ratio. Posey sees a dip in power against southpaws but is hitting a cool .295. He still has value in cash games.
Mid-Tier Targets
| NAME | OPPONENT | VALUE |
|---|---|---|
| Jonathan Lucroy (TEX) | vs. DET | 7 |
| Sandy Leon (BOS) | vs. ARI | 6 |
| Mike Zunino (SEA) | at OAK | 5 |
Since becoming a member of the Rangers, Lucroy has been seeing the ball exceptionally well, crushing six round trippers on 10 hits. The righty-righty matchup against Tigers' RHP Michael Fulmer is in his favor, as Lucroy is slashing .319/.374/.529 and Fulmer has surrendered eight of his 10 home runs to right-handed batters.
Leon's matchup with Diamondbacks' ace Zack Greinke will presumably result in a low-ownership percentage. Leon hasn't seen a significant rise in cost and continues to rake, going 6-for-10 his last three games with three extra base hits and a season average of .383.
Zunino comes cheap and owns an astonishing 1.057 OPS in 20 games. He's started eight of the Mariners 11 games in August and should he start, Zunino will face Athletics' spot starter Zach Neal, who has just 11 punch outs in 29 1/3 innings this season.
Nothing to See Here
| NAME | OPPONENT | VALUE |
|---|---|---|
| Stephen Vogt (OAK) | vs. SEA | 4 |
| Russell Martin (TOR) | vs. HOU | 3 |
| Francisco Cervelli (PIT) | at LAD | 3 |
Vogt is hitting .229 and has yet to go yard against a southpaw this season. He isn't worth a roster spot. Martin hasn't been able to find his swing this season and has registered just two mulit-hit games in the last 15 outings.
Cervelli offers a high on-base percentage (.371) but has yet to hit a homer this season. Don't expect any success Sunday, even against Dodgers LHP Brett Anderson, who is making his 2016 debut after starting the season on the 60-day DL.