One Catcher?

[Liberty30]

Is going with one catcher a good idea? I'm in a roto league and have been going with a one catcher strategy this season (Posada), and was wondering if anyone else had tried this strategy before, and if so what the results were. Thought this might be an interesting discussion.

[SaintsOfTheDiamond]

This is my first serious year in FB, and I think I may be in the minority, but if you have one of the stud C (Piazza, Posada, Pudge, etc) then you should be able to get by with just that. It's when you wait untill later rounds to get a C that you need multiple C's IMO.

[Pogotheostrich]

Unless you know what days your catcher is going to be off (like Varitek when Wakefield pitches), I don't see a reason for carrying two catchers.

[AKhomebrewer]

I've never gone with two catchers before this year, usually because I wait til late in the draft to get one and then start churning through streaking guys on FA (last year nabbed GMyers, then LeCroy later).

This year is different because I couldn't let Piazza slide past the fifth round (14-team league), and then found CWilson loitering in the 21st round. Let's just say I'm happy with my C situation, but I wouldn't have two of them if they were, say, BMolina and THall.

[Arlo]

Depends entirely on how much roster space you have, and whether you use daily or weekly lineups...

[Lofunzo]

Depends entirely on how much roster space you have, and whether you use daily or weekly lineups...

I agree. I always go with 1 catcher, though. Why am I gonna waste a spot on Toby Hall for 2 starts a week max when I can use it for another pitcher??

[SaintsOfTheDiamond]

Depends entirely on how much roster space you have, and whether you use daily or weekly lineups...

I agree. I always go with 1 catcher, though. Why am I gonna waste a spot on Toby Hall for 2 starts a week max when I can use it for another pitcher??

Exactly.

[Mordraken]

Well put Lofunzo. I mean - if you have 25-30 roster spots (say 7-10 bench spots) then maybe it would be worth it. But the quality of catcher available that would probably be the 10th to 20th best catches (expected productoin of a .240 average, 60 RBIs, 50 runs, 2 stolen bases over the year)... it would be much better to carry an extra OF, multi-positional infielder, SP or even a low-WHIP RP for spot duties than to cary a catcher who will not only play occasionally but you won't know who to start even if he did play more often.

[Arlo]

How many games does that extra OF really get into, though? If you're an active manager and can check pre-game lineups, you can squeeze a lot of surprising amount of extra production out of the catcher position, especially if you've planned ahead and picked up an East Coast starter.

Plus, catcher is a dandy position to set up a Coors platoon.

[Lofunzo]

How many games does that extra OF really get into, though? If you're an active manager and can check pre-game lineups, you can squeeze a lot of surprising amount of extra production out of the catcher position, especially if you've planned ahead and picked up an East Coast starter.

Plus, catcher is a dandy position to set up a Coors platoon.

That's true and I agree if I have a deep bench. In my roto league, I only have 2 offensive bench spots. I would much rather rotate a hot OF than roll the dice that Toby Hall won't go 0-for-4 when I plug him in once a week.