Fantasy Baseball: Late-Round Targets at Each Position for 2017
Catcher: Russell Martin
If you want the 11th catcher off the board, you can wait all the way until the 209th overall pick on ESPN. That's where Russell Martin is going, and he's likely worth the price.
Martin had a wretched 2016 season, finishing with a .231/.335/.398 triple slash and an astronimical jump to a 27.7% strikeout rate. A lot of those struggles, though, stemmed from his horrendous month of April.
Here are Martin's splits in April compared to the rest of the season. The April split is just 67 plate appearances, but they did a number on his full-season stats.
| Split | Walk Rate | Strikeout Rate | Hard-Hit Rate | Fly-Ball Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| April | 6.0% | 46.3% | 33.3% | 20.0% |
| Rest of Season | 12.8% | 25.0% | 33.6% | 37.2% |
If Martin had posted those non-April numbers the entire year, his traditional stats likely wouldn't have been as bloody. He may be entering his age-34 season, but we should expect a healthy bounce back for this year.
The other plus of Martin is that he has a good overall situation. Roster Resource projects that Martin will bat sixth for the Toronto Blue Jays, trailing a good number of talented hitters. That should give him respectable volume and the chances to drive in plenty of runners. Don't reach for Martin due to his increasing limitations, but he should be at the top of our minds when looking for late-round catching.
Other candidates: Welington Castillo
