This article is part of our The Z Files series.
Catchers! The bane of fantasy baseball. The inventory behind the plate has become so dismal many leagues are eliminating the second catcher position and adding another utility spot. Personally, I'm not a fan. Sure, the quality at the low end of the pool is terrible, but everyone is playing with the same rules. I won't bore you with the replacement level/useful stats diatribe – at least not yet – but I'm for anything that adds some strategic thinking, and the inequities of the catcher pool require proper valuation and a game plan to approach the position. Sign me up!
For the past two weeks, I've ranked relievers and starting pitchers using a method I'm going to call, "Tiers of a Clown." In brief, instead of segregating players by quality and defining tiers by where there is a drop, I group players via a subjective trait. This trait is the first thought I have when I see the player's name when I'm on the clock. Each group can have a wide range of talent, or by design they all may be similar. The main idea is to draft a trait that helps further roster construction. The elegance of the approach is that everyone has their own set of classifications. Your catcher tiers will likely be different than mine, since we have different philosophies with regards to putting a roster together. There is no right or wrong, just different.
As will be the format as we parade through the position players, I'll
