Fantasy Focus: Doldrums Behind the Plate The value of the catcher position varies depending on format, as it increases if your league uses two spots in the starting lineup. However, even in two-catcher formats, few catchers are drafted highly for two reasons. First, the position's taxing physical demand limits their plate appearances, reducing their upside simply through lack of volume. Second, during the past 10 seasons, just eight catchers have finished with more than 10 steals, making it a position that inherently helps you in four categories at best. While these in-season issues rightfully knock down catchers" average draft position, year-to-year consistency is also often a problem. According to Baseball Monster, over the past five years, just five catchers have finished with top-five fantasy value in multiple seasons, so there's not a lot of overlap. Getting a negative return investing in the catcher position has been highlighted greatly so far in 2012, which is best illustrated in a comparison of players" O-Rank and Rank on Yahoo. O-Rank is an overall ranking based on current and previous seasons, giving a good idea of how a player was valued before the 2012 season; Rank applies only to stats from the current season, which here are through Sunday's games. Carlos Santana, Indians, O-Rank 44 vs. Rank 411 - Given the O-Rank and average draft position, Santana most likely cost fantasy owners a third- or fourth-round pick, but Yahoo says there have been 410 more valuable fantasy assets so far in 2012. ESPN's Player Rater has him similarly low, at No. This doesn't take position scarcity into account, but it's hard to dispute that those who selected Santana have taken a huge loss. A career .290 hitter in the minors, Santana has hit just .240 in 896 at-bats in the major leagues despite a strong 208-to-173 strikeout-to-walk ratio. His drop in power is most likely a fluke, and Santana will surely be better from here on out, but with a career .266 batting average on balls in play, it looks as if batting average will remain a problem. Mike Napoli, Rangers, O-Rank 55 vs. Rank 200 - The 11 homers are nice, but last year's .320 batting average will almost certainly go down as a career high for Napoli. Despite playing for a loaded Texas lineup, he lacks in counting stats, with just 32 R.B.I. and 29 runs scored, really limiting his overall value. Brian McCann, Braves, O-Rank 72 vs. Rank 307 - McCann has stayed healthy, and while his batting average is down, he has hit nine homers. Still, the problem remains with the counting categories. McCann may be one of the most underrated players in real baseball, but he has averaged just 59.5 runs scored and 3.2 steals over the past six seasons, making him him overrated in fantasy terms. Not every catcher has been a total bust in a comparison of preseason perceived value to now. Yadier Molina of the Cardinals and Carlos Ruiz of the Phillies, to name two, have made huge profits. Still, many others have followed this same path so far in 2012, including Matt Wieters of the Orioles, with an O-Rank 93 vs. Rank 220; Miguel Montero of the Diamondbacks, O-Rank 104 vs. Rank 285; Alex Avila of the Tigers, O-Rank 109 vs. Rank 674; Jesus Montero of the Mariners, O-Rank 131 vs. Rank 288; J.P. Arencibia of the Blue Jays, O-Rank 176 vs. Rank 360; and Geovany Soto of the Cubs, O-Rank 179 vs. Rank 1,054. While catchers typically aren't taken high, and position scarcity needs to be considered, it's clear that many were routinely drafted far too early before the season, something that doesn't appear to be an aberration. Remember that next year, when you shouldn't consider drafting a catcher until at least 100 picks are off the board, and probably far more than that. Dalton Del Don is a senior writer for RotoWire.com.