BALLER MOVE: Target as Low-End CA1
ANALYSIS: Miguel Montero is coming off a season in which he fell short of his career averages in HR, R, AVG, OBP and SLG. In the first half, he hit 11 HR, drove in 52 runs and earned his second All-Star appearance, but hit just .212 with 22 RBI and two HR after the break. Perhaps fatigue or an injury could have affected his performance. Montero lowered his strikeout rate to a respectable 17.3%, made contact at an 80% rate, and had a line drive rate of 21% in 2014, but posted a career low BABIP of .275. So luck may have played a role, as well.
Montero will likely bat sixth in the Cubs' lineup and should garner plenty of RBI opportunities. He boasts a .280 career average with RISP. Despite his down year in 2014, he still finished fifth in RBI among catchers, ahead of Jonathan Lucroy and Salvador Perez, despite 100 fewer at bats. His current ADP on FantasyPros is 195, and he has been the 13th catcher off the board, which means in most leagues he’ll be one of the last starting catchers drafted. I have no problem taking Montero around 175 and feeling confident he will produce starting catcher numbers for your fantasy team in 2015.
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