Ryan Hanigan

In a disappointing season overall for Boston catchers, Ryan Hanigan endured similar struggles. The backstop was plagued by injuries throughout the 2016 season, resulting in a regression from his 2015 numbers in just about every offensive category. The backup catcher ended the season slashing .171/.230/.238 in 113 plate appearances, wrapping up his two-year career in Boston with a .219/.298/.294 line in 279 at-bats. Despite his abysmal effort at the plate in 2016, Boston hung onto the veteran backstop for his defense, as he led the team with a 3.55 ERA when he was behind the plate. With the emergence of Sandy Leon, however, the Red Sox declined the team option to bring Hanigan back. The 36-year-old agreed to terms with the Phillies, so he'll have an opportunity to compete for the backup catching job with Bryan Holaday.

Hanigan enters the final season of a two-year contract with a bit of uncertainty. There are three catchers qualified to start the season on the roster, but the 34-year-old Hanigan provides the most-experienced hand of the three, which can be a valuable commodity for developing young backstops Christian Vazquez and Blake Swihart. Boston is unlikely to head north with three rostered catchers, so a decision is coming. Last season, Hanigan suffered a broken knuckle in May and missed two months. He’s not a great hitter, but put together some good plate appearances for Boston to hit for his highest average since 2012. With Vazquez coming back from Tommy John surgery, he could be ticketed for everyday play at Triple-A Pawtucket, which would give Hanigan the backup job to start the season. There will be few at-bats in that role and eventually, the Red Sox will have a Swihart-Vazquez tandem unless one is traded.

Hanigan was one of the key acquisitions for the Rays before the 2014 season, but an early hamstring injury and the subsequent lingering effects did not allow him to hit well for most of the season. The skills held up for him as he still drew walks and had a low strikeout rate, but a .240 BABIP helped hold his batting average down for a second consecutive season. After hitting for a solid average from 2009-2012, Hanigan has struggled with injuries each of the previous two seasons. Traded to Boston after being acquired by the Padres during the offseason, Hanigan will see a steady amount of playing time for the Red Sox following the season-ending elbow injury to starter Christian Vazquez. It's expected that top prospect Blake Swihart will eventually take over the starting role, but Hanigan could play his way into some form of a time share with a strong start to the season.

Hanigan suffered thumb, ankle, oblique and wrist injuries in 2013, effectively wrecking his season. His offensive potential was already limited, and these injuries made him an offensive liability. He's still a terrific defensive catcher, and missing that contribution from him could hurt the Reds' pitching staff. With the Reds deciding that it is time for Devin Mesoraco to take over the regular starting duties, Hanigan was shipped to the Rays as part of a three-team trade in December, where he inked a three-year contract extension to work in tandem with Jose Molina handling the Tampa Bay pitching staff.

We could almost copy last year's outlook for Hanigan and apply it to 2013 - he'll draw his share of walks, he'll call a great game behind the plate, he'll control the running game well, he won't hit for power and he won't run. He'll probably once again play more than Devin Mesoraco because of his defensive strengths, at least unless/until Mesoraco improves with the stick. He's a classic what-you-see-is-what-you-get type of player.

Unless you play in a league that uses on-base percentage as a category, most of Hanigan's contributions are undervalued in fantasy leagues. He's an excellent receiver, has a great arm and is incredibly disciplined at the plate. For the third year in a row, Hanigan drew more walks (35 in 266 at-bats) than strikeouts (32). But he doesn't have much power (12 extra-base hits) and has no speed, so traditional roto teams won't be helped by him that much. Because of his strong defense, don't be surprised if he plays more than highly touted rookie Devin Mesoraco, especially early in the season.

The Reds quietly received good production at the plate from their catching tandem of Hanigan and Ramon Hernandez in 2010, while Hanigan also provided excellent defense. Hanigan has unusually good plate discipline, having walked more than he's struck out over his major league career (81:63 BB:K in 549 at-bats). He won't hit for much power, but if you're looking for a $1-2 catcher in the endgame of your NL draft, he might not be a bad investment.

Hanigan is a perfectly adequate backup catcher, but he got exposed badly as a starter when Ramon Hernandez was on the DL for two months. On the positive side, he has excellent plate discipline, walking more than he struck out, but he only had 10 extra-base hits in 251 at-bats. His lack of power and speed on the basepaths make him a poor fantasy candidate even in deeper leagues, no matter if he hits for average.

Because of the utter lack of an in-house alternative at catcher, Hanigan will likely serve as the backup behind the plate for the Reds in 2009. He's demonstrated a decent batting eye both at Louisville and in his brief major league trial, but it's unlikely that he'll hit for power. The closest the Reds have to a catching prospect is 2007 first-round pick Devin Mesaroco, but he was mediocre with the bat at Low-A Dayton in 2008. To shore up the position, Cincinnati acquired Ramon Hernandez to take over the starting job behind the plate in December, so Hanigan is clearly a No. 2 entering the season.