The knocking on the door series is designed to run in tandem with the top 24 rankings at every position. It should be obvious that the 24 players listed at each position are not necessarily the actual top 24. There are always young players that emerge or veterans that come out of nowhere to make themselves fantasy relevant. Young players in particular present a definite challenge when it comes to rankings. Often you are looking at limited exposure and you try to make some kind of educated guess based on that.

So, what we are doing here is looking at three such players at each position. Hopefully, the combination of the standard positional rankings and this series will capture just about everyone that you should consider on draft day. Additionally, we will look at what barriers these players may have to launching their careers as big time fantasy players.

Kyle Schwarber—Chicago Cubs (.242, 16 HR, 52 Runs, 43 RBI, 3 SB, 37 BB)

The above represents the career numbers for Schwarber. That obviously includes the five plate appearances he got before tearing his ACL. Remarkably, he came back in time for the World Series where he hit a remarkable .412 with two runs and two RBI. So how does he not rank in the top 24? Well, that’s a bit of a complicated deal and the main reason why he was tabled for this article.

If I had simply fed the above numbers into the ranking multiplier he likely would have wound up as a middle of the pack catcher. The problem is that such a ranking would be inappropriate on a number of levels. First, if he remains a catcher it would be far too low to be of any value to the typical fantasy player. Is he the second best catcher on the board as he was in most leagues this season? Is he the third? Fourth? I know most ranking systems require a certain amount of guesswork, but I’m not comfortable doing that.

The bigger question is whether he will qualify as a catcher at all. He only played two games this past season and that came in left field. Will the various platforms consider him an outfielder for now on or will he get one more season of eligibility based on the injury? I imagine each platform will handle that differently, so I hate attaching any kind of ranking to him because of that open question.

Barriers to Launch: The biggest and only barrier for Schwarber is eligibility. The simple fact that he came back at all in the World Series erases the questions about his long term health. The fact that he raked makes it that much more obvious. However, you may be looking at a fantasy outfielder and that would limit his fantasy profile considerably.

Jorge Alfaro—Philadelphia Phillies (.285, 15 HR, 68 Runs, 67 RBI, 3 SB, 22 BB)

The numbers above came from his performance in Reading. That is the Phillies AA affiliate. As most people know, Alfaro came over in the Cole Hamels deal and was partially responsible for Tommy Joseph being moved out from behind the dish. He did get a cup of coffee with the Phillies this season and hit a puny .125 in 17 plate appearances. That shouldn’t put too much of a damper on his future as he is the clear heir apparent to the catcher position in Philadelphia.

Alfaro has a .269/.327/.436 slash line in seven minor league seasons. He will turn 24 next season so you have to think the clock is ticking on him as a legitimate catching prospect. The question will be whether they want another season of development out of him or whether they are ready to roll the dice now. Cameron Rupp is the incumbent and good enough to hold the position down, but not good enough to be a long-term solution. If given an opportunity to play full-time he could reproduce last season’s numbers at the big league level, but more than likely would see more modest levels of production.

Barriers to Launch: The Phillies are in a much better position here than they were last season. Rupp has proved capable, so they don’t have to give the job to Alfaro. That makes his situation much more fluid and likely a waiver wire decision. He could end up being a decent pickup in April or May if he wins the job in Spring Training.

Austin Hedges—San Diego Padres (.326, 21 HR, 55 Runs, 82 RBI, 1 SB, 13 BB)

Hedges is not officially a rookie after having over 150 plate appearances in 2015. His .168 average had him demoted to AAA this past season where he put up these ridiculous numbers. For his career, Hedges has a .271/.324/.434 slash line in over 1600 minor league plate appearances. So, last season was not necessarily indicative of what Hedges is expected to do at the big league level.

Like big league incumbent Derek Norris, Hedges is known for his defensive prowess. Cristian Bethancourt is also there and also known for his defense. The rumors are that Derek Norris is on the block and if he gets dealt that would pave the way for Hedges. There is nothing in Bethancourt’s profile to indicate that he could ever produce the numbers above at any location. So, it is fair to say Hedges might get the job under those circumstances.

There is always a chance that Hedges discovered something last year, but it is more likely that these numbers are a factor of playing in a hitter’s park in the Pacific Coast League. It is more likely that he would produce something around a .700 OPS as the ceiling for his performance. That probably translates to a fantasy backup, but you never know.

Barriers to Launch: Hedges is a dynamic defensive catcher, but the Padres have three of those. Derek Norris struggled at the plate last season and that could get him a ticket out of town. If that happens then Hedges will be given an opportunity to win the job. Hopefully, this situation will be resolved one way or another by Spring Training.