Spring training is around the corner and the fantasy leagues are springing up all over the Internet. And of course, you want to pre-rank your teams to get an advantage for when that draft day comes for you and the league(s) that you're involved with. That's where the Game Of Baseball comes in - to provide you with what should be the winning strategy to take you to your fantasy baseball championship. Today, we will concentrate on the Top Ten catchers.
1. Brian McCann, Atlanta BravesThis guy's still young (24) and had pretty decent stats for what was an otherwise average Braves squad (.301, 23 HRs, 87 RBIs, 42 doubles, .896 OPS). Expect more of the same but an increase in his batting average.
2. Joe Mauer, Minnesota Twins
Dude can rake - there's no question about that. The power isn't what one expects from a catcher, but Mauer isn't chopped liver, either as he provides in so many other ways (.324, 85 RBIs, 98 runs scored, .413 OBP). If he could increase his power output, he could be downright dangerous. double-digit HRs are not out of the question.
3. Geovany Soto, Chicago Cubs
Rookie of the Year in '08, Soto can only get better - as if that was possible. Look at the expected Cubs lineup and you can see why he could very well be the first catcher taken in most drafts. For a catcher, he had excellent numbers (.285, 23 HRs, 86 RBIs, .365 OBP, and a sick .872 OPS). Get him early.
4. Russell Martin, Los Angeles Dodgers
A ridiculous workload did Martin in; it's hard to stay healthy when you catch as many games as he did. That aside, he is a decent catcher who provides an added bonus - he steals bases (stole 18 last season). Expect him to revert back to his 2007 form. By the way, he is 3B-eligible this year.
5.
Victor Martinez, Cleveland IndiansIt could be that V-Mart is at the crossroads of his career as the injury bug hit him during 2008. If he can remain relatively healthy, then Martinez should put up decent numbers in '09. He's 30; given his track record, I expect Martinez to steal playing time from Kelly Shoppach. He is 1B-eligible, as well.
6.
Bengie Molina, San Francisco GiantsHe managed to flourish even without Barry Bonds in the lineup and put up career-best numbers (33 doubles, 95 RBIs) and hit .292. The question remains whether he can duplicate that success or not. I think not as the Giants went free-agent shopping so he may get some protection in that respect. His numbers should be pretty good but don't expect '08 numbers from Molina.
7.
Ryan Doumit, Pittsburgh PiratesIf he can remain healthy during the '09 campaign, then he can jump into the elite pack of catchers; as it were, he had decent stats for a perennially underachieving Pirates squad (.318, 15 HRs, 69 RBIs). Again, he needs to stay healthy.
8. Mike Napoli, Los Angeles Angels
Good power obviously (20 HRs, 49 HRs), but can he stay healthy? He should play more than 78 games this coming season and you can expect at least 25 HRs from Napoli. If he can hang on to the starting catching gig from Jeff Mathis, he will flourish.
9.
Chris Ianetta, Colorado RockiesAn intriguing player. It helped that he played in the thin air of Colorado, but he hit just as well as he did in Denver (.897 OPS on road, .893 OPS at home). He hit 18 HRs in only 333 at-bats, so that should give you an idea of what his potential is. If the elites are gone when your turn comes up, grab Ianetta.
10.
Dioner Navarro, Tampa Bay RaysHe is the benefactor of having a decent Rays lineup batting ahead of him, so the pressure wasn't as pronounced. Don't look for true power from him as he is more a contact hitter (.295 BA in '08). But he is only 25 years old, so his numbers can only get better. A good catcher to have on your squad if you're not looking to be overly dependent on catcher production.
Sleepers: Pablo Sandoval, San Francisco Giants (1B and 3B-eligible); John Baker, Florida Marlins; Taylor Teagarden, Texas Rangers; A.J. Pierzynski, Chicago White Sox
Tomorrow: First Base
Labels: A.J. Pierzynski, Bengie Molina, Brian McCann, Chris Ianetta, Dioner Navarro, Geovany Soto, Joe Mauer, John Baker, Mike Napoli, Russell Martin, Ryan Doumit, Taylor Teagarden, Victor Martinez
