Fantasy Insight: Top 10 Catchers

Italicized (number) is projected draft round

1. Joe Mauer- Minnesota (2)

2. Buster Posey- San Francisco (3)

3. Victor Martinez- Detroit (3)

4. Brian McCann- Atlanta (4)

5. Carlos Santana- Cleveland (10)

6. Geovany Soto- Chicago (9)

7. Miguel Montero- Arizona (11)

8. Mike Napoli- Texas (10)

9. Kurt Suzuki- Oakland (16)

10. Matt Wieters- Baltimore (12)

Sleeper: Jesus Montero- New York

            1. Joe Mauer

He's not a first round pick in fantasy this year, but he’s still the best catcher in fantasy. Over the last three years Mauer has posted averages well over .300, and OBPs over .400. Despite is long awaited power development in 2009 Mauer seemed to return to his old self last season. His slugging percentage lost more than 100 points and dipped below .500. Without power Mauer probably won’t break the 100 run 100 RBI plateau, but he does play in a good lineup so you never know (having Justin Morneau for the whole season will help). With Mauer you can’t expect him to break 20 homers anymore, but you know he’ll be competing for batting titles and racking up hits.

2. Buster Posey

Well, the hype seems well deserved. Last year Posey stormed into the limelight with his mid season call up, and he (and fantasy owners) never looked back. In a couple more seasons Posey could propel himself up the rankings past Mauer. He can hit for average, that’s for sure (maybe not as well as Mauer, but he’s guaranteed a low .300 average). What Posey has, that Mauer doesn’t, is power. He hit 18 homers in 443 PAs. With a full season, even as a catcher, he could hit 25 bombs. The lineup around him isn’t great, but with Brandon Belt (San Francisco's top hitting prospect) predicted to make a splash this season, and Pablo Sandoval looking as beastly as ever, Posey’s peripherals could take a big boost.

3. Victor Martinez

V-Mart is a model of consistency. Not including his injury plagued 2008, Martinez has five consecutive seasons with a .300 average and at least 15 homers (he’s hit under 20 in only one of those season). He’s also been known to log a lot of innings, posting PA totals of over 600 in four different seasons. For a catcher that’s really good, and means he can help you in runs and RBIs when most catchers can’t. What’s great about V-Mart is he plays DH, first base, and Catcher, which gives him a lot more opportunities to hit, because he’s resting less.

4. Brian McCann

If you’re looking for power out of your catcher McCann is probably your best bet. At any other position the Braves lefty could probably hit about 30 bombs. Over his five seasons in the Bigs he’s hit under 20 once, and that was in ’07 when he hit 18. McCann’s average tends to fluctuate, and last year he hit a career low .269. However, he also posted a career high in walks at 74.  McCann hits in a less than ideal lineup, so he doesn’t get a lot of RBIs and runs, and his stats have slowly dipped showing what five seasons with at least 130 games behind the dish can do to your body. However, he’s still only 27 and has not lost his homerun capability; you could do worse on draft day.

5. Carlos Santana

Carlos Santana is a perfect example of why you shouldn’t reach for a catcher in drafts. On average he is going in the 10^th rounder. So what kind of potential does this 10^th rounder have? Well, he has an average OPS of .900 in the minors, showing ridiculous patience at the plate. Last season, as a rookie, he posted a .401 OBP, despite hitting only .260. Over his last three seasons he’s never had more strikeouts than walks. Last season he got hurt during a collision at the plate, and so drafters only got a short look in 150 PAs, but they liked what they saw. Santana’s incredibly mature patience for a 24-year-old hitter shows that he has a great eye at the plate. With what he’s shown in the minors I’d expect a .290-.300 average, an OBP well over .400, and at least 20 homeruns, but he’s got wiggle room to hit a lot more.