Catchers

1st Tier:  Joe Mauer, Brian McCann, Victor Martinez

     With Joe Mauer finally delivering on the power potential, Victor Martinez healthy and plugging away at first base in Boston, and Brian McCann maintaining that consistency we’ve grown to rely on, the top tier was pretty easy to set.  While each guy is likely to cost you a relatively high draft choice (2nd and 3rd rounders in some leagues), you’re going to get rock solid production from each one of them.  All three should hit 20+ HR with a minimum of 90 RBI, while providing rock solid batting averages.  Speed is not something you should be hoping for, but with power numbers like these from your backstop, you can bulk up on steals somehwere else.

2nd Tier:   Matt Wieters, Miguel Montero, Russell Martin, Geovany Soto, Jorge Posada, Mike Napoli, Bengie Molina

     The second tier of catchers is a nice mix of hot, young up and comers, potential comebacks and wily veterans that still have great pop in their bats.  The hype on Matt Wieters has been consistent and his eventual breakout in September of last season was a great sign of things to come.  He’ll likely cost a hefty price come draft day, but the full season of power stats should prove his worth.  Miguel Montero is another youngster that broke out last year and eventually stole the job in Arizona from Chris Snyder.  His 16 HR in 425 AB were a good indicator of his power potential and his .294 average showed that he’s finally major league ready.

     Despite subpar seasons in 2009, Russell Martin and Geovany Soto stay in the second tier for me this year, as I suspect big rebounds from each.  Martin still remains a nice power/speed option behind the dish and if he can avoid the horiffic slow start he’s endure the last 2 years.  His stumbles in the early goings have been a tough hurdle for him to overcome, but he still has the potential for double digit totals in both HR and steals this year.  Soto, on the other hand, was victimized last by the tag team of “Sophomore Slump” and “The Injury Bug”, but should see a nice rebound this year.  With the hype and pressure of winning the NL Rookie of the Year award now a thing of the past, I see Soto taking a similar approach to 2010 that he took into 2008.  He may not plug 20+ dingers again, but a number in the high teens with a .280+ average is not out of his realm.

     Helping fill the second tier are staple veteran catchers in Jorge Posada and Bengie Molina.  Posada gets the nod here with a strong rebound in 2009 and the fact that he’ll continue to play as the number one catcher in a ridiculously strong Yankees lineup.  He continues to have 20+ HR potential and should provide atleast one more solid year for his fantasy owners.  His age and prior shoulder issues could keep his price down, so don’t jump too fast.  Molina should also provide decent pop, no matter where he signs.  The Mets continue to be the front-runners in negotiations, and while Citi Field plays to the pitchers, so did AT&T in San Francisco.  He probably won’t see the same RBI totals as he’ll likely hit lower in the order on any team he goes to, but he should still provide similar HR totals. 

     And finally, there’s Mike Napoli.  I don’t know what more this guy can do for manager Mike Scioscia to give him the full time gig, but anything more and he’d be in the top tier.  Napoli has back to back 20 HR seasons and even better is that he’s done it in less than 400 AB each year.  As a matter of fact, he’s got 40 HR over his last 609 at bats.  Can you imagine what he could do with some more consistent playing time during the season?  Still, he gets bumped down with Jeff Mathis stealing almost half his plate appearances.

3rd Tier:  Kurt Suzuki, A.J. Pierzynski, Ryan Doumit, Chris Iannetta, Yadier Molina, Buster Posey

     The overall drop from the second tier to the third isn’t really that significant.  The power should be less, but Ryan Doumit and Chris Iannetta both have the potential to reach the 20 HR plateau.  Doumit really just needs to stay healthy, a problem that has plagued him his entire career, and Iannetta needs to just get his head back into the game.  After a fantastic breakout in ‘08, Iannetta took a major step back last year.  His 16 HRs were fine, but that abyssmal .228 average needs work.  If his head is on right during th espring, then he should be fine, but with Miguel Olivo now in town, the pressure is on.

     The breakout of Kurt Suzuki was a great surprise for his owners last year, but I’m not completely sold for this year.  His 15 HRs were a big surprise, and at the age of 26, I feel like he’s one of those players that gives credence to my theory that 26 is the new 27.  So just be careful.  I don’t see any reason to reach for him.  A.J. Pierzynski and Yadier Molina have become two of the more consistent backstops in fantasy with A.J. providing HR totals in the mid-teens with a relatively decent average and Molina hitting for a high average but with limited pop.  Both have their moments throughout a season, and if you want to go cheap on catchers, then these guys are almost ideal.

     Finishing off the third tier is Giants prospect, Buster Posey.  Personally, I happen to love the way this kid plays and he reminds me of a young Craig Biggio.  The Giants were supposed to go with Posey in 2010 with the departure of Bengie Molina, but the latest rumors have the team still in the market for a veteran backstop.  If they do, then Posey, while still a fantastic long term keeper option, drops in the 2010 rankings and tiers.  If they don’t, and he gets the starting job, then he’s going to be one of the bigger fantasy baseball sleepers of the season.

4th Tier:  Rod Barajas, Ivan Rodriguez, Carlos Ruiz, John Buck, John Baker, Ramon Hernandez, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Miguel Olivo

     It’s nice when you can wait on a position and still find decent quality.  Rod Barajas, while still unsigned, has been linked to a few teams, most notably the Rangers and the Giants.  If he goes to the Rangers, where he enjoyed the most productive season of his career, then I see him more in the top end of the 3rd tier, while simultaneously knocking Jarrod Saltalamacchia down the list.  If it’s the Giants, then he still gets a little bump, though not as big (not to mention the bump down for Posey).  He’s got 15 - 20 HR potential, but the average could use some work.  If Barajas doesn’t go to Texas, then Salty should do ok.  He’s still young and developing, but should provide some adequate totals (10 HR, 40 RBI, .250 AVG?) if he gets the starting nod.

     For me, both Carlos Ruiz and John Buck could be interesting sleepers at their position.  If Ruiz can build on that incredible playoff run, then I don’t see why, in that ballpark, he can’t hit you 12 to 15 HR with a .265 average.  Buck finally breaks away from Kansas City and the perpetual platoon to get the starting job in Toronto this year.  He won’t hit for the greatest average, but he still has good power potential.  With a full season as the number one guy, he could be in line for a solid breakout season, even at the age of 29.

  As for the rest, Ivan Rodriguez, Ramon Hernandez and John Baker should provide similar numbers that they did in 2009.  Pudge and Hernandez are on the downside of their careers, but still get decent playing time, and while Baker should hit for a decent average, his power is limited.  He’s also got Ronny Paulino in town which could turn into more of a platoon situation, so be careful.  And finally, I put Miguel Olivo over here due to his fantastic power season last year.  He hit 23 HR for lowly Kansas City and now ends up in Colorado backing up Iannetta.  I like him here though because the moment Iannetta hits a cold streak, Olivo will get more playing time and could possibly even take the job away.

5th Tier and beyond:  Gerald Laird, Dioner Navarro, Kelly Shoppach, Jason Varitek, J.R. Towels, Gregg Zaun, Jason Kendall, Nick Hundley

     Listed above are the guys who have the starting jobs, although Navarro and Shoppach are a likely platoon fo rthe rays, and should be super cheap, yet somewhat viable options.  Nothing to write home about, but better than a hol ein your lineup.  These are your last ditch efforts.  If all else fails and you want some sort of production, these are your choices.

     On the other hand, there’s still a few names out there that may end up providing some help.  Taylor Teagarden has potential if Texas skips Barajas and Salty stays hurt, Carlos Santana is a highly touted, just not major league ready yet, catcher for the Tribe,  Jason Jaramillo sits behind the oft-injured Doumit, George Kottaras could be a sleeper in Milwaukee, and  Landon Powell could see some DH time as well in Oakland.  None will give you too much up front, but could end up better long term options than some of the other guys in Tier 5.