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Arizona Diamondbacks Miguel Montero (Projected Value: $9) Montero took over the everyday catching duties in Arizona when Chris Snyder went down with a back injury; Montero responded by batting .294 with 16 home runs and 59 RBI. He enters the 2010 season as the Diamondbacks’ starting backstop, while Snyder is looking to get traded. Chris Snyder (Projected Value: $2) Snyder (29) spent most of the 2009 season with back problems that eventually required surgery, and limited him to just 61 games. He had shown power potential, but Miguel Montero now owns the catcher's job in Arizona. He needs good health and a new gig. Atlanta Braves Brian McCann (Projected Value: $23) McCann (25) batted .281 with 21 home runs and 94 RBI in 138 games for the Braves in 2009. He has hit at least 18 HR and driven in 87 runs for four years in a row. Expect him to improve on last year’s numbers because he played with a vision issue that was corrected in the Off Season. Baltimore Orioles Matt Wieters (Projected Value: $13) Wieters (23) became a top-ten catcher in his rookie year, and hit for a decent average (.288). The power seems to be a work-in-progress (9 HR). Expect him to bat around .290 and to hit a few more home runs than he did last year (10-15). Boston Red Sox Victor Martinez (Projected Value: $19) Martinez (30) batted .303 with 23 home runs, 108 RBI, 88 runs, and a .381 on-base percentage during his season with both Cleveland and Boston. He moved into the middle of an already potent Red Sox lineup to hit .336 with 20 extra-base hits, 41 RBI, and 32 runs in 56 games. He qualifies as both a catcher and first basemen in many leagues. Who wouldn’t want him for either spot? Jason Varitek (Projected Value: $3) Varitek (37) finished 2009 with a .209 average, 14 home runs, 51 RBI, and 41 runs in 109 games. He started strong, hitting 10 of his homers in the first two months, but hit only .190 with four home runs and 29 RBI the rest of the way. He will not catch often at Fenway – especially with Victor Martinez there. Chicago Cubs Geovany Soto (Projected Value: $8) Soto fought off injuries all during his sophomore slump year when he batted .218 with 11 homers, 47 RBI and 27 runs in 331 at-bats. Expect the 26-year-old catcher to have a bounce-back year with close to 20 HR, 80 RBI, and a .270 AVG. Koyie Hill (Projected Value: $0) Hill (31) got 253 at-bats and batted .237 last year because Geovany Soto could not get out of his own way. Expect fewer chances for Hill this year as Soto will probably rebound. Chicago White Sox A.J. Pierzynski (Projected Value: $14) Pierzynski (33) batted .300 with 13 home runs and 49 RBI in 504 at-bats last year. He enters the final year of his contract in Chicago, with hot prospect Tyler Flowers looking for playing time behind the plate. Nevertheless, he should put up similar worthwhile numbers again. Tyler Flowers (Projected Value: $0) Flowers (24) has the potential to be an offensive force, but the ChiSox are concerned about his defensive ability. He might have to wait one more year at which time A.J. Pierzynski’s contract expires. Cincinnati Reds Ramon Hernandez (Projected Value: $5) Hernandez (34) batted .258 with five homers and 37 RBI in 2009 when he missed significant time because he had knee surgery. If healthy, he can rebound to hit 10-Plus home runs and bat near .260 for his fantasy owners. Ryan Hanigan (Projected Value: $0) Hanigan (29) got a chance to play in 2009 because Ramon Hernandez had knee surgery. Hanigan batted .263 with three home runs in 251 at-bats, so you can draft him as your second catcher and not do yourself a disservice. Cleveland Indians Lou Marson (Projected Value: $1) With both Kelly Shoppach and Victor Martinez gone from Cleveland, Marson will likely get the first shot at the Tribe's starting catching job in '10. He hits more for average, and less for power. Colorado Rockies Miguel Olivo (Projected Value: $10) Olivo smacked 23 homers and drove in 65 RBI with a .249 AVG for Kansas City in 2009. He will catch for Colorado in 2010. Expect him to benefit from playing at home-run happy Coors Field. He will compete with Chris Iannetta for the starting job behind the plate. Chris Iannetta (Projected Value: $7) Iannetta (26) hit .228 with 16 home runs and 52 RBI for the Rockies last year when all his stats dropped from their highs in 2008. He does have the ability to wield a solid bat and might exceed his career batting numbers this season. Detroit Tigers Gerald Laird (Projected Value: $4) Laird (30) had back problems last year and his batting average suffered (.225). If healthy, and if he can bat .250, you might take him as your Number 2 catcher. Alex Avila (Projected Value: $1) Avila (23) had a solid year at Double-A, but the MLB pitchers found a weakness in his batting stroke. He probably needs more seasoning in the minors. He has good power, which makes him someone to bear watching. Robinson Diaz (Projected Value: $0) Diaz will compete with Dusty Ryan and Alex Avila for backup duties in Detroit after he hit .279 with one home run and 19 RBI over 129 at-bats with the Pirates last season. Draft him as your Number 2 catcher. Florida Marlins John Baker (Projected Value: $7) Baker (29) improved on his 2008 stats to hit 9 HR with 50 RBI and a .271 average in 2009. He makes a decent second catcher in mixed league play. Ronny Paulino (Projected Value: $2) Paulino (28) moved behind home plate with the Marlins and shares the catching role with John Baker. He proved that he can hit left-handed pitchers well, so he will at least get a platoon role. Houston Astros J.R. Towles (Projected Value: $0) Towles (26) batted .188 in only 48 at-bats last year for the Astros - and that matches his career averge in 234 at-bats. Wait for him to show Major League ability before drafting him. Kansas City Royals Jason Kendall (Projected Value: $3) Kendall (35) has hit below .250 for three straight years, and never hit for power in the first place. He will get most of the starts in KC and probably steal a handful of bases. Brayan Pena (Projected Value: $0) Pena (28) hit for average in the minor leagues and had six home runs in 165 at-bats for the Royals last year. He has potential as a second catcher in AL-only leagues. Los Angeles Angels Mike Napoli (Projected Value: $13) Napoli hit .272 with 20 home runs and 56 RBI over 382 at-bats. He has incredible light-tower power, and if he gets more time as DH and less at catcher, his offensive numbers will get another boost up. Jeff Mathis (Projected Value: $0) Mathis (27) can catch. He has not shown that he can hit. The one-time elite prospect hit well in the 2009 playoffs, but he has not hit well over longer periods of time. Los Angeles Dodgers Russell Martin (Projected Value: $15) Martin (27) finished 2009 with a .250 batting average, seven homers, 53 RBI, and 11 steals. Watch for continued power outage. He had hit 13 HR in 2008 and 19 in 2007. He SHOULD hit for a better average this year. Milwaukee Brewers Gregg Zaun (Projected Value: $3) Zaun (38) split last season in the American League with Baltimore and Tampa Bay, where he hit a combined .260 with eight homers and 27 RBI in 90 games. He can still qualify as a second catcher in mixed leagues if he gets enough at-bats. George Kottaras (Projected Value: $0) Kottaras appeared in 45 games with the Red Sox last season and batted .237 with one home run and 10 RBI. He joins a troop of catchers in Milwaukee where he gets a chance to show what he can do. He never quite got going during his brief time with Boston, batting .235 with a .696 OPS over parts of two seasons. Minnesota Twins Joe Mauer (Projected Value: $30) Mauer (26) won the AL MVP. He led the Majors with a .365 average and a .444 on-base percentage. He also displayed power by hitting 28 homers, and by driving in 96 runs. Consider him the elite player. Watch for injuries - he did not play at all in April last year. New York Mets Rod Barajas (Projected Value: $5) Barajas can hit for power – 19 home runs last year – but if he gets regular at-bats, he has to get his average closer to .250 or your team’s overall batting average will fall. Omir Santos (Projected Value: $0) Santos batted .260 with seven home runs and 40 RBI in 281 at-bats for the Mets last year. The Mets probably want somebody else to handle most of the catching duties, so Santos will have to take a back seat most of the time. New York Yankees Jorge Posada (Projected Value: $14) Posada (38) returned to prominence in 2009 after an injury-riddled 2008. He hit .285 with 22 HR and 81 RBI. He will DH more and catch fewer games in 2010, so he should experience less wear and team. Expect similar offensive numbers from him in 2010. Francisco Cervelli (Projected Value: $0) Cervelli batted .298 with one home run and 11 RBI over 94 at-bats in 2009. If Jorge Posada goes down for a prolonged period, Cervelli might get the first shot at managing the Yankees' rotation. Oakland Athletics Kurt Suzuki (Projected Value: $13) Suzuki (26) turned into pleasant surprise and a legitimate top-five performer at the catcher position with his 15 home runs, 88 RBI, and .274 batting average. Since no one saw it coming at the beginning of the year, his performance begs the question: can he do it again? Landon Powell (Projected Value: $2) Powell (28) backed up Kurt Suzuki at the catcher's position in Oakland and showed solid power by swatting seven home runs in 140 at-bats. Why not draft him as your number two catcher in an AL-only league? Philadelphia Phillies Carlos Ruiz (Projected Value: $3) Ruiz (31) batted .255 with nine home runs and 43 RBI over 322 at-bats for the Phillies in 2009. Consider him a solid mixed-league backstop in 2010. He could hit 20 HR and bat .280. Brian Schneider (Projected Value: $0) Schneider (33) hit .218 with three home runs and 18 RBI in 59 games last season for the Mets. He joins the Phillies to back up Carlos Ruiz behind the plate. Pittsburgh Pirates Ryan Doumit (Projected Value: $11) Doumit had a breakthrough season in 2008 (.318 average, 15 home runs, and 69 RBI in 116 games), but wrist, back and knee injuries limited him to 75 games in 2008. He finished the 2009 season with a .250 average, 10 home runs, and 31 RBI over 280 at-bats. Expect him to enter 2010 as the starting backstop and to put forth a season similar to 2008. Jason Jaramillo (Projected Value: $0) Jaramillo (28) enters the 2010 season as Ryan Doumit's backup. Unless Doumit gets caught in a funk again, Jaramillo will not get a chance to play often. San Diego Padres Yorvit Torrealba (Projected Value: $2) Torrealba (31) batted .324/.373/.394 with two home runs and 31 RBI in 213 at-bats last season for the Rockies. He could not have hoped for much better, and neither can you for 2010. Nick Hundley (Projected Value: $0) Hundley (26) missed two months with a wrist injury last year. He still hit eight home runs for the Padres, which makes you want him to catch in a more hitter-friendly stadium. San Francisco Giants Bengie Molina (Projected Value: $17) Molina (35) had excellent batting stats – especially for a catcher - in 2009 and he can probably hit close to 20 HRs and drive in 80 runs again. You should note that his batting average has been declining over the past few years. Buster Posey (Projected Value: $0) Posey (23) has great Minor League numbers and the Giants want him to take over the catcher’s job in San Francisco. He has plenty of upside – and will have big value if he wins the starting job. Seattle Mariners Rob Johnson (Projected Value: $0) Johnson (27) backed up Kenji Johjima at catcher in Seattle and batted .213 with two home runs in 2009. He will likely back up prospect Adam Moore in 2010. Adam Moore (Projected Value: $0) The Mariners project prospect Moore (25) to be catching at Safeco sometime in 2010. He has a career Minor League batting average over .300 and has hit double-digit home runs in each of his last three seasons. Consider drafting him if he wins the starting job. St. Louis Cardinals Yadier Molina (Projected Value: $12) Molina (27) batted .293 with six homers, 54 RBI, and nine steals in 2009. As he enters his peak performing years, his stats place him among the top 10 fantasy catchers. Tampa Bay Rays Kelly Shoppach (Projected Value: $7) Shoppach (29) batted .214/.335/.399 in 2009, but hit 21 home runs with an .865 OPS in 2008. He will get a good amount of time behind the plate for Tampa Bay next season and makes for a fine pick in AL-only leagues. Dioner Navarro (Projected Value: $5) Incumbent starting catcher Navarro turned (26) in a disappointing '09, batting .218 AVG with 8 HR, and 32 RBI. He will be competing with Kelly Shoppach for at-bats. Texas Rangers Jarrod Saltalamacchia (Projected Value: $3) Saltalamacchia has the skills to excel, but has not shown that he can excel. He has struggled for two seasons in Texas, a hitter's haven. He has upside, but ... Taylor Teagarden (Projected Value: $1) Teagarden (26) has not yet lived up to his potential. He had 198 at-bats and hit .217 with six home runs in 2009. He hit six home runs in 47 at-bats in 2008. Consider him a risky draft pick. Toronto Blue Jays John Buck (Projected Value: $4) Buck (29) batted .247 with eight home runs and 36 RBI over 59 games with the Royals last season. Over six years with Kansas City, the catcher hit .235 with 70 home runs and 259 RBI. He had a back injury last year, which probably affected his HR total. He qualifies as a Number 2 catcher, at best. Washington Nationals Ivan Rodriguez (Projected Value: $8) Rodriguez (38) had a brief offensive spurt when he rejoined the Rangers last year, but overall, his numbers are declining. Jesus Flores (Projected Value: $1) The Nationals expect Flores (25) to be ready for Spring Training after having surgery on his right shoulder and right elbow. Consider him a sleeper IF he enters the season healthy. |