Fantasy Baseball 8.0: Catcher Rankings

1. Joe Mauer, Minnesota Twins, Draft Projection: 1^st Round

-Do you really need an explanation here? The only dominate offensive catcher from a fantasy perspective in Major League Baseball. He’ll be flying off the board early and should be the only catcher drafted in the first round.

2. Buster Posey, San Francisco Giants, Draft Projection: 2^nd Round

-The baby-faced 24-year-old was huge for the world champion Giants hitting .305 with 18 homers and driving in 67. He has all the tools to become the Joe Mauer of the NL and should continue to improve to one of the best in 2011.

3. Brian McCann, Atlanta Braves, Draft Projection: 3^rd Round

-McCann is a rare breed of catcher that seems to play every single day. He manages this and still puts up more than solid numbers, making him the easy choice for the 3^rd best catcher by fantasy baseball standards.

4. Carlos Santana, Cleveland Indians, Draft Projection: 4^th Round

-Was having a nice rookie season before a collision at home plate prematurely ended it. He has as much potential as Posey and there are no other catchers available at this point that have a higher ceiling. If the top three are gone, Santana is your best bet.

5. Victor Martinez, Detroit Tigers, Draft Projection: 5^th Round

-The Tigers made Martinez a rich man in the off -season and he should have a nice year playing for Jim Leyland. In 2010 he hit .302 and belted out 20 homers, look for similar results but don’t expect more.

6. Matt Wieters, Baltimore Orioles, Draft Projection: 6^th Round

-Had a very disappointing 2010 campaign but there is a lot of optimism about the boys playing in Camden Yards this year and that includes the young Wieters. They invested a lot in this kid and there’s still a lot of hope, I’m on the bandwagon and you should be to.

7. Mike Napoli, Texas Rangers, Draft Projection: 6^th Round

-Was traded twice in two days during the off season but I think Napoli finally found a great fit with a Texas team that will look to defend it’s AL title this year. Napoli hits for power and little else, 26 homers to go with an average of .238, but at this point he’ll be the most productive catcher available.

8. Geovany Soto, Chicago Cubs, Draft Projection: 7^th Round

-A bright spot for the Cubs that put up solid numbers across the board last season. He had shoulder surgery in the off-season but the lack of talent at catcher put him in the top ten for his position.

9. Miguel Montero, Arizona Diamond Backs, Draft Projection: 10^th Round

-Had a great 2009 and started very well in 2010 until injuries slowed him down and put a damper on his fantasy value. Has .300 batting average and 20 homer potential but use caution. Well, not too much caution because there’s no other catchers but you know what I mean.

10. Jorge Posada, New York Yankees, Draft Projection: 11^th Round

– HIP HIP JORGE! Posada managed to crack the top ten, which is no longer a big accomplishment but hey it’s better than nothing. Jorge should have a decent year this season so draft him if no one else does and enjoy the good fantasy karma he provides.

The Rest Of The Pack

11. Kurt Suzuki, Oakland A’s, Draft Projection: 12^th Round

12. Chris Ianetta, Colorado Rockies, Draft Projection: 13^th Round

13. Ryan Doumit, Pittsburgh Pirates, Draft Projection: 15^th Round

14. Russell Martin, New York Yankees, Draft Projection: 16^th Round

15. Carlos Ruiz, Philadelphia Phillies, Draft Projection: 16^th Round

16. John Jaso, Tampa Bay Rays, Draft Projection: 17^th Round

17. John Buck, Florida Marlins, Draft Projection: 18^th Round

18. Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Boston Red Sox, Draft Projection: 19^th Round

19. Yadier Molina, St. Louis Cardinals, Draft Projection: 20^th Round

20. Josh Thole, New York Mets, Draft Projection: 21^st Round

21. Alex Avila, Detroit Tigers, Draft Projection: 22^nd Round

22. JP Arencibia, Toronto Blue Jays, Draft Projection: 22^nd Round

23. AJ Pierzynski, Chicago White Sox, Draft Projection: 22^nd Round

24. Jesus Montero, New York Yankees, Draft Projection: Not-Drafted

25. George Kottaras, Milwaukee Brewers, Draft Projection: Not-Drafted

26. Yorvit Torrealba, Texas Rangers, Draft Projection: Not-Drafted

27. Ramon Hernandez, Cincinnati Reds, Draft Projection: Not-Drafted

28. Ivan Rodriguez, Washington Nationals, Draft Projection: Not-Drafted

29. Nick Hundley, San Diego Padres, Draft Projection: Not-Drafted

30. Jason Castro, Houston Astros, Draft Projection: Not-Drafted