Below is a chart of every catcher ranked and covered in MLB.com's 2008 Fantasy Preview, a
rundown that includes established big leaguers and up-and-coming prospects.
The list features dollar values compiled by our MLB.com staff based on standard 23-man,
$260, 5x5 mixed-league play. We included projected stats for the 2008 season as well as a
one-liner prediction that encapsulates every player's value in 10 words or fewer. This page
will be updated throughout the spring to reflect the impact of inevitable transactions,
injuries and changing job situations.
An indispensable part of the draft-day kit, the cheat sheet can make the difference between
winning and losing your fantasy league. With quick-hitting rankings and forecasts, it'll
help you keep the remaining players on the board in order as the draft wears on. The last
thing you want to be doing is flipping through some magazine when it's your turn to pick.
So play fair, but don't forget your cheat sheet when you head to your draft.
| Catchers |
TM |
$$ |
Avg |
R |
HR |
RBI |
SB |
Notes |
| Victor Martinez | CLE | 24 |
.300 | 81 | 28 | 100 |
0 | Durable, consistent All-Star in prime of career. |
| Russell Martin | LAD | 24 |
.295 | 88 | 18 | 87 |
18 | Catching's lone five-category threat. |
| Joe Mauer | MIN | 21 |
.328 | 74 | 15 | 89 |
8 | Has potential to be big difference-maker. |
| Brian McCann | ATL | 18 |
.290 | 70 | 22 | 95 |
1 | Expect rebound from "disappointing" season. |
| Jorge Posada | NYY | 17 |
.280 | 80 | 17 | 80 |
1 | Don't anticipate repeat of '07 |
| Kenji Johjima | SEA | 14 |
.290 | 60 | 15 | 65 |
0 | Likely to continue delivering steady numbers. |
| Jarrod Saltalamacchia | TEX | 12
| .264 | 59 | 18 | 63
| 0 | Talented youngster could top 20 HR. |
| Mike Napoli | LAA | 10 |
.251 | 59 | 22 | 71 |
7 | Could be in for big season. |
| Jason Varitek | BOS | 8 |
.259 | 55 | 13 | 65 |
1 | Still good, but age may catch up to him soon. |
| Ivan Rodriguez | DET | 7 |
.277 | 60 | 8 | 70 |
2 | Diminishing skills offset by RBI opportunities. |
| Geovany Soto | CHC | 7 |
.274 | 53 | 15 | 72 |
0 | Fantasy's top catching prospect. |
| J.R. Towles | HOU | 6 |
.277 | 50 | 11 | 58 |
6 | Should emerge as mid-tier backstop in no time. |
| Bengie Molina | SF | 5 |
.270 | 43 | 15 | 59 |
0 | Gets little help from punchless lineup. |
| A.J. Pierzynski | CWS | 5 |
.273 | 55 | 13 | 59 |
0 | Veteran workhorse provides steady numbers. |
| Ramon Hernandez | BAL | 4 |
.266 | 60 | 15 | 73 |
0 | Should bounce back with return to health. |
| John Buck | KC | 4 |
.257 | 51 | 16 | 64 |
0 | Career likely still on upswing. |
| Mike Piazza* | FA | 3 |
.258 | 34 | 11 | 41 |
0 | Future HOFer still looking for home. |
| Carlos Ruiz | PHI | 2 |
.270 | 50 | 12 | 65 |
3 | Expect improvement in second full season. |
| Chris Iannetta | COL | 2 |
.289 | 45 | 13 | 54 |
0 | Sweet-swinging youngster to prove he belongs. |
| Ronny Paulino | PIT | 2 |
.281 | 60 | 14 | 60 |
1 | Last year's power jump was no fluke. |
| Dioner Navarro | TB | 2 |
.258 | 51 | 13 | 60 |
2 | Intriguing option following strong finish to '07. |
| Josh Bard | SD | 2 |
.297 | 59 | 8 | 65 |
0 | Plate skills could lead to .300 AVG. |
| Ryan Doumit | PIT | 2 |
.280 | 34 | 10 | 38 |
1 | Has skills to make an impact. |
| Kurt Suzuki | OAK | 1 |
.268 | 55 | 12 | 61 |
0 | Chance to realize potential on rebuilding squad. |
| Gregg Zaun | TOR | 1 |
.259 | 47 | 11 | 55 |
0 | Still productive, though age is a concern. |
| David Ross | CIN | 1 |
.226 | 33 | 18 | 46 |
0 | Low AVG could lead to more bench time. |
| Chris Snyder | ARI | 1 |
.264 | 40 | 14 | 52 |
0 | Shares too much PT with backup Miguel Montero. |
| Miguel Montero | ARI | 1 |
.257 | 25 | 12 | 37 |
0 | Potential to claim regular AB. |
| Paul Lo Duca | WAS | 1 |
.270 | 36 | 7 | 42 |
1 | Aging vet's value drops in weaker lineup. |
| Brian Schneider | NYM | 1 |
.254 | 37 | 7 | 60 |
0 | Could pad RBI output in potent lineup. |
| Michael Barrett | SD | 1 |
.252 | 19 | 5 | 22 |
0 | Will have tough time bouncing back at PETCO. |
| Johnny Estrada | WAS | 1 |
.278 | 16 | 5 | 34 |
0 | Can hit but may not earn starting job. |
| Yadier Molina | STL | 1 |
.270 | 33 | 7 | 50 |
1 | Should maintain AVG given contact skills. |
| Jason Kendall | MIL | 1 |
.270 | 42 | 2 | 45 |
2 | Durable vet could maintain solid AVG. |
| Miguel Olivo | KC | 1 |
.255 | 23 | 8 | 24 |
2 | Former starter headed for backup duty. |
| Kelly Shoppach | CLE | 1 |
.260 | 25 | 6 | 30 |
0 | Will need trade to fulfill offensive potential. |
| Yorvit Torrealba | COL | 1
| .240 | 16 | 4 | 19
| 1 | Will cede starting job to Iannetta before long.
|
| Gerald Laird | TEX | 1 |
.250 | 38 | 8 | 42 |
4 | Defense ensures decent PT. |
| Ramon Castro | NYM | 1 |
.245 | 28 | 12 | 34 |
0 | Has plenty of thump for a backup. |
| Jeff Mathis | LAA | 1 |
.250 | 25 | 5 | 25 |
0 | Offense has yet to catch up to defense. |
| Mike Rabelo | FLA | 1 |
.260 | 22 | 4 | 28 |
0 | Major League resume warrants little attention. |
| Jeff Clement | SEA | 1 |
.250 | 23 | 6 | 25 |
0 | Backstop with pop doesn't have place to play. |
| Jason LaRue | STL | 1 |
.200 | 15 | 2 | 15 |
0 | Coming off historically bad season. |
| Chris Coste | PHI | 1 |
.270 | 15 | 6 | 15 |
0 | Overlooked backstop will hit in backup role. |
| Rod Barajas | TOR | 1 |
.243 | 12 | 2 | 10 |
0 | Won't provide much value as backup. |
| Javier Valentin | CIN | 1 |
.275 | 20 | 3 | 30 |
0 | Could cut into David Ross' AB. |
| Jesus Flores | WAS | 1 |
.250 | 24 | 5 | 30 |
0 | Backup could use more Triple-A seasoning. |
| Mike Redmond | MIN | 1 |
.283 | 20 | 0 | 24 |
0 | Mauer insurance. |
| Bryan Anderson | STL | 1 |
.253 | 13 | 2 | 12 |
0 | Should challenge Yadier Molina soon. |
| Matt Treanor | FLA | 1 |
.260 | 20 | 2 | 26 |
0 | Will share starting job but offers little upside. |
| Taylor Teagarden | TEX | 1
| .244 | 5 | 1 | 5
| 0 | Coming off huge year, needs to stay healthy
|
| Brad Ausmus | HOU | 1 |
.200 | 10 | 2 | 12 |
2 | Keeping catching spot warm for J.R. Towles. |
| Doug Mirabelli | BOS | 1 |
.195 | 5 | 2 | 9 |
0 | Specialty catcher has no value. |
| Toby Hall | CWS | 1 |
.264 | 10 | 3 | 12 |
0 | Could bounce back with respectable AVG. |
| Rob Bowen | OAK | 1 |
.248 | 17 | 3 | 12 |
0 | Will see AB if Kurt Suzuki struggles. |
| Curtis Thigpen | TOR | 1 |
.260 | 10 | 2 | 12 |
2 | Could begin '08 at Triple-A. |
| Jose Molina | NYY | 1 |
.260 | 8 | 1 | 6 |
0 | Won't duplicate surprising '07 numbers. |
| Humberto Quintero | HOU | 1
| .230 | 4 | 1 | 5
| 0 | Third-stringer to see sporadic PT. |
| Eric Munson | MIL | 1 |
.235 | 10 | 5 | 17 |
0 | Cause helped by ability to hit RHPs. |
| Gary Bennett | LAD | 1 |
.235 | 10 | 2 | 15 |
0 | Won't see much PT behind durable Russell Martin. |
| Matt Wieters | BAL | 1 |
-- | -- | -- | -- |
-- | 07 first-rounder will move up quickly. |
| Raul Casanova | NYM | 1 |
.240 | 4 | 2 | 8 |
0 | Will land third-string job at best. |
| Mike Lieberthal | FA | 1 |
.210 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
0 | Vet nearing end of career. |
| Sal Fasano | TOR | 1 |
.199 | 8 | 1 | 6 |
0 | Veteran influence provides little fantasy help. |
| Damian Miller | FA | 1 |
.150 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
0 | In twilight of career. |
This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
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