Hyatt's Fantasy Baseball Guide: Catchers

Because I'm bored as hell and want to do something baseball related, I'm going to put together a Fantasy Baseball guide for you all.  My qualifications are minimal.  I play at least 6 leagues every year, and win about half of them.  So enjoy, and remember that Fantasy Baseball is an obsession not for the weak.  It takes discipline, and alcohol.  Lots of alcohol.  Here are my catcher rankings based on the categories of R, HR, RBI, SB and Ave:

First Tier (guys worth drafting in the first 6 rounds):

1. Brian McCann- 4 category catcher, and put up solid numbers for 3 straight years.  Plus he's only 25, which bodes well for holding up over the course of the season.

2. Joe Mauer- Will score more runs than McCann, but won't put up the power to be #1.  Will be one of those that keeps your average up all year long.

3. Russ Martin- A catcher that could be 20-20.  A stolen base every other week is a nice change from the position

4. Geovany Soto- Nice season kid, now do it again, and then I'll consider top placement

2nd Tier (guys drafted rounds 7-12)

5. Victor Martinez- He had a rough year last year, but that was mostly due to bone chips in the elbow.  He'll throw up numbers, but will have to split time with Kelly Shoppach.  He is the last of the top catchers, and there is a huge drop off after him, so if you miss out on the top 4, make it a priority to have V-mart.

3rd Tier (guys drafted rounds 12-18)

6. Jorge Posada- May be his last as a contributor to a solid Yankee lineup.  Is supposed to be fully recovered by spring training, but make sure you have another 3rd tier guy to back him up.

7. Bengie Molina- He led the Giants in HR last year.  That's more of an indictment of the Giants than it is molina.  But he's in a weak lineup and is in position to drive in some runs.

8. Ryan Doumit- Looks like we have a winner in the Doumit/Paulino debate of Pirate catchers.  With Paulino shipped off, Doumit takes the job.  I wouldn't feel too bad with Doumit as my catcher.

9. AJ Pierzynski- This asshole will be pretty much average for catchers.  He's the dividing line to whether you have a contending team or not (HINT: If you have AJ, it's usually not).

10.Chris Iannetta- He had a "break through" last year, and I expect an improvement this year, but I remember drafting him 2 years ago and him shitting the bed.  Similar to Soto, in the do it again kid way.

4th Tier (if you are getting yoru starter now, you are going to change catchers 4-6 times this season)

11. Pedro Sandoval- The giants like this guy and want to get him a lot of ABs after a hot cup of coffee last year.  He'll have C eligibility, so he's worth keeping an eye on.

12. Taylor Teagarden- The Rangers C situation is still crowded with Max Ramirez and Saltalamacchia there.  Who ever wins in spring gets the 12th overall position in the C rankings.

13. Ivan Rodriguez- if he doesn't retire, he may have one last hurrah in him.  I doubt it, but hey, it's your team.

14. Yadier Molina and Kurt Suzuki- These guys are the same offensively.  They won't kill you with about a .280 average, but they won't be much of a contributor to your championship team.

16. Mike Napoli- Yes, i know, I have him low, but I hate category killers, and a catcher hitting less than .250 will kill you.  20 homers or not, I wouldn't touch him.

The rest, such as Ramon Hernandez, Paul Lo Duca, Brian Schneider, Jason Kendall, aren't worth a roster spot, but if you need a top 10 AL and NL, fine, here you are:

AL Top 10

1, Joe Mauer

2. Victor Martinez

3. Jorge Posada

4. Rangers C

5. Mike Napoli

6. Kurt Suzuki

7. Kelly Shoppach

8. Jeff Clement

9. Gerald Laird

10. Miguel Olivo

NL Top 10

1. McCann

2. Martin

3. Soto

4. Doumit

5. B Molina

6.. Iannetta

7. Pudge (assuming he lands in Florida as is rumored)

8. Sandoval

9. Y. Molina

10. Chris Snyder

Here are some guys who may be worth a late round flier if you need a 2nd C:

Jared Saltalamaccia, Max Ramirez, JR Towles, Kenji Jojhima

I make it a point to draft one of the top C's, because it is not a high contribution position, and it is very shallow in fantasy talent.  I appreciate your comments, but if it's ticky tack stuff like spelling corrections, I recommend going to have sex with yourself instead.