Fantasy Baseball 2010 - Catchers (Arizona - Chicago Cubs)

Catcher has been a historically weak fantasy position, and that won't change in 2010. You'll be lucky to find more than 3 or 4 impact catchers, and most people just want a catcher that won't kill them stats-wise. In this article I'll go through Arizona - Chicago Cubs' starting catchers as well as any key-backup or prospect that might emerge as a valuabe (or simply viable) player. The bottom line is when they should be drafted in your league in their position.

Arizona Diamondbacks
Miguel Montero - Montero had a break-out season last year when Chris Snyder got injured, hitting .294 with 16 HR and 59 RBI in 425 AB. He's somewhat of a defensive liability, which probably means he won't be getting any more AB, but thats ok. He's still a top 10, and possibly top 5 catcher who can hit for a good average as well as bring you some HR and RBI. Don't pick him too early, but don't be depressed if he falls to you either.
Bottome Line - Top 10

Chris Snyder - Snyder spent major time on the DL last season, ultimately losing his starting gig to Montero. Although he has shown some power (16 HR in '08), his average is too low (.233 career) and he's too injury prone (never played in more than 115 games in a season) to justify him as a starter. That said, he'll still wind up with around 200 AB, more if Montero gets injured, and could be a decent waiver acquisition if that happens.
Bottom Line - Waiver wire

Atlanta Braves
Brain McCann - McCann has been one of the few bright stars at the catcher position in recent memory, hitting over 20 homes three time and making the last four all-star teams. His average will consistenly be within 20 points of .300, so he's the rare combination of power and average that make him a top 3 pick at catcher. He's also a good source of RBI, being one of the rare catchers who gets close to 100 RBI almost every season. Expect another season of .300 avg./ 25 HR/ 90 RBI.
Bottome Line - Top 3

David Ross - Ross has bounced around the league, but apparently still has some pop left in his bat. He was a valuable back-up last season, hitting .273 with 7 HR in 128 AB for the Braves. If McCann gets injured, he wouldn't be a terrible bench catcher to have on your team, but the fact that he is a .228 career hitter through 9 big league seasons makes '09 seem more of an aberration than a sign of more to come.
Bottom Line - Waiver wire

Baltimore Orioles
Matt Wieters - Wieters is the next big thing when it comes to catchers, and he showed his potential last season, hitting .288 with 9 HR in 354 AB. As he matures you can expect a comparable average with more HR and lots of RBI. Although it might take another season before he really explodes, he's still a valuable young catcher who will get the majority of the Orioles' catcher AB.
Bottom Line - Top 5

Boston Red Sox
Victor Martinez - Martinez bounced back in a big way in '09 hitting .303 with 23 HR and 108 RBI. Don't expect those numbers to drop very far in '10 as he's historically a stud offensive catcher. He'll also split time at C and DH, which will keep his AB at 550+, and he's eligible at 1B, putting him just a little below Mauer when it comes to valuable catchers.
Bottom Line - Top 3

Jason Varitek - At this point in his career Varitek is nothing more than a serviceable back-up. Some out-of-date owner might draft him, but that better not be you. Unless Martinez gets injured he's essentially worthless, and even if that happened you can't expect anything out of him but a few HR.
Bottom Line - Waiver Wire

Chicago Cubs
Geovany Soto - The 2008 NL rookie of the year had a major sophmore slump in '09, in which he was hampered by injuries and hit just .218. Now that he is healthy, most experts see him returning somewhat to his '08 numbers (..285/23/86). Although he is young (27) and has the potential for big numbers, he's still somewhat of a risk at C, and as a result might be drafted lower than he should be. On the other hand, an owner might just assume that he'll reach his '08 numbers, and draft him top 5. Both of those extremes should be avoided, and although i'll sound cliche (or simply not helpful), don't draft him too early, and don't let him fall too far.
Bottom Line - Top 10