Fantasy Baseball Preview for Catchers

So here you are, doing your research for your upcoming fantasy baseball draft like a good fantasy team owner. Well, it's either that or you're trying to tell your wife/girlfriend that you're busy researching stuff for "work" so you don't have to do the dishes. Whatever your motivation, after a long, cold winter, baseball season is upon us, and with that comes our fantasy baseball drafts. So, whether you actually enjoy fantasy baseball or you're just trying to shirk your household duties, I will be going over all of the positions to help navigate you through your fantasy draft. So, let's dig right in and start with the catchers (this might take a bit, so maybe tell your wifey that there is an Ace of Cakes marathon on the food network):

1. Joe Mauer - Min - The reigning MVP missed the early part of last season, only to go on an absolute tear for the rest of it. In 138 games last year, Mauer hit .365 with 28 home runs and 96 RBI. After extending his contract in Minnesota, Mauer looks to have another strong season in 2010. Will he repeat last year's performance? Probably not, but he is easily the best catcher in all of baseball.

2. Brian McCann - Atl - McCann is a consistent source of power for the Atlanta Braves, and you can count on him for 20 home runs and 90 RBI on your fantasy team. In 2009, McCann hit .281 with 21 HR and 94 RBI, which are numbers he can easily duplicate this year.

3. Victor Martinez - Bos - Martinez bounced back nicely from a miserable 2008 season which saw him play only 73 games and hit for a .278 average and only 2 home runs. Those numbers were magnified due to his monster 2007 season when he hit .301 with 25 HR and 114 RBI (and because I drafted him that year. But I'm not bitter. I swear!). Fantasy owners were once again rewarded in 2009 when Martinez played in 155 games with the Indians and Red Sox and hit .303 with 23 HR and 108 RBI. Martinez will also help you out with flexibility as he plays first base as well.

4. Jorge Posada - NYY - Posada has spent more time on his knees than (insert girl's name that dumped you in college here). The only reason I am putting Posada this high is because hopefully the Yankees will use him more as a DH to help save his 39 year old knees.... Posada had a nice 2009 season in New York, even though he did miss some time. In 383 at bats, Posada hit .285 with 22 HR and 81 RBI. If he can stay healthy, he is always a power threat.

5. Matt Wieters - Bal - Wieters, the first person since Kim Kardashian to receive that much hype for not actually doing anything, was easily one of the most talked about rookies to get called up in a while (Even I made the drive to the Inner Harbor for this one). Wieters started off slower than expected, but finished with a respectable .288 with 9 HR and 43 RBI in 96 games. Don't let those numbers scare you off, though. Wieters turned it up during the second half of the season, hitting .301 with 6 HR and 33 RBI after the All Star break. Wieters would be a good bet to hit 17 HR with an average around .300.

6. Kurt Suzuki - Oak - Suzuki put together a solid 2009 campaign, hitting .274 with 15 HR and 88 RBI. Not bad numbers from your catcher. Now if only he played in a stadium that was actually conducive to hitting home runs....

7. Geovany Soto - ChC - Soto came back to earth in 2009 after a great 2008 season that saw him hit 23 HR with 86 RBI. After missing some time, Soto finished with 11 HR and 47 RBI in 102 games. Those numbers aren't that bad, but when you take into consideration he hit .218 on the season, one might start to worry. After showing up to training camp a bit more slender, Soto is looking to stay healthy and regain his 2008 form.

8. Miguel Montero - Ari - Montero showed his full potential in 2009, his first full season, hitting .294 with 16 HR and 59 RBI in 128 games. As the days got warmer, so did Montero, hitting .316 after the All Star break. I would expect Montero to stay consistent with those numbers from last year.

9. Mike Napoli - Ana - Napoli will give you the best 100 games of the season. If only they would give him more playing time. In 2009, Napoli hit 20 HR with 56 RBI in 114 games, while hitting .272. He is pretty much a lock for 20 home runs, but if you are in a head to head league, it's tough to tell when he will play. If you are doing rotisserie, then he is a solid pick.

10. Russell Martin - LAD - A bit of a down year for Martin, but he is Canadian.... In 143 games last year, Martin hit only 7 HR with 53 RBI while hitting .250, all of which were drop offs from the previous year. Maybe he can blame the World Baseball Classic for his off year....

Stay tuned...coming next - first basemen.

REFS:

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