Fantasy Baseball: Top Ten Catcher Rankings

Is a catcher vital in your path to winning your fantasy baseball championship? The answer may not be yes, but one thing is for sure when it comes to catchers . . . if you wait too long to draft one, you'll be stuck with a "wasted" roster spot for the entire season. Avoid this wasted roster spot by drafting one of these 10 catchers before they're all gone. Here are your catchers rankings for the 2009 season.

1 - Geovany Soto (Chicago Cubs)

Soto will most likely lead all catchers in homeruns this season. He had 23 homers last season, along with 86 RBIs. Oh, and he plays at Wrigley Field, which can be a friendly place to play for hitters sometimes. If power is your main concern for your catcher, put him at #1.

2 - Brian McCann (Atlanta Braves)

If not for Soto, McCann would be the best homerun hitting catcher in baseball today. He also has a great ability to drive in runs. He has accumulated over 270 RBIs during his past three seasons and shows no signs of slowing down.

3 - Russell Martin (Los Angeles Dodgers)

Martin won't give you much pop, but he can score a lot of runs, drive in a respectable amount of runs, and he can do what no other catcher can do . . . he can steal 20 bases in one season! With Manny Ramirez now officially a full-time member of the Dodgers, this can only help improve Martin's numbers.

4 - Joe Mauer (Minnesota Twins)

Mauer is one of the most reliable offensive catchers today. Of all catchers last season, he came the closest to reaching the 100-100 mark, as he recorded 98 runs and 85 RBIs. He doesn't have as much as homerun power as some of the other catchers, but his other numbers, including his outstanding on base percentage of over 0.400, more than make up for that. Mauer is normally a solid top 3 catcher, but he moved down slightly due to his questionable back. He has had an "ailing back" and has not participated in spring training, so keep an eye on his health status.

5 - Chris Iannetta (Colorado Rockies)

Coors Field isn't as friendly as it was during the torrid days of Andres Galarraga, Larry Walker, and Dante Bichette, but nevertheless, it still favors hitters and it won't stop Iannetta from increasing his impressive numbers from last season. In the '08 season, he scored 50 runs, smacked 15 homers, and drove in 65 runs, and had an OBP of 0.390. This was all done in only 333 at bats. Go ahead and add another 100 to 150 at bats this season and watch his stock rise significantly.

6 - Victor Martinez (Cleveland Indians)

Victor had a VERY disappointing season last year. He was hurt for much of the season, and even when he was playing, he wasn't nearly the same person we all knew. In the 2007 season, Victor belted 25 homeruns. In the 2008 season, he hit only 2 homeruns in over 265 at bats. He definitely took a nose dive, but if he is healthy this season, then you can expect him to get back near the 20-homer mark. In addition, Martinez plays DH and 1^st base when not catching, so he assures you that he can provide stats for you in every single game.

7 - Jorge Posada (New York Yankees)

Posada missed a huge portion of last season due to injury, but he still swings a good bat and he still bats around a lethal lineup. In addition, he may get more opportunities to play designated hitter when he is not catching, as Jason Giambi is no longer with the club. Hideki Matsui is currently slated to be their DH, but one would have to assume that Matsui would have to play some outfield at some point in the season.

8 - Ryan Doumit (Pittsburgh Pirates)

Last season, he had a respectable 15 homeruns and 69 RBIs despite having about 100 less at bats than some of the other catchers on this list. If he can get more at bats, then Doumit could rapidly move up in these rankings. Rapidly!

9 - Pablo Sandoval (San Francisco Giants)

True, this guy is barely proven . . . and true, this guy is not even the team's starting catcher, but he is still worth a top ten pick among CATCHER-ELIGIBLE players. He is the first baseman for the Giants, but many leagues have him listed as "1B/C." Any time you can find an everyday catcher-eligible person, GET HIM ON YOUR TEAM!

10 - Matt Wieters (Baltimore Orioles)

Normally, your top 10 should NEVER include a guy that has yet to play in a regular season game, but Wieters will be the one exception. He has received praise from everybody that has seen him perform. If you're going to gamble on an unproven player, then catcher is the perfect position for this gamble! Go for it!