Sleeper Catchers - 2010 Fantasy Baseball

Miguel Olivo - Colorado Rockies
After a fantastic season with the Royals where he split time with Joe Buck and managed to put up .249 AVG, 23 HRs, 51 Runs and 65 RBIs, Miguel Olivo begins his tenure as a Colorado Rockie in 2010. As everybody in the baseball world knows, the thin air and high altitude of Colorado makes Coors Field the best hitters park in Major League Baseball today. He will most likely split some time with Chris Iannetta during Spring Training but I believe Miguel will come out on top as the starter on Opening Day. After putting up career best numbers in 2009 I can only foresee an even better 2010 where Olivo flirts with 30 HRs and boosts his other offensive numbers quite a bit. The only downside to Olivo's game will be that it's a lot tougher to call a game in a hitters park but that will not affect his fantasy numbers so why do we even care? Grab Olivo late in drafts if the rest of the catchers crop is depleted. You won't be sorry.

Matt Wieters -BaltimoreOrioles
The hot prospect everyone had on their radar finished off strong after a very slow start. At the end of the 2009 MLB season Wieters showed the critics why he was so highly touted when he hit .362 AVG in the month of September with 3 HRs and 14 RBIs. Although he is a switch hitter Wieters prefers facing the right handed pitchers so expect him to get a few days off next season when the birds face lefties. With a final line in 2009 of .288 AVG, 9 HR, 43 RBI, 35 Runs and a .340 OBP, I expect bigger things from Matt in 2010. My predicted line for the 2^nd year slugger looks like this: .302 AVG, 19 HRs, 67 RBI, 54 Runs and a .358 OBP. Be sure to target Wieters as your starting catcher this season, but don't overpay for his services as he is still learning the game at the big league level.

Miquel Montero -ArizonaDiamondbacks
The 26 year old Catcher from Caracas was a pleasant surprise in 2009 for the Arizona Diamondbacks as he hit for .294 AVG, 16 HRs, 59 RBIs, 61 Runs and .355 OBP. Although it took Montero a while to heat up he stayed consistent and hit over .310 in each of the last three months of his first full season in the big leagues. Although he is eligible for arbitration I expect Montero to return to the Diamondbacks in 2010 and put up stronger numbers than he did in 2009. I had Montero on a few of my teams last season and followed him pretty closely. On first glance one would think he is a better player after the All-Star break by nature. While that's a fair assumption it goes a lot deeper than that. Manager A.J. Hinch really gave Montero a boost when he replaced Doug Melvin during the month of May and had his coaching staff, primarily Jack Howell the team's hitting coach spend quality time with Miguel in order to fine tune his swing in the cages. This all in turn helped Montero adjust his game at the big league level and since then he hasn't looked back. With Hinch and Howell on his side, Montero should put up consistent numbers like he did from July to September of last season. While like every player, Montero is bound to slump at times I project a 2010 line of .306 AVG, 23 HRs, 71 RBIs, 75 Runs and .363 OBP. Montero will give you plenty of value in fantasy drafts so be sure to have him on your draft day radar as you won't be disappointed.

Jarrod Saltalamaccia - Texas Rangers
Once touted as the next Brian McCann, Saltalamaccia is the Lone Ranger of the Texas backstop in 2010. I have a feeling that this year will be his highly anticipated breakout campaign. Coming off surgery to remove a rib, Jarrod has been traded and twice injured in his first three seasons in the majors. Not a great way to begin a career, but Jarrod has the tools and drive for a turnaround. Since Salty has yet to play a full major league season I am going to estimate that he has the potential to hit .270 AVG, 20 HRS, 60 RBIs in a full year. Not bad numbers for a guy you can probably snag in the final round of your draft or off the waiver wire.

Omir Santos - New York Mets
After failing to land Bengie Molina this offseason, the New York Mets made the decision that Omir Santos would be their Opening Day starting catcher in 2010. Rightfully so Omir had a spectacular year for a team that underperformed for the 3^rd straight season. In 90 games behind the plate Santos hit .260 AVG, 7 HRs, 40 RBIs and 28 Runs. He also added 14 Doubles (8 at home), some of which would have been homeruns in hitter friendly parks. At the age of 28, the time is now for Omir to claim his place on the Mets roster as a mainstay. I project the following for Santos in 2010: .275 AVG, 15 HRs, 60 RBIs and 51 Runs. He's a great late flyer or waiver wire pickup if your catcher goes down with an injury.