64/60 Team Positional Rankings Cathchers

64/60 Cathcher Evaluation

12. Maccabi Hebrewers-(Jarrod Saltamachia/Carlos Santana)Salty is currently dealing with injuries and has yet to live up to some of the minor hype he had going a couple years ago./Santana is right up there with Posey in San Francisco as one of the top 2 or 3 catching prospects in the minors. However he is probably a couple of months away from getting his call to the show.

11. Hendo Colonels-(Ivan Rodriguez/Miguel Olivo)Olivo comes to Colorado from KC where he will split time with Chris Ianetta. Ianetta seems to have a hold on the majority of the playing time here, but Olivo has been solid in spring and with Ianetta's track record it wouldn't be suprising for these roles to reverse./Ivan Rodriguez should be the starter in Washington but I-Rod will turn 40 this year, which is 73 in Catcher years.

10. Barboursville Stars-(Chris Ianetta/Yadier Molina)As mentioned earlier, Ianetta is not going to win any batting titles soon and could be hampered by Olivo cutting into his time. He will give you decent power from the position, but thats about it./One of about 20+ catching Molina's in the Majors. This Molina will give you nothing in the power department, but will play regularly and offers a pretty solid batting average and OPS from the Catcher spot.

9. Prestige WorldWide-(Jorge Posada/Rod Barajas)Posada smacked 22 HR's last year in just 383 at-bats. A solid number that was probably inflated by the new launching pad that is Yankee Stadium. Just the same, Posada still resides there, but he like I-Rod is approaching 40 years of age. He'll be solid when playing (particularly at home) but injuries and age are all catching up to him./Barajas will receive his fair share of playing time this year, but don't expect a repeat of last years power numbers and DO expect an average in the .220-.245 range.

8. Ohio River Carp-(Kelly Shoppach/Bengie Molina)I'm admittedly a lil torn on this duo, as I could see them combining for 35-45 Homers, 150-180 RBI's, and a combined average around .265-.275. That is however, the high end estimate that could easily bottom out if Shoppach's selection at the plate continues its downward decline, and if both players lose considerable playing time to their backups(D.Navarro and Buster Posey).

7. LeMaestro 41129'ers-(Russell Martin/Carlos Ruiz)Ruiz like most cathcers forced upon in you in a two catcher league is old and a terrible hitter. Expecting much out of him will only leave you dissapointed./Martin is what brings the LeMaestro's farther up in the rankings. R. Martin is coming off his most dissapointing season to this point in his career. A season where his dropoff from his 2007 season continued unexpectedly. However, this guy is still on the right side of 30 and has shown the skills to be an elite Catcher in the big leagues. He will receive the bulk of the playing time and should he rebound like most expect he will, he could provide his owner with solid numbers in all categories(including SB's), which is a trait that only 1 or 2 other catchers can lay claim to.

6. Argumentative 9 Irons-(John Baker/Ryan Doumit)John Baker not what you would call an offensive force, but he can give you decent .270 average with little else./Doumit is the wild card here, as he can be a solid #1 C, particularly matched with Baker. Doumit, like Baker can give you plenty of AB's with a solid average, while the possibility of 15+HR's is there along with a high OPS in the .800's.

5. Tude Smackers-(Brian McCann/Ramon Hernandez)McCann without question one of the top catchers in the league. He can provide you with better numbers in most offensive categories and help carry a weak 2nd catcher./Which brings us to Ramon Hernandez whose offensive contributions and PT continue to dwindle in Cincy. His average won't kill you though, and if he can hit 10 HR's than McCann combined with him will help you outperform most teams.

4. Rubber Duckies-(Miguel Montero/A.J. Pierzynski)Pierzynski gives you a solid veteran who will have most of the playing time to himself in Chicago. He can typically be counted on for around 15 HR's and a steady average./Montero is the young up and comer out in Arizona. Most seem to expect a breakout from Montero this year, and I tend to fall into that camp. His power seems to be true, and his minor league record shows that he can hit for a better average. Chris Snyder is the only real threat to Montero having the big year, but how much of a hindrance he becomes remains to be seen.

3. Bear Creek Fantasy Point Factory-(Matt Wieters/Mike Napoli)If everything goes according to plan for Burt this year, than these two could find themselves head and shoulders above the other combos in the league. Alot depends on Wieters having the breakout that many expected last season during his rookie year. I certainly would not be suprised by a huge year by Wieters, but it certainly is not guaranteed yet, and could possibly be another year away./Mike Napoli has show a better homerun stroke than just about any catcher in the league in recent years. So whats the problem........Apparently Napoli sucks at actually playing the position. While not a bother in fantasy sports, it would seem the real teams actually care about this. Jeff Mathis seems entrenched as the favorite in Anaheim, unfortuantely, he can't hit the ball for shit. Playing time will be split just about evenly unless there is an injury or one of the two get alot better at their glaring weakness.

2. Hell & Damnation-(Joe Mauer/Geovanny Soto)Mauer is the guy to own at Catcher. No one can really argue that legitimately. It does however seem to be a bit far fetched to expect him to repeat his numbers from last year. Add in that Mauer will always be an injury risk for fantasy owners./Soto is what will seperate this group from 1st or 2nd in the rankings, when all is said and done. You either expect him to return to the Soto who was a breakout star in his rookie year, or continue on his downward spiral into mediocrity. I tend to fall somewhere in the middle, but still think that this position has too many questions for many to place it at the top.

1. Boyd County Dingers-(Victor Martinez/Kurt Suzuki)Victor had a super rebound last year from the year that saw him sink into the abyss on most fantasy players minds. V-Mart has averaged 21 HR and a .300 average since 2004. He returns this year to a solid Red Sox club, where he will play Catcher and 1B, and bat in the heart of the lineup./Suzuki like Martinez, will play nearly everyday and contribute in all categories. His numbers could very easily resemble those of Russel Martin's 2007 season, minus a few steals and round trippers.