My favorite Mike Piazza quote is when he said that the problem with being a catcher is you have to squat at lot at cocktail parties.

While cocktail party-goers might be entertained by catchers, many fantasy baseball owners just wait to take whatever catcher is left with their last pick. That is a big mistake, especially this year. There is an Oprah-sized drop off between the top of the position and the guys at the top of the second dozen. Your leaguemates might grab Jacoby Ellsbury; you can make up the speed with Julio Borbon later. When you grab Brian McCann after they grab Ellsbury, they are not making up that deficit at catcher with Miguel Olivo.

New ballpark or not, Joe Mauer should be the first catcher off the board. Photo Credit: Keith Allison

I’ve listed the catchers in descending order below. There is much more distinction between the tiers than within them. For example, I’d probably prefer Victor Martinez over McCann, but I would gladly take either at least a couple rounds before I took Matt Wieters or Russell Martin.

Tier 1
There is only one player in this tier and it is with good reason.

Joe Mauer
Mauer is such a stud, he’s the top tier all by his lonesome. Coming off a .365, 28 HR year, he would be considered a first rounder at any position. But he’s a catcher and you could argue he should be the first overall player taken. His injury history is enough of a concern not to take him first overall, but he definitely ranks number one at catcher.

Tier 2
So they’re not Mauer. Either of these guys will be highly sought after on Draft Day.

Victor Martinez
Not a bad bounceback, eh? Throw out his injury-marred 2008 and he’s averaged 21 HRs and .300-plus batting average since 2004.

Brian McCann
Bank on 20-plus roundtrippers and an average right around .300. He’s younger than VMart, so he has more upside, but he’s slightly less proven.

Tier 3
If your league doesn’t require catchers, you can stop reading. But odds are your league does require catchers and this tier offers plenty of production.

Matt Wieters
Last year he was getting all the hype, but THIS is the year he breaks out. He’s not going to have a .936 OPS like he did the last five weeks of the season, but that shows you his marked improvement over his early season struggles. He led all AL rookies in batting average last year. He might lead all AL players in batting average this year.

Mike Napoli
If only he could get more at-bats! Napoli slugged 20 homers despite less than 400 Abs; good enough for a slugging percentage of nearly .500. Unlike other “big bat” catchers, Napoli has a decent eye that helped lead to a .842 OPS; better than the higher ranked Brian McCann. He’s a low-end number one fantasy catcher, but if he sees about an additional 100 at-bats, he could be an elite catcher.

Russell Martin
Martin had a disappointing year last year, but still led all catchers with double-digit steals. Despite a drop in batting average, he still has a three year average of .279. Expect a bounceback.

Kurt Suzuki
Unlike most of his catcher brethren, Suzuki contributes across the board. He hit .273, stole eight bases, and saw a nice power spike last year swatting 15 homers. Your leaguemates might be unaware of his low strikeout rate and large number of at-bats. As they shoot their loads trying to get guys like Martinez and Wieters, quietly take Suzuki and reap the benefits.

Jorge Posada
Posada is 39 years old. Or is that 39 years young? He posted a career high .885 OPS, belting 22 homers and hitting .284. Expect a drop-off, but even a small drop-off still makes him a Top 10 catcher, especially in AL-only leagues.

Miguel Montero
And if Posada is too dull for you, there is the sizzle that is Montero. His 16-homer, .294 season might be just the start, but it is quite a big jump from his .255 three year average. He did hit .349 with 24 HRs at A-Lancaster, but keep your expectations in check.

Tier 4
The “Yibbit” Tier: As in, “These guys have had some decent seasons, yeah, but…”

Ryan Doumit
If he could just stay healthy! A 29-year-old who has never played more than 114 games is what we in the biz call an “injury risk.” Sarcasm aside, be forewarned.  However, if that gamble pays off  he could easily surpass his 15 homer, .317 year he had in 2008. Just don’t pay for it.

Bengie Molina
What happens when a player in the clean-up position moves much farther down in the order? Watch Bengie Molina this year. The 20 homeruns and 80 RBIs is a ceiling. Expect more like 15 and 70.

Geovany Soto
Now that is a sophomore slump! Soto went from a “rook of the year” season (.285 and 23 HRs) to a schnook-of-the year, hitting .217 and 11 homers. A bounceback to 2008 numbers might be too optimistic, but his history indicates that 2009 was the aberration, not 2008. Expect 15 homers and .270; when he hits better than that you’ll be elated.

Tier 5
Here is where things get shaky, but those of you in two-catcher leagues might have to grab from this tier. The potential is here, so we’ll start with some young players and end with a trio of rookies.

Chris Iannetta
Guess who turns 27 this year? I’m actually not a big believer in that “magical” theory. But I do believe he can bounce back to 2008 levels. Furthermore, he wasn’t that bad last year. He still had an .804 OPS (helped by his 45 walks) to go along with 16 jacks. Even if his average doesn’t bounce back to 2008 levels, I’ll gladly take a catcher late who has averaged 17 homeruns the last two years.

Carlos Ruiz
I’ll admit it. I got a thing for catchers who don’t strike out very much. That is Ruiz, who had a better K/AB ratio than Joe Mauer. But don’t think of Ruiz as a slap hitter; he showed some serious slugging potential while in the minors. He has yet to impress on the major league level, but Ruiz could produce some huge dividends, especially for those of you in leagues that penalize for strikeouts.

Jesus Flores
Flores was rushed to the majors. Given the lack of talent in Washington, you can’t really blame the Nationals. Before his unfortunate May injury, Flores hit .301 with an .877 OPS and showed flashes of the 20-homer potential he had in the minors. Those injury concerns caused the Nats to sign Ivan Rodriguez to a two-year deal, essentially forcing Flores into a platoon role. His upside still makes him worth drafting in leagues that require two catchers, but he’ll have a lot of obstacles to overcome this year to have a breakout season.

Yadier Molina
Brother Bengie might get the media attention, but Yadier is the perfect complement on a fantasy baseball team. Most of his stats are rather pedestrian. But when you’re looking for that second catcher or last-round catcher who won’t hurt you, Molina is the guy you want. While the rest of your league will allow the John Bucks of catchers to kill their average hoping for some big power, Yadier’s three-year .291 batting average will fit your team just fine.

A.J. Pierzynski
Because of his charming personality and the fact that older catchers scare me, I wanted to rank him lower, but the numbers argued otherwise. At a position with a huge lack of talent, a catcher that has proven he will hit between .280 and .300 with 15-20 homers every year is a valuable commodity. Don’t expect stolen bases, and 60 RBIs would be a very optimistic outlook.

Buster Posey
Posey will start the year in the minors.  However, expect him to tear up the minors again (.325-18-80-84-6-.416-.531 between high Class A and Triple-A), forcing the Giants to change his workplace address. When he gets called up, do not pass go, do not collect $200. Grab him immediately.

Carlos Santana
The hand surgery is a slight concern and he won’t be back until the middle of spring training. But a catcher who slugged over .500 each of the last two years in the minors is someone on my radar. Put him on yours.

Lou Marson
Marson, however, is the reason you might wait on Carlos Santana. Marson may not yet be ready for the majors, but minor league opposing pitchers sure don’t want to see him anymore. He lacks power, but his.294 BA last year at AAA should be enough that the Indians give Marson the starting nod should Santana still have injury issues.

Tier 6
You are not expecting much out of your catcher position if one of these guys are your primary catcher, but at least these catchers are serviceable.

Ramon Hernandez
Sleeper Alert! He will slip because he’s coming off arthroscopic knee surgery in July, his numbers were not that great either (a sub-.700 OPS last year), and he’ll probably play second fiddle to Ryan Hanigan, who is both six years younger and has a knack for getting on base. Lest we forget however, here is a player who has hit .290 as well as smacking 23 homers in separate years. And Great American Ball Park ain’t exactly a pitcher’s paradise.

John Baker
Baker had a hot May, slugging 5 homers but those accounted for more than half of his final total. He doesn’t bat well against left-handed pitchers (just six hits in 35 at-bats), but he still managed to hit .270 last year. The quintessential “won’t help you but won’t hurt you” catcher.

Miguel Olivo
Don’t believe in Ianetta? Then you need to believe in Olivo. He hit a career high 23 bombs last year for Kansas City. Imagine what he might do now that he’ll play in the thin rocky mountain air. Before you get too starry-eyed, realize that Olivo struck out 126 times in less than 400 ABs. Take him as a cheap catcher in a league that weighs HRs heavily, but otherwise brace yourself for a batting average hit. That also assumes Ianetta is not catching at least five or six games a week for the Rockies, something I won’t bet against.

John Buck
Yes, Buck hit 18 HRs in 2007, but that was with almost 350 at-bats. He is not likely to approach that with Barajas in front of him and prospect J.P. Arencibia (21 homers in the minors last year), probably not too far behind him. Buck has power potential, but has never hit more than .247. He strikes out three times as often as he walks. There are far worse choices for a second catcher than Buck, but he is not for the faint of heart.

Tier 7
You are either in a very deep league or like to play the lottery.

Alex Avila
Avila’s breakthrough season propelled him all the way to the major leagues, where he swatted homers at a startling clip -- in a pennant race, no less. He hit 12 homers and 23 doubles (.450 SLG) in 329 Double-A at-bats, which earned him his September look (having your dad as a prominent member of the organization's front office doesn’t hurt). Avila could wind up the starter sooner rather later, as Gerald Laird gets nudged aside. He’s a nice sleeper in two-catcher deeper mixed leagues.
 
Rod Barajas
Barajas is 34. His career year of .253 and 21 dongs was five years ago, and that was in Texas. He’s a far better baseball catcher than fantasy catcher, so he’ll get the at-bats. The average will kill you though and his 19 homers last year is an aberration, not a trend.

Ivan Rodriguez
Good catchers never die; they just end up platooning on the worst team. Pudge no longer hits for power; no longer hits for average; and is back to being the player he was his first two years in the majors: a so-so hitter whose defense makes him hard to sit. He'll have a semi-regular role, especially if Flores continues to battle injuries, so he is still draftable as a second catcher in two catcher leagues.

Kelly Shoppach
Shoppach’s 2009 numbers scream to leave him in the bargain bin for others. His tendency to strike out throughout his career makes him a fairly unattractive option. But the 21 HR and .261 season in 2008 gives enough reason to consider him in two-catcher leagues. The fact that he disappointed after the Indians traded away Victor Martinez though gives enough reason to hope for something better in a two catcher league also. Still, his chances of producing are far better than his competition, Dionar Navarro.

Tier 279 or the “At-bats tier”
Somebody has to get the At-bats right? For those that need a warm body over an empty slot.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia/Taylor Teagarden
One of these two guys is going to win the Texas job which means they will be in an enviable position of hitting in the loaded Texas line-up. However, both have fallen short of expectations so far, and I would not grab either of them until they prove otherwise.

Jason Varitek
I’ll come clean—I nearly forgot to include Varitek. I’m not surprised I forgot about him because I’ve been down on ‘Tek for so long and he finally fell off the fantasy map. Boston might move Martinez to first base or DH at times, so Varitek will probably hit double digit homers and play more often than some other backups. But he’s batted less than .230 over the last three years.

Gerald Laird
Well, he’ll probably give you at-bats (he’s averaged nearly 390 over the last three years), assuming the 22-year-old Alex Avila doesn’t take them. He was top five for stolen bases by a catcher last year, but you’ll notice I didn’t talk about his other stats. It’s because they’re not worth talking about.

Omir Santos
He’s the leading candidate to win the Mets job. Don’t expect any cartwheels from your fellow Mets fan.

Rob Johnson
He’ll probably get more at-bats than any other Seattle catcher. That is not necessarily a good thing.

Nick Hundley
Guess what, he also hits the magic 27-year-old threshold this year. A 20-homer season is not out of the question, but he'll still offer a low batting average, a low on-base percentage and tons of strikeouts. Yuck.

Jason Kendall
Just when you think the Royals front office might have turned a corner, they turn around and do something moronic like signing Jason Kendall to be their primary catcher. Kendall has not had a fantasy-relevant season since 2006. He won’t have one in 2010 either.

J.R. Towles
The fact that Towles could be the starting catcher speaks far less to the talent of Towles, than it does to Houston’s lack of it.

George Kottaras/Gregg Zaun
I’ve listed them together because neither are very good and either of them will just be a placeholder until Angel Salome or Jonathan LuCroy assume the duties, presuming that is not Opening Day.

Lastly, for those in keeper leagues, here is list of catchers I might bid  $1 on this year:

Ryan Hanigan
J.P. Arencibia
Jeff Clement
Adam Moore
Chris Snyder
Francisco Cervelli

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