Here we go:
1. Joe Mauer, Twins
Mauer is the no brainer #1 catcher off the board worthy of a pick within the first few rounds of the draft. Injuries and the massive Target field have basically killed any hope of him returning to his 2009 home run production. Mauer had a down year in 2010 (.327, 9 HR, 75 RBI) but this could be attributed to injury, the new field and the loss of Justin Morneau hitting behind him. Regardless, you have to select him and we expect Mauer to have better numbers 2011.
2011 Projection: .332, 11 HR’s and 83 RBI’s
2. Victor Martinez,Tigers
VMart will essentially be a DH with catcher eligibility. Which fantasy wise is fine with me. Martinez posted a respectable .302, 20 HR and 79 RBI stat line in 2010 despite playing in only 127 games and spending the rest of the time carrying a patchwork Red Sox lineup. His overall numbers should improve making him and Joe Mauer the only catchers that should be taken in the first few rounds of the draft. Not playing behind the plate should benefit VMart keeping him fresh and increasing his overall numbers.
2011 Projection: .307 avg, 22 HR’s, 89 RBI’s
3. Buster Posey, Giants
The reigning NL ROY has owners salivating for a full season of Buster Posey. In an abbreviated season (called up in late May), Posey hit .305, 18 HR’s and 67 RBI’s. The threat of a possible sophemore slump is what is keeping him out of the top 2. Good hitting catchers with pop are a rarity and Posey showed off his potential ranking #1 in HR’s and RBI’s for catchers after July 1st.
2011 Projection: .299 avg, 19 HR’s and 79 RBI’s
4. Brian McCann, Braves
McCann is a nice consolation prize should you miss out on the top 3 as he has averaged 22 HR’s and 86 RBI’s over the last three seasons and his 695 games played over the last 5 seasons ranks #1 amongst catchers. McCann’s average has been dropping the last 2 seasons and should settle in around the .270-.280 mark making him a nice option that will contribute to your overall lineup.
2011 Projection: .277 avg, 18 HR’s and 84 RBI’s
5. Carlos Santana, Indians
Devastating knee injuires are no way to start a career. Santana and Posey are the future of catchers in MLB. Santana has the rare catcher combination of power and the ability to get on base. Since he already has shown that he walks more than he strikes out, we’d expect him to improve even more in this area making us all happy should we land him on draft day. Santana posted a 2010 stat line of .260, 6 HR’s and 22 RBI’s in only 150 at bats.
2011 Projection: .259 avg, 22 HR’s, 69 RBI’s
6. Geovanny Soto, Cubs
Soto may not have regained his 2008 ROY form in 2010 but he did a decent job helping us forget his .217 batting average from 2009. In 2010 Soto posted a .279, 17 HR and 57 RBI stat line which is more what we’d expect in 2011. Soto has the makings of a decent catcher, but his injury history has us nervous of a possible platoon.
2011 Projection: .283 avg, 17 HR’s and 55 RBI’s
7. Mike Napoli, Rangers
Napoli’s catcher ranking eligibilty is what keeps him high on the list even though he will not spend much time, if any, behind the plate for the Rangers. Napoli blasted 26 homeruns in his first dose of PT in 2010 and should not have a problem duplicating those numbers in his hitter friendly home park even if his overall AB’s take a hit. Napoli will split time between DH and 1B for the Rangers in 2011.
2011 Projection: .247 avg, 23 HR’s and 59 RBI’s
8. Matt Wieters, Orioles
Wieters is in the top 10 based solely on his 2009 #1 prospect rating. Wieter’s numbers decreased in his second season causing some owners to panic and write him off. Baltimore did a lot to revamp their offense in 2011 and Wieters could benefit big time. We all need to remember that he is only 24. Wieters is a huge high risk/high reward play that could pay off big time for you considering on where he’ll get drafted. We are going all in.
2011 Projection: .273 avg, 22 HR’s and 77 RBI’s
9. Miguel Montero, Diamondbacks
Montero missed the first two months of the 2010 season with a knee injury and could not quite regain the power stroke (9 HR’s and 43 RBI’s) we know and love. A year removed from the injury should see it come back. Montero is a safe play even if he does not hit for power since he has the ability to hit for a decent average.
2011 Projection: .275 avg, 16 HR’s and 63 RBI’s
10. Kurt Suzuki, A’s
Suzuki catches a lot of games (142 average over the last 3 years) and it seems to be catching up with him as his average, home runs and RBI’s have decreased in each of the last 3 seasons. Suzuki went into 2010 with high expectations and provided a disappointing .242. 13 HR and 71 RBI stat line. Suzuki did battle injury in 2010, but we recommend proceeding with caution on draft day.
2011 Projection: .246 avg, 9 HR’s and 49 RBI’s
Original Story:
http://fantasycpr.com/2011/02/15/fant...
