2010 Fantasy Baseball - Keeper Rankings - C - Catcher

To get a head start on the 2010 Fantasy Baseball season, here are my 2010 Keeper League Catcher (C) Rankings. Keeper rankings are based on a 3-year outlook for the 2010, 2011, and 2012 fantasy baseball seasons. Rankings are established for a standard fantasy baseball scoring system in mixed AL/NL leagues with scoring category stats including: runs, homeruns, rbi, stolen bases, and batting average. Keeper League (C) Rankings include the Top 40 - 2010 Fantasy Baseball Catcher (C) Eligible Players. Each individual players age for the 2010 season is listed in parentheses after their name.

2010 Keeper League - Catcher (C) Rankings

1. Joe Mauer – Minnesota Twins (26)

After struggling to stay healthy throughout his career, Mauer finally put all the pieces together in 2009. At age 26, Mauer and his emerging homerun and RBI potential are exactly what every fantasy baseball teams need to win a championship. Boasting a career .400 plus on base percentage and taking more walks than strikeouts (390 walks to just 291 strikeouts over his six year MLB career), Mauer has all the tools and ability to continue to be one of the best hitting catchers in all of baseball over the next five plus years. In fantasy baseball leagues, no matter what the scoring format, Mauer is a clear top 3 overall catcher, with plenty of potential on being the clear #1 choice entering the 2010 season.

2. Brian McCann – Atlanta Braves (25)

In all honesty, it should be Joe Mauer 1A and McCann 1B. Entering the 2010 season, McCann and Mauer are the only two seemingly “sure” bets at the catcher position in fantasy baseball. At just age 25, McCann has already registered four consecutive 18 plus homerun and 80 plus RBI seasons, with three of those seasons including 20 plus homeruns. Overall, McCann does a little bit of everything for fantasy baseball teams except steal bases. He offers a consistent batting average around .300, is an excellent RBI and middle of the batting order guy, offers a slugging percentage around .500, has a great on base percentage and doesn’t strike out a lot, (just 64 strikeouts to 57 walks in 2008 and just 77 strikeouts to 42 walks through 457 at bats in 2009), and if your league counts doubles, McCann is an excellent doubles guy who has tallied 42 doubles in 2008, 38 in 2007, 34 in 2006, and has already registered 35 through just 128 games played during the 2009 season. Entering the 2010 season, McCann is a sure bet top 3 overall fantasy baseball catcher.

3. Matt Wieters – Baltimore Orioles (23)

If I am in a keeper league and choosing between catchers, I will gladly take the 23 year old Wieters after the obvious top 2 of Mauer and McCann. After struggling to begin his MLB career in the first half of the 2009 season, Wieters finally seemed to settle in after the All-Star break, as he was one of the best hitting catchers in all of baseball from July through September. With a year of experience under his belt in 2009, expecting Wieters to make a jump into the top 5 overall catchers for the 2010 season is extremely realistic. 20 homeruns and 80 RBIs is possible for this young and sweet swinging 23 year old during the 2010 season.

4. Victor Martinez – Boston Red Sox (30)

A trade to Boston’s hitter friendly lineup definitely boosted Martinez’s value during the second half of the 2009 season, and if he stays in the Boston lineup during the 2010 season, Martinez should be a clear top 5 overall fantasy baseball catcher for the 2010 season.

5. Pablo Sandoval – San Francisco Giants (23)

Sandoval is listed here as a speculative catcher, as he may very well not qualify at catcher in your fantasy baseball league to begin the 2010 season. However with a few appearances and games played at the catcher position during the 2009 season, Sandoval may just qualify at catcher in your league in 2010. If he does, Sandoval and his sweet swinging bat is deserving of a top 5 overall catcher ranking to begin the 2010 season.

6. Mike Napoli – Los Angeles Angels (27)

Not a great defensive catcher, but Napoli offers a lot of homerun potential, and he is capable of playing the DH spot in Los Angeles which will help keep him in the lineup on a daily basis. At age 27, Napoli is entering the prime of his career and should have at least three more solid fantasy seasons in him. A run at 20 homeruns and 80 RBIs over each of the next three seasons is very possible.

7. Geovany Soto – Chicago Cubs (26)

A complete bust for fantasy baseball teams in 2009 after an outstanding rookie season in 2008 that included 23 homeruns and 86 RBIs, Soto should enter the 2010 season as a prime candidate to have a bounce back year. At age 26, there is plenty of life in his tank, as Soto has the ability to be a regular 20 homerun and 80 RBI catcher over the next three to five years. Soto is one catcher I would be willing to gamble on for the 2010 season.

8. Russell Martin – Los Angeles Dodgers (26)

After a massive drop-off in production from the 2007 season to the 2009 season, Martin is a huge gamble at catcher in fantasy baseball leagues entering the 2010 season. With many experts ranking Martin as the #1 overall fantasy baseball catcher entering the 2009 season, Martin will be lucky to net a top 10 overall spot among catchers entering the 2010 season. In keeper leagues there is still hope for Martin, as he is just 26 years old and plays in a hitter friendly Dodgers lineup.

9. Chris Iannetta – Colorado Rockies (26)

Much like Geovany Soto, Iannetta will enter the 2010 season as a quality bounce back candidate at catcher. After knocking in 18 homeruns and 65 RBIs during the 2008 season, Iannetta went through injuries that seemed to derailed his enter 2009 season. With health back on his side in 2010 and plenty of emerging offensive talent in the Rockies lineup around him, Iannetta is a solid gamble pick at catcher in 2010.

10. Miguel Montero – Arizona Diamondbacks (26)

Every year there is always at least one player at every position that defies the odds and emerges onto the fantasy baseball scene as one of the best post draft and free agent pickups of the year, Montero has been exactly that player at the catcher position for the 2009 season. With Chris Snyder going down with an injury early in the season, Montero promptly took over the starting catchers role in Arizona and has yet to show any signs of giving it back. Once a top prospect for the Diamondbacks, Montero is clearly one of those post-hype prospects who finally emerged in 2009. If given the full time starting job in 2010, Montero at just age 26, could easily tally 20 homeruns and 80 RBIs while notching a batting average around .290 plus.

11. Ryan Doumit – Pittsburgh Pirates (28)

Certainly injuries derailed Doumit’s season in 2009, but it wouldn’t at all be surprised if his 2008 season of 15 homeruns, 69 RBIs, and a .318 batting average was more of a mirage than an upward trend. All in all, I just don’t think Doumit is that great of a hitting catcher, and unless he gets traded to a more potent and run scoring offense, I don’t think his stats during the 2010 season will be that great in what will likely be a lousy hitting Pirates lineup. At this point in his career, I would pick younger catchers with more upside and offensive potential over Doumit entering the 2010 season.

12. Bengie Molina – San Francisco Giants (35)

13. John Baker – Florida Marlins (28)

14. Jesus Flores – Washington Nationals (24)

15. Yadier Molina – St. Louis Cardinals (27)

16. AJ Pierzynski – Chicago White Sox (32)

17. Jorge Posada – New York Yankees (38)

18. Kurt Suzuki – Oakland Athletics (25)

19. Miguel Olivo – Kansas City Royals (31)

I don’t see much long term potential or upside that he hasn’t already shown, but Olivo’s 2009 season of 23 homeruns and 65 RBIs (through just 377 at bats) is hard to deny. Not to mention Olivo has now tallied four consecutive solid seasons including 16 homeruns and 58 RBIs in 2006, 16 homeruns and 60 RBIs in 2007, 12 homeruns and 41 RBIs in 2008, and 23 homeruns and 65 RBIs in 2009. At age 31, Olivo isn’t young anymore, but he finally seems to be figuring out major league pitching. And better yet, with no other real catching threat in Kansas City, Olivo has no reason not to be the teams #1 catcher in 2010.

20. Jarrod Saltalamacchia – Texas Rangers (24)

Loads of potential, but nothing to show for it yet at the major league level for Saltalamacchia. At just age 24 there is plenty of time left to put the pieces together, but for fantasy baseball purposes, Saltalamacchia is a guy fantasy baseball managers dread drafting. If you can get this guy late in your draft as a backup catcher, he is a solid pick. Otherwise don’t bank on him being a major contributor or starting catcher entering the 2010 season for your team.

21. Buster Posey – San Francisco Giants (22)

As long as Bengie Molina keeps swinging the bat, there is seemingly no reason for the Giants to push the 22 year old Posey along too quickly. In which case, even with Molina being 36 years old for the 2010 season, Posey will likely begin the 2010 season in the minors, while offering little to no fantasy baseball impact unless Molina gets injured and has to miss a significant amount of time. On the other hand, Posey is an excellent choice to be a top 10 and possibly even top 5 overall fantasy baseball catcher during his prime. If you can afford to use a roster spot on him, Posey is definitely someone worth waiting around on. Just don’t expect much of a contribution from him until at least midseason in 2010, or better yet the 2011 season.

22. Dioner Navarro – Tampa Bay Rays (25)

23. Chris Snyder – Arizona Diamondbacks (28)

24. Jeff Clement – Pittsburgh Pirates (26)

25. Taylor Teagarden – Texas Rangers (25)

26. Gerald Laird – Detroit Tigers (29)

27. Rod Barajas – Toronto Blue Jays

28. Kelly Shoppach – Cleveland Indians (29)

29. George Kottaras – Boston Red Sox (26)

30. Ramon Hernandez – Cincinnati Reds (33)

31. Kenji Johjima – Seattle Mariners (33)

32. Nick Hundley – San Diego Padres (25)

33. Jeff Mathis – Los Angeles Angels (26)

34. Ronny Paulino – Philadelphia Phillies (28)

35. JR Towles – Houston Astros (25)

36. Lou Marson – Cleveland Indians (23)

37. John Buck – Kansas City (29)

38. Josh Bard – Washington Nationals (31)

39. Jason Varitek – Boston Red Sox (37)

40. Carlos Santana - Cleveland Indians

41. Tyler Flowers - Chicago White Sox

42. Bryan Anderson – St. Louis Cardinals (22)

43. Max Ramirez – Texas Rangers (24)

44. Yorvit Torrealba – Colorado Rockies

45. Ivan Rodriguez – Texas Rangers

46. Jason Kendall – Milwaukee Brewers

47. Ryan Hanigan – Cincinnati Reds

48. Carlos Ruiz – Philadelphia Phillies