Solid fantasy producing catchers used to be hard to come by.  As recently as last season you would have two to three top catchers, and around three more reliable starters, leaving half of the teams in a 12 team league looking to find an emerging sleeper.  However, we are now seeing fantasy production of all types from the catcher position.

Russell Martin can provide you with steals.  Joe Mauer can get you a high average, if you are patient enough to deal with his injury woes.  Victor Martinez and Brian McCann can provide you with an extra source of home runs.  The best part is that we no longer have catchers who can only do one thing.  Gone are the Jason Kendall’s who bat .300, but are lucky to manage one line-drive home run a season.  We no longer have to wish for a Josh Willingham type of player who plays the outfield, but is eligible at catcher.  No more players like John Buck, who provide your team power, but an extremely low batting average to go along with that.

Top of the Pack

The First group of catchers I have listed are the guys who will go in the early rounds.  Unless you play in a brutal league that starts two catchers, I would avoid drafting these catchers early.  You can find a player who provides much more production at another position, and you won’t see much of a drop-off if you select a catcher from the next tier.  Even if you are in a league that starts two catchers, I would avoid these top players.  Let someone else spend their high draft pick on these guys.

Reliable Starters

I would be comfortable handing my starting catching slot over to any of the guys in my second tier, and that includes John Buck.  Buck hit 18 homers last season in 347 at bats for the Royals.  If you think the power surge was a fluke, consider his career numbers.  Buck has hit a homer once every 25 at bats through his career.  The average isn’t great, .237 on his career, and .222 last season.  Buck is going extremely late in drafts.  If your league doesn’t have 24 rounds, he may not be drafted.  However, if you’re looking to boot the catcher position, or you’re looking for a solid number two catcher, Buck is your guy.  Take him in the late rounds, and if he manages to bat .250 with that power he will be a steal.

The Sleepers

If I have to start two catchers, I wouldn’t mind grabbing my second one from this group.  Geovany Soto is the guy who intrigues me the most out of this bunch.  The Cubs catcher will join a powerful lineup consisting of Aramis Ramirez, Derrek Lee, Alfonso Soriano, and Kosuke Fukudome.  I believe Soto is capable of putting up 20 homers, and with an abundance of talented hitters setting the table for him, Soto could see a lot of good pitches, and a lot of RBI production as a result.

I Have a Few Questions

My fourth tier includes a lot of guys who I just don’t trust for one reason or another.  Ivan Rodriguez may still carry some name value, but that’s about all the value he has with me.  Over the last few seasons Pudge has gone from a solid .300 hitter to a guy hitting in the .280 range.  He has seen his power numbers declining each year, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him dip below ten homers this season.  The 36 year old catcher is entering his 18th year in the majors, which also puts him at risk of injury.  Let someone else draft him for his name and past numbers, and focus your draft on the future of the catching position.

Win One For Bennett

True story:  A few seasons ago I had to work on draft night for one of my leagues, and my wife, who was my girlfriend at the time, agreed to draft my team while I gave her my picks over the phone.  In the fourth round I said “Take Joe Mauer” and somehow she heard “Take Gary Bennett.”  If you can imagine the feeling I had when I found out Gary Bennett, the backup catcher of the Cardinals at the time, was my fourth round selection, then you can imagine how I feel about my final tier of catchers.

As for my team, I took Mauer in the 5th round, made some great moves throughout the season, named my team “Win One For Bennett”, and after storming out to a big lead in the championship round, I added Bennett to serve as my starting catcher for the final games.  I was able to forgive my wife, allowing us to now be happily married.