Catcher is a position that many people dispute about how to draft.  Should you go with one of the elite options early in your draft?  Should you focus on a mid-round talent?  How about waiting until the late rounds to fill the spot? 

Exactly how to go about drafting your catchers is a question for another day, but let’s take a look at how I currently have them ranked:

  1. Joe Mauer: Minnesota Twins
  2. Victor Martinez: Detroit Tigers
  3. Brian McCann: Atlanta Braves
  4. Buster Posey: San Francisco Giants
  5. Carlos Santana: Cleveland Indians
  6. Miguel Montero: Arizona Diamondbacks
  7. Kurt Suzuki: Oakland Athletics
  8. Matt Wieters: Baltimore Orioles
  9. Geovany Soto: Chicago Cubs
  10. Mike Napoli: Texas Rangers
  11. Jorge Posada: New York Yankees
  12. Chris Iannetta: Colorado Rockies
  13. J.P. Arencibia: Toronto Blue Jays
  14. Yadier Molina: St. Louis Cardinals
  15. Miguel Olivo: Seattle Mariners

Thoughts:

  • I mentioned Buster Posey on Monday when I discussed my Top 15 catchers by tiers (click here to view), and then went into much more detail on him (click here to view), so I am not going to go into such great detail again here.  The bottom line is that we need to temper our expectations from the sophomore star.  That’s not to say that he is not going to be among the best catchers in the league, but let’s make sure he can back up his 2010 success before we put him ahead of the established stars.
  • Those hoping to grab J.P. Arencibia nearly had their hearts broken when the Blue Jays acquired Mike Napoli, only to see the team flip him to Texas just days later.  There are certainly going to be concerns about his ability to make contact, which could lead to a poor average.  That being said, how many lower tier catchers actually hit for a big average?  He brings plenty of power potential and should get an opportunity.  That gives him significant value, especially in two-catcher formats.
  • Speaking of Napoli, has he again found himself in a situation where he is not going to get regular at bats?  It seems almost impossible to think about, but it certainly is a bit of a concern.  With Mitch Moreland spending time at 1B, as well as Michael Young getting AB at first and designated hitter, he still may not get as many at bats as we’d like him to.  You would think he’d see a lot of time behind the plate, but Yorvit Torrealba certainly will get some time as well.
  • Geovany Soto is a player who has the potential to far exceed his ranking here, if he can stay healthy and maintain regular at bats.  The past two years have seen him get 331 and 322 AB, respectively, for various reasons.  That has to be a concern, as does if he can maintain his 24.4% line drive rate (would have qualified him for third in the league) or his 17.7% HR/FB rate.  A regression in those marks will lead to a fall overall, so keep that in mind.
  • I’ve posted my projections for Matt Wieters (click here to view) and Kurt Suzuki (click here to view) so make sure to check them out.

What are your thoughts on the rankings?  Who’s too high?  Who’s too low?

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