This year’s list of catcher’s was especially difficult to rank, and I’m sure I’ll switch some of these players over the course of the next few months. Regardless, this is have currently is as accurate as any.
There are some ranks that might surprise you; however, I can assure you that I have looked more than enough statistics to justify each rank.
This year is a turning point as far as catching goes; young studs such as Buster Posey and Carlos Santana will be turning the corner while the older, well-known guys such as AJ Pierzynski will start heading down the painful road of decline. With that, I present my list of the top 40 catchers for the 2011 MLB season.
These players are listed in the order that I would draft them; therefore, factors such as injury risk or youth might play a role in their rankings. So don’t be surprised to see a player with better projections below somebody with worse projections.
Top 10
1. Buster Posey, San Francisco Giants – .313/22/81/1/70
Let it sink in for a moment: Buster Posey will be the number one catcher in 2010. I refuse to put Joe Mauer here because that is the popular pick or that he hit 28 home runs in 2009. Posey has incredible potential, and he dominated the league as a rookie. Watch out.
2. Joe Mauer, Minnesota Twins – .331/11/82/2/92
Mauer is a vastly overrated player. Face it: 2009 was a fluke. Mauer is one of the best pure hitters in the game. Unfortunately for him, average is only one-fifth of what counts in standard leagues.
3. Victor Martinez, Detroit Tigers – .292/24/85/1/73
I considered Martinez at two, but average is what ultimately caused me to rank him at three. Moving from Fenway should affect him a little bit and he leaves the second best offense in the league (though Detroit holds its own pretty well).
4. Brian McCann, Atlanta Braves – .283/22/84/5/61
McCann’s always been good in this league. He wasn’t phenomenal last season, but he was still able to finish fourth on ESPN’s Player Rater in a down year.
5. Geovany Soto, Chicago Cubs – .276/23/84/1/66
Any doubts about Soto because of his poor 2009 season vanished after his solid 2010 campaign. He has great potential to finish fifth, whether he acts on this potential is the real question though.
6. Jorge Posada, New York Yankees – .271/19/79/2/71
He still qualifies as a catcher, and his value goes up as he moves to the DH spot. He’s nearing the end, but the end isn’t 2011. Draft Posada with confidence.
7. Carlos Santana, Cleveland Indians – .265/17/62/6/79
Santana has the potential to be great; if he can bring his average up, I can see a top five finish for him. Obviously, I don’t see him hitting for great average though. A .265 average is conservative, as I am not ready to go all in on Santana.
8. Mike Napoli, Los Angeles Angels – .251/22/63/5/65
Like Posada, Napoli will likely not play much catcher, though he does still qualify as one. His average was poor last season, yet he still managed to finish in the top 10 by most standards. His power is his saving grace, and until its gone he will remain this high.
9. Kurt Suzuki, Oakland Athletics – .269/15/74/5/67
Suzuki was one of my favorite catchers going into 2010 and he really disappointed. His power was there though, and I see his average rising back to his norm. Still one of my favorite catchers as he has potential to steal ten bases on top of his solid power.
10. Matt Wieters, Baltimore Orioles – .272/14/70/0/47
Many people would have Wieters up much higher, maybe even sixth, but I can’t bring myself to project him to hit above .275. Not mention the lack of power he displayed in 2010. Some of it was part of the adjustment period, some of it was hype. He’s definitely top ten material though.
The Rest
11. Miguel Montero – .268/14/64/0/54
12. John Buck – .255/15/54/0/46
13. Chris Iannetta – .263/18/62/1/42
14. Ryan Doumit – .259/16/59/3/50
15. JP Arencibia – .268/16/52/0/51
He has power potential dripping out of his bat. If he gets sufficient playing time, a top ten finish is not out of the question. I wouldn’t draft him as your No. 1 catcher, though.
16. AJ Pierzinski – .268/11/50/2/46
17. Miguel Olivo – .251/15/50/7/51
18. Alex Avila – .258/15/50/1/41
19. Yadier Molina – .281/8/60/9/36
20. Rod Barajas – .229/18/53/0/44
2010 vs. righties: .256 14/40. Barajas is a very, very useful player due to his great splits versus righties. It might be smart to draft him and play him by matchups.
21. Jon Jaso – .279/9/56/2/59
His lack of power and speed kill him. He’s a solid guy as a last resort, as he will not hurt your average.
22. Carlos Ruiz – .276/8/57/2/46
23. Yorvit Torrealba – .261/9/50/3/38
24. Jarrod Saltalamacchia – .246/12/60/0/71
He’d be much higher if Varitek was not eating away at his playing time. He has a bright future down the road, but his 2011 season will probably only help AL-only owners.
25. Jason Varitek – .238/15/36/0/39
26. Russell Martin – .258/7/36/11/61
Might surprise some people that Martin is so low. He obviously has top 15 potential, though he is a bit risky for my taste especially with Montero ready to be called up at any moment.
27. Ivan Rodriguez – .270/5/55/4/42
28. Josh Thole – .280/5/30/2/28
29. Ramon Hernandez – .252/10/51/1/37
He was a top 15 guy last season, so his 29 ranking might come as a surprise. But he is 34 years old and his BABIP rose .058 points last season, so his .297 average is nearly impossible for him to maintain.
30. Nick Hendley – .252/9/48/2/37
31. Ronny Paulino – .263/6/30/1/27
32. Jonathan Lucroy – .260/6/30/4/36
33. Kelly Shoppach – .243/8/21/0/78
34. Jason Kendall – .245/2/40/9/38
35. Jason Castro – .245/6/34/2/49
36. Jose Molina – .231/6/32/1/29
37. Taylor Teagarden – .223/9/25/0/20
38. Wil Nieves – .240/5/22/0/17
39. Chris Snyder – .227/7/30/0/22
40. Dioner Navarro – .231/4/18/1/20
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