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2009 Keeper Dynasty League Catchers

Please, save yourself the trouble and don’t put too much time into your dynasty league catcher.  You’ll definitely fall into one of two groups: the haves, and the have-nots.  If you’re lucky enough to get Brian McCann, Matt Wieters, or Russell Martin, you’re set for the foreseeable future.

If you don’t get one of the big guys, don’t even bother with the catcher position and pick up the highest rated catcher in single-year leagues.  Bengie Molina isn’t a pretty option, but he’ll get the job done. It makes a lot more sense to draft Ramon Hernandez every year, than it does to keep someone like Kurt Suzuki, just in case he breaks out.

Matt Wieters, the number one prospect in baseball, is obviously in the player pool but none of the other young-impact catchers make the list.  There’s no Buster Posey, Carlos Santana, or Jesus Montero.  Your best bet for grabbing a youngin’ probably comes from the catching stable in Texas, both Max Ramirez and Taylor Teagarden are solid prospects.

The first group of catchers are all about 26 years old, excluding Wieters, so you really can’t go wrong.

C- 1B – 2B – SS – 3B – OF - SP – RP

1. Brian McCann – ATL Braves – The only one of the bunch without a noticeable flaw.

2. Joe Mauer – MIN Twins - Flaw: Bad Back

3. Geovany Soto – CHI Cubs - Flaw: Only One Year Under His Belt

4. Russell Martin – LA Dodgers - Flaw: Speed will abandon him

You could make an argument for those 4 going in any order you’d like. I think McCann’s power will persevere unlike Martin’s stolen base numbers.  Joe Mauer at second is risky business considering his back is in awful shape, but while Mauer’s GP won’t be consistent, his batting average should be. Depending on how the young Twins shape up, Mauer should improve with age.

5. Matt Wieters – BAL Orioles - Wieters doesn’t even have a job yet, but when you consider very few catchers will get kept you might as well take a risk.  Weiter is also a great draft + trade candidate, as his value will only go up once he reaches the big leagues.

6. Chris Iannetta – COL Rockies – Finally, a Colorado catcher that can hit. Ianetta’s young enough to improve for the next 3 or 4 years, and maintain steady output into his 30′s.

7. Dioner Navarro – TB Rays – Bit of a risky pick here as Navarro is anything but predictable.  The only thing keeping him ahead of Doumit and Martinez is position eligibility.

8. Victor Martinez – CLE Indians – At some point, he’ll be an everyday first basemen or dh.

9. Ryan Doumit – PIT Pirates - Doumit’s already played his fair share of games in the outfield, and I wouldn’t bank on him having catcher eligibility for more than a couple years.

10. Mike Napoli – LA Angels - Limited at-bats, Lots of power.

11. Jarrod Saltalamacchia – TEX Rangers - Don’t write him off yet.

12. Jeff Clement – SEA Mariners - Ditto.

13. Max Ramirez – TEX Rangers - If you do write off Salty..

14. Taylor Teagarden – TEX Rangers – Minors numbers aren’t as pretty as you’d expect.  Solid defender and he plays in Arlington, though.

15. Kelly Shoppach – CLE Indians – Ditto Napoli.

16. Chris Snyder – ARI Diamondbacks

17. Angel Salome – MIL Brewers

18. Bengie Molina – SF Giants

19. Ramon Hernandez – CIN Reds

20. J.R. Towles – HOU Astros

21. Jesus Flores – WAS Nationals

22. A.J. Pierzynski – CHI White Sox

23. John Baker – FLA Marlins

24. Jorge Posada – NY Yankees

25. Ronny Paulino – FLA Marlins

26. Miguel Olivo – KC Royals

27. Nick Hundley – SD Padres

28. Kurt Suzuki – OAK Athletics

29. Jeff Mathis – LA Angels

30. Miguel Montero – ARI Diamondbacks

While I’ve listed these down to 30, I really don’t see any point in wasting a keeper spot on a mediocre catcher just because he’s under 25.  Obviously, when a Matt Wieters or Buster Posey comes along, you should pounce but the amount of FAIL that keeper-league catchers bring to the table is ungodly.

Furthermore, most of these catchers aren’t going to come into their own until their mid-twenties.

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All Rookie Team: Sleepers and Sure Things.

Top Prospects at Catchers

Matt Wieters – Baltimore Orioles

Matt Wieters is far and away the best of the bunch, and should contribute early and often.  He’s worth a roster-spot in any format, and should bring plenty of everything to your fantasy squad. There’s been plenty of peeps comparing Matt Wieters to Joe Mauer + power.

What this means for people who are bad with addition and maths in general  is: Matt Wieters has a very sweet swing, a swing that you show in hitting clinics and can punish the ball. He’s got a superior eye, a major league ready eye, and the patience to go with it.

Of course, it wouldn’t surprise me to see Wieters prioritize one of his skills over the others, depending on coaching. Wieters could take the Joe Mauer route, and rely solely on his eye/patience and become a .320 hitter each and every year. In College, A+ and AA ball, Matt Wieters didn’t hit lower than .345.

Wieters could also sacrafice a few points in average, to become one of the best power-hitting catchers — ever.  It wouldn’t surprise me for Wieters to hit 25 Home Runs every year that he stays healthy.  At 6’4, 225lbs, the potential for a switch to first base after a few years is a definite possibility. I guess it all relies on whether or not his back holds up.