This may be the toughest fantasy position to draft. There are only five or six catchers who will be able to make a difference for your 2008 fantasy baseball team. The rest are serviceable (from a fantasy angle), and shouldn't be taken until the later rounds of your draft.
Here are the players who will be the top 10 fantasy baseball catchers in 2008.
1. Victor Martinez, Cleveland Indians (.301, 25 HR, 116 RBI, 78 R, 0 SB).
Martinez is tops among fantasy catchers. A slugging switch-hitter whose three-year averages are the best in the business: .308 BA, 21 HR, 92 RBI, and 78 R. These are nice, but when viewed in light of Martinez’s upward trend that resulted in MVP-caliber 2007 numbers, it becomes pretty clear which catcher is going to go first in your fantasy draft. Check out the Top 100 to see where Martinez should go overall.
2. Russell Martin, Los Angeles Dodgers (.293 BA, 19 HR, 87 RBI, 87 RBI, 21 SB)
Russell Martin is arguably the second best choice for your fantasy catcher position. His stolen bases make him a unique option at catcher. Taking him above Posada and even McCann is the smart move.
3. Brian McCann, Atlanta Braves (.270 BA, 18 HR, 92 RBI, 51 R, 0 SB)
McCann came close to a 20 HR and 100 RBI season last year. The loss of Andruw Jones might actually help McCann, who will move up in the lineup and get more scoring and RBI chances hitting closer to Chipper Jones and Jeff Francouer.
4. Jorge Posada, New York Yankees (.338 BA, 20 HR, 90 RBI, 91 R, 2 SB)
Jorge Posada had a great season last year but you have to think his numbers will come down this season. Nevertheless, expect Posada to keep in line with his career 162-game averages of: .280 BA, 21 HR, 85 RBI and 72 runs. That will be third best among catchers, and if he repeats his 2007 season, you’ll be thrilled.
5. Joe Mauer, Minnesota Twins (.293 BA, 7 HR, 60 RBI, 62 R, 7 SB)
Joe Mauer has come back down to earth since 2006, when he hit .347, but he's still a great bet for a .300 batting average, and if he plays 120 or more games, Mauer can also give you 10-15 HR and 70-80 RBI.
6. Kenji Johjima, Seattle Mariners (.287 BA, 14 HR, 61 RBI, 52 R, 0 SB).
Johjima's second season was a step back from his first but after the top five he's the best fantasy catcher possible.
7. Jarrod Saltamacchia, Texas Rangers (.266 BA, 11 HR, 33 RBI, 39 R, 0 SB).
Saltamacchia put up those numbers in just about half a season worth of games and at-bats.
8. Ivan Rodriguez, Detroit Tigers (.281 BA, 11 HR, 63 RBI, 50 R, 2 SB).
Ivan Rodriguez isn't the All-Star that he once was but still has solid numbers in a loaded offense.
9. Bengie Molina, San Francisco Giants (.276 BA, 19 HR, 81 RBI, 38 R, 0 SB).
There aren't a whole lot of Giants you want on your fantasy baseball team but Molina could hit 15 - 20 HR and knock home 75-80 RBI. He won't score runs and he won't steal bases, though.
10. Ramon Hernandez, Baltimore Orioles (.258 BA, 9 HR, 62 RBI, 40 R, 1 SB)
Ramon Hernandez might not have Miguel Tejada in his lineup anymore but Hernandez is still a better option at fantasy catcher than the rest of the choices.
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Top 100 Fantasy Baseball Players
