TIER 1
1. Joe Mauer – I’m less bullish on making him a top-10 pick like I was a couple of months ago, but with very little foul territory in Minnesota’s new park and his upside, don’t be shocked if he ends up worth a first round pick.
TIER 2
2. Victor Martinez – If you’re in a 2-catcher league, I like him as a third round pick.
3. Brian McCann – It wouldn’t shock if he had a better year than VMart, but McCann doesn’t have the benefits of the DH, a loaded lineup and a great hitter’s park.
TIER 3
4. Matt Wieters – Even though he disappointed last year, don’t expect much of a discount.
5. Miguel Montero – I would have easily ranked him higher, but Chris Snyder looms.
6. Jorge Posada – He will turn 39 years old this season, and his health only becomes a greater concern moving forward. Still, Posada is coming off a season in which he hit 22 homers with 81 RBI over just 383 at-bats. Is he actually a decent value pick?
7. Russell Martin – He added weight during the offseason, which hopefully improves his endurance and power (even at the expense of some steals). But even as a nice bounce back candidate, his value takes a pretty big hit now that he’s out 4-to-6 weeks.
TIER 4
8. Mike Napoli – He’s hit 40 homers over his past 609 at-bats. Napoli showed up to spring training with a bunch of weight lost (I saw the picture!), so if he truly can improve his defense behind the plate, more playing time could equal a top-five fantasy catcher.
9. Geovany Soto – Soto also lost a bunch of weight during the offseason, and while it’s worth noting just how out-of-nowhere his big 2008 season was compared to his minor league track record, there’s also an opportunity to buy-low here. He’s a fine target.
10. Chris Iannetta – I still believe. That said, the addition of Miguel Olivo could cut into playing time.
11. Ryan Doumit – If he somehow stayed healthy, he’d probably produce top-five type production from the catcher position. But he’s always hurt.
12. Kurt Suzuki – Solid, but he played over his head last year.
13. Bengie Molina – Will lose some counting stats as he moves lower in the Giants’ batting order. Molina has also been worked quite hard over the past few years.
14. A.J. Pierzynski – Boring but solid production. Not a bad fallback option at all.
TIER 5
15. Jeff Clement
16. Jarrod Saltalamacchia
17. Ramon Hernandez
18. Yadier Molina
TIER 6
19. Kelly Shoppach
20. John Baker
21. Carlos Ruiz
22. Pudge Rodriguez
23. John Buck
24. Gregg Zaun
25. Rod Barajas
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