MLB Fantasy Baseball 2011: Top 10 N.L. Only Catcher Rankings

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Here’s an early look at the N.L. 2011 Catcher rankings.

1. Brian McCann, Atlanta Braves: McCann’s average dipped to a career low .269 last season. He still supplied the power, hitting 20-plus home runs for a third straight year. His RBI total of 77 was his lowest in a full season, but it is still a strong number for a catcher. He’s averaged 21.4 HR and 88.6 RBI over the past five years.

2. Buster Posey, San Francisco Giants: Buster hit .305 with 58 runs, 18 HRs, and 67 RBI as a rookie. He’ll turn just 24 later this month. There’s always a concern that he’ll regress in his second year as pitchers begin to figure him out, but I believe that risk is minimal.

3. Geovany Soto, Chicago Cubs: Soto rebounded with a .280-47-17-53-0 season last year. Though he was limited to 105 games, he restored his fantasy value—meaning he’s more like the player that broke out in 2008 than the one that bombed in 2009.

4. Miguel Montero, Arizona Diamondbacks: Montero was a popular pick last year, but a knee injury limited him to 85 games. In that half-season he hit nine HRs with 43 RBI. Look at the injury as a means to get him at a discount this year.

5. Yadier Molina, St. Louis Cardinals: Far from a sexy pick, Yadier has averaged 57.3 RBI over the past three seasons. He hit .304 and .293 in 2008 and 2009 before dipping to .262 last year. He hit .315 in the second half last year. Plus, with 17 stolen bases for the past two years combined, he gives you a quiet boost in that category.

6. Carlos Ruiz, Philadelphia Phillies: Ruiz is a lot like Molina. He’s not going to set the world on fire, but he can give you a decent average and a fair amount of RBI. Keep in mind that his average and OPS in the first half are .245 and .686 respectively, while they increase to .277 and .819 in the second half.

7. John Buck, Florida Marlins: Buck hit a career-high 20 HRs last year. While that number is likely out of reach, he has averaged 12.9 HRs over the past seven seasons.

8. Chris Iannetta, Colorado Rockies: You’ve reached the desperation stage for N.L. catchers. Iannetta combined for 34 HRs in 2008 and 2009 before going in the tank last year, hitting .197. The power potential is there, but he’s a lifetime .234 hitter.

9. Jonathan Lucroy, Milwaukee Brewers: Lucroy could miss the start of the year as he recovers from a broken pinkie. His cup of coffee went OK as he hit .253 with 24 runs, four HRs, 26 RBI, and four SBs in 75 games. If you take Lucroy, you’re doing so on potential.

10. Ryan Doumit, Pittsburgh Pirates: Doumit lost the catcher gig to Chris Snyder, but he should get enough at bats at catcher, first base, and outfield to make him a serviceable option in N.L. Only leagues. He’s averaged 12.7 HRs over the past three years.

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MLB Fantasy Baseball 2011: Top 10 N.L. Only Catcher Rankings

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