List your top fantasy catchers in 2010

[d107]

CBS lists them as is

1. Joe Mauer , MIN
Projected FPTS: 1735
As a first baseman, Mauer's .365-28-96-94 line would make him a first-round pick in Fantasy. As a catcher, it makes him the kind of player you give up the rest of your roster to get. His batting average led all of baseball, as did his .444 on-base percentage, and he finished second to Albert Pujols with a 1.031 OPS. You get the picture? He ranks among the top two or three hitters in the game at a position known for producing players that barely get by. And here's the clincher: He missed all of April -- one-sixth of the season -- recovering from offseason kidney surgery. Mauer had won two batting titles already, so nothing new there. But the emergence of power -- something expected to come, though maybe not so suddenly, as he entered his prime -- allowed him to take that next step forward. He's a menace, plain and simple, and would be a candidate to go first overall in a world without Pujols. So if you pick second or later and have a chance to draft Mauer, don't hesitate. He gives you the biggest advantage you could have at any position on the diamond.

2. Victor Martinez , BOS
Projected FPTS: 1649
Martinez wore more than one face, not to mention uniform, last year, but amid all the streaking, slumping and changing of zip codes, he made at least one thing abundantly clear: That 2008 season, when he hit only two home runs in 266 at-bats before shutting down for elbow surgery, was a fluke. He came back to hit his usual .300 with 20-25 homers and, if not for a midseason slump, would have finished with even better numbers than that. The Red Sox, who acquired him in a midseason trade, seem willing to adopt the same approach the Indians had, playing Martinez at first base on his "off" days, which means his value in Fantasy comes not just from his numbers themselves, but from the fact he gets more playing time than the average catcher. He clearly ranks behind Joe Mauer at the position, but the drop off from him to the No. 3 guy is an especially steep one. In other words, if you want an early-round catcher, he's your one and only fallback option.

Projected FPTS: 1349
McCann didn't take any steps forward last year. He had a career-high 94 RBI, but he declined in every other category, finishing with the second-lowest OPS (.834) of his career. He had a problem with blurred vision early in the year, but nothing a pair of eyeglasses couldn't resolve, followed by corrective surgery in the offseason. He was presumably seeing as well as ever when he hit .264 in the second half -- the second straight year his numbers have dipped after the All-Star break, possibly due to the wear and tear of catching. McCann still offers more good than bad, of course, as one of only a few catchers capable of hitting .300 with 20-25 homers, perhaps even more as he enters his prime. But the hype on him has died down a bit. Joe Mauer and Victor Martinez clearly outclass him at the position now, especially since, playing in the NL, he doesn't get the opportunity to man DH on his "off" days. If McCann flies under the radar until the middle rounds he's a bargain, but you can bet someone will take him before then. He's still one of the safer bets for offense at a weak position.

Projected FPTS: 1175
Perhaps you didn't see it coming, but Suzuki hit 15 home runs last year, good enough for 11th among catchers. That's exactly the kind of under-the-radar production you can expect from the 26-year-old. He doesn't profile as a power hitter per se, but the Athletics have always liked his makeup, an intangible that should allow him to remain in that 15-20 homer range as he enters his prime. Really, he has two things going for him: his low strikeout rate and the fact he gets more at-bats than the average catcher. The two together give him more opportunities for RBI and runs scored, allowing him to score an inordinate number of Fantasy points -- third-most among catchers last season -- even though his percentages -- .274 batting average and .734 OPS -- wouldn't blow you away. Suzuki doesn't come with the sizzle of a Brian McCann or a Miguel Montero, but he's arguably just as valuable and a relative bargain in the middle rounds.

5. Russell Martin , LA
Projected FPTS: 1141
After back-to-back All-Star seasons, Martin seemingly forgot everything he knew last year, his .680 OPS ranking behind such notables as Carlos Ruiz, Yorvit Torrealba and Nick Hundley. He still walked at a better-than-average rate and stole a handful of bases, but his power completely evaporated, his seven homers and 19 doubles both representing career lows. He got off to a slow start, sure, but he never got better from there, actually slumping to a .239 batting average in the second half. So after a season of struggles from start to finish, without any measure of reassurance toward the end, Martin comes with one unanswered question: What happened to him? The Dodgers blame a lack of confidence over a lack of ability, which makes sense considering he's only 27 and finished a homer short of the 20-20 club back in 2007. But without any evidence of an impending rebound, Martin comes with a huge amount of uncertainty. He's worth a middle-round pick in case he does rebound. For all his struggles last year, he still ranked among the top 10 catchers in Head-to-Head scoring, which underscores the lack of talent at the position.