2011 Catcher Rankings

Fantasy Baseball Rankings 2011: Catchers

One of the toughest positions to predict in fake MLB are fantasy baseball catchers. That said, there’s no question who the top dog is at the position coming into the 2010 season.

For the fourth year in a row, Joe Mauer of the Minnesota Twins will enter the season as the top catcher in our fantasy baseball catcher rankings. In 2010, Mauer had a down season in comparison to his 2009 MVP campaign, but he was still far and away the game’s top catcher. Because of an early season injury and lofty expectation – his ESPN.com average draft position was 12 – Mauer batted .327 with 9 home runs, 75 RBI, 88 runs scored and 1 steal.

Last season, Mauer began the year with lofty expecations… and failed to meet them. Remember back to the 2009 season when Mauer didn’t have the power numbers to make him a no-brainer selection over a slugger like Victor Martinez? Well, we could be back to that kind of scenario in 2011.

Because V-Mart regularly contributes to categories like home runs and RBI at a more consistent clip than Mauer – drafting at catcher does require some thought. In 2011′s fantasy baseball landscape, Mauer is still ahead of the “slugging catchers” like V-Mart and Brian McCann, but the gap is significantly closed because of Mauer’s drop in batting average.

Since most catchers are good for a batting average in the .260′s and around 15 home runs, fantasy baseball owners who have the chance to get a catcher who eclipses those power numbers typically take him. A handful of catchers to watch with a keen eye in your 2011 fantasy baseball drafts for power include two Miguel’s (Olivo of Colorado and Montero of Arizona), NL ROY Buster Posey, and Geovany Soto, who hit 17 home runs in just 105 games.

Fantasy Baseball Catcher Rankings

For 2011 fantasy baseball players, there are a wide variety of quality catchers to consider heading into the season. Based on our best guesses, player history, and projection – we have ranked our Top 25 for you. E-mail webmaster [at] fantasybaseballdugout [dot] com if you think we got something viciously wrong.