'THE EDGE' (COMING SOON!!) |
Joe Mauer (MIN) - Going into the 2009 season, Mauer was a risk due to off-season health issues which lingered well into Spring Training and the beginning of the regular season. Mauer wound up being one of the biggest bargains of the season, hitting .365 and exploding in the power department with a career high 28 HR/96 RBI. This year should be interesting for this would be Mauer's walk year, and early indications may be that despite being a hometown product that he may seeking the bigger $$$ of a major market. The Twins also move to an outdoor park and will have to deal with some early-season Arctic like conditions. All of that said, catchers who contend for batting titles do not grow on trees - and Mauer will not come cheap this time around, look for him to be a top-20 overall pick.
Victor Martinez (BOS) - Was already enjoying a strong bounceback season, which got even better after tearfully leaving Cleveland and landing in the middle of a star-studded Red Sox lineup. Victor was not in mourning for long, going .336/8/41 in two month in Boston. Victor plays a lot of first base as well, which will keep his name on the lineup card most days. Martinez is a strong #2 who should be drafted not too long after Mauer.
Brian McCann (ATL) – You can do worse than this for the #3 backstop on this list. McCann's biggest problem was an eye issue earlier in the year that required him to eventually don glasses. McCann underwent a second LASIK procedure this off-season and should be good to go going forward. A solid .280/20/90 line has become McCann's baseline. 
Jorge Posada (NYY) – Despite missing a third of the 2009 season, Posada still wound up with one of his better seasons, eventually hitting 22 HR's and slugging over .500. Throw out the 2008 season in which he played only 51 games and Posada hit at least 19 HR's in every season this past decade. Posada is now 37, but I still say he has at least this year in him and the home run haven that is new Yankee Stadium will continue to benefit him.
Matt Wieters (BAL) – After the top 3-4 there is a substantial drop-off, Wieters gets the call here due to his upside. A highly touted prospect heading into the season, Wieters spend the first-quarter of the season in the minors to stall his arbitration clock. It took a while to get his feet with once reaching the show, but made his mark in the second half hitting .300 with one RBI per two games. Wieters is a cornerstone of the Orioles immediate future and should join the upper-echelon in his first full season.
Kurt Suzuki (OAK) - The Big Kurt has slowly come along the last couple years, and we can only wonder what he could do outside of Oakland. At home Kurt was .234/33/8/39 while he was .311/41/7/49 on the road, double those road numbers and Kurt is seriously flirting with a 100 RBI campaign. And you thought Matt Holliday was the only one who felt like his numbers were anchored in Oakland. At age 26 I wouldn't even worry about those home/road splits and just enjoy the total numbers.
Russell Martin (LA) – For those who like to buy low. Martin floundered tremendously last year, only hitting .250, in addition he appears to no longer be a stolen base threat and his power numbers plummeted as well. So has Martin gone the path of Jason Kendall now that the speed is go13ne. Not necessarily, Martin should still be in the prime of his career and is in a nice lineup in LA – and the nice thing is you will not have to reach and acquire him early this time around.
Geovany Soto (LA) – I boldly ranked Geo #1 at the position last year and he promptly fell flat on his face. Well, actually Soto was hitting 420 at one point, unfortunately that was 420 and not .420, actually we would have settled for a slugging percentage of .420. However I still fondly remember Soto's power outbursts from 2008. If Geo can get a clear head and manager Lou Pinella can steer him straight, I look at Soto as a nice buy low option for this year. 
Miguel Montero (AZ) – After Chris Snyder Wally Pipped himself out of the lineup, Montero proved himself as a very solid offensive catcher, finishing with 16 home runs and a .478 slugging percentage. Montero's stats were especially impressive in his final 66 games (.316/39/11/40). The starting job is now M-squared's to lose in Arizona.
Bengie Molina (MLB) – The longtime SF Giant is projected to sign with the Mets at some point before spring training. Molina is holding out for a multi-year deal while the Mets are holding out for one-year, knowing that there is not another serious bidder out there. Molina has driven in 81, 95, and 80 runs over the last three seasons and also made the 20 HR plateau for the first time last year. The Mets stadium is not a known haven but neither is the park that he's leaving in San Francisco, so that is a push. 
Mike Napoli (ANG) – If he could just get a few more at-bats. Napoli has reached the 20-homer plateau in each of the last two seasons. Average-wise Napoli does his best work against left-handers (.330 avg) and on the road (.308 compared to just .230 at home). A decent option but I wouldn't expect too much more offensively.
Ryan Doumit (PIT) – Seemed well on his way to joining the crop of upper-tier catchers after hitting .318 with 15 HR's in 116 games in 2008. But Doumit ended up missing half of last year while his batting average plummeted to .250, which is great news for the Pirates since Doumit now has less leverage in contract negotiations. Doumit is still only 25 so he can bounce back at least partially to 2008 standards.
Chris Ianetta (COL) – Is worth it as a lottery ticket simply based on where he plays, although a relatively low batting average holds his playing time down. Ianetta was .295/26/8/30 in just 139 Coors Field at-bats, but only hit a mere .167 on the road, although he did hit half of his 16 home runs away from home. I'd feel a little better about Ianetta's prospects if the Rockies hadn't signed Miguel Olivo in free agency, it looks like those two will end up splitting time.
A.J. Pierzynski (CWS) – This is as vanilla as gets as far as a baseline's concerned – a nice .280 average and somewhere around 15-16 home runs. Pierzynski is a clubhouse presence, gets under the skin of the opposition, and knows how to handle a pitching staff. It won't help directly in the stats department, but keeps his name in the lineup. A decent option to fill out a starting lineup, and someone to keep a chair warm while waiting for a prospect to emerge. 
Yadier Molina (STL) – Gets bottom-tier consideration in 12-14 team leagues due to his .300 average over the last two seasons and also appeared in 140 games last year, which is exceptional for a catcher. Yadier won't offer much in the power departments, he did steal nine bases last year but you can bet the mortgage he does not approach that again.
Buster Posey (SF) – This year's wild card, or this year's version of Matt Wieters. The #5 overall pick of the 2008 draft from Florida State, Posey made it through the entire Giants farm system in one season, and even got a few late AB's with the big club after slugging over .500 towards the tail end of the AAA season. Posey does not have exceptional power at this point and being in the NL on the West Coast will also work somewhat against him. My guess is that like most highly touted rooks, he will not come north with the big club but will get the call sometime in May – so be sure you have a fallback option to keep the chair warm. Miguel Olivo (COL) – Going to Colorado after hitting 23 home runs in 390 AB's with the lowly Royals makes Olivo an enticing candidate this year. And with half his games at Coors his perennially low batting average could even get a boost. But as things stand now I see neither him or Chris Ianetta getting the lion's share of AB's, check what happens in the spring in case things change.
Ramon Hernandez (CIN) – He quietly put together a decent decade, compiling 139 home runs while toiling for the A's, Padres, Orioles, and Reds, those are some organizations that can keep one under the radar for a career. Ramon is coming off an injury plagued '09 and should still be at least a lukewarm power producer in Cincinnati.
Jarrod Saltalamacchia (TX) – Put Salty in the post-hype category (but I called him post-hype last year), as he has not performed as expected since arriving in Texas, hitting .253 and .233 last two years, and will also be coming off shoulder surgery. All of that said, Salty's still just 25 and is in one of the better hitting parks in the bigs. Definitely worth a roll in later rounds of drafts. 
Dioner Navarro (TB) – Those who drafted him after his huge breakout year in 2008 were greatly disappointed, as Navarro seemingly spent the entire season just trying to distance himself from the Mendoza line, ultimately falling to .218 from .295 the year before. Now Kelly Shoppach is in Tampa and will start eating into Navarro's playing time. Jason Varitek (BOS) – Just based upon the brand identification, Varitek will probably go a bit sooner than this, and has still be good for about 15 HR's in recent years. But Tek is near the end of the line and batting average has become a liability. Varitek should see time behind the dish when Victor Martinez is playing first. Kelly Shoppach (TB) – You would have thought that Cleveland ditching Victor Martinez would be good for him, but Shoppach regressed badly after that 2008 season that saw him hit 21 HR's, with his batting average dropping to .214. If Shoppach can see some time at DH as well as behind the dish, there could be some opportunities in Tampa. Rod Barajas (FA) – Did hit 19 home runs for the Blue Jays last year, but is currently on the open market. Texas has been mentioned as once possibility, but that would be a crowded situation. Wherever Barajas lands it will most likely be in a platoon/part-time situation.
John Baker (FL) – Hitting five home runs during the month of May got Baker some attention last year and in 570 AB's since 2008 Baker has been .283/91/14/82. Not bad, but Baker is in a straight platoon with Ronny Paulino.
Carlos Santana (CLE) – With both Victor Martinez and Kelly Shoppach now gone, the road is open for Santana to become Cleveland's guitar hero behind the plate. Santana hit 23 HR/97 RBI last year, albeit it was in AA. Considered the #1 prospect in the Cleveland organization, look for Santana to get some AB's in AAA to open things up before getting the call sometime around mid-year. Taylor Teagarden (TEX) – T is for Taylor, T is for Teagarden, T is for Texas, but T wasn't necessarily for terrific last year, as Teagarden didn't hit for a whole lot. That said, I think he can have some post-hype run while battling Jarrod Saltalamacchia for playing time. 15-20 homers is a possibility if things break right.
Carlos Ruiz (PHI) – He gets ranked higher on other rankings, for he does get about 2/3'rds playing time in a strong lineup. However nothing in Ruiz's stats stands out and that particularly includes batting average. He's been behind the dish in Philly for three years now so stat-wise he has most likely reached his peak.
Gregg Zaun (MLW) – His power numbers last year were not bad, eight home runs in just 262 AB's. That will make him Babe Ruth in Milwaukee compared to Jason Kendall. At age 39, Zaun will merely be keeping the seat warm until prospect Angel Salome is up to speed.
Adam Moore (SEA) – In case you still have Kenji Johjima on your radar, he has opted out of the rest of this Seattle contract and has returned to Japan. Moore does not have a huge MLB resume, but is said to be a good defensive catcher and has some moderate power potential. Probably someone to consider getting off the free agent scrap heap at some point.
Ivan Rodriguez (WSH) – Statistically, he should be a shoo-in HOF'er, but Pudge's stats have been ordinary for the position for a few years now. He did hit 10 home runs in 121 games last year but I wouldn't even expect that in DC and his days of being a .300+ hitter are long gone as well.
Gerald Laird (DET) – Give he and his brother credit for keeping their names in the news this off-season. Mixing it up with patrons at NBA games aside, Laird fell off considerably moving from Texas to Detroit, his batting average plummeting from .276 to .225. Laird will start yielding playing time to youngster Alex Avila, who hit five home runs in 61 AB's late in the '09 season.
Jason Kendall (KC) – A weak free agent market at the catching position helped Kendall land a two-year contract with the Royals. The fact that he calls a good game keeps him in the starting lineup, but outside of the Little League field that sits next to Milwaukee's Miller Park, Kendall is not a home run threat. Still steals a few bases but is not even close to the average hitter he was a decade ago. Ronny Paulino (FL) – Always puts up some decent numbers whenever called upon. If he starts seeing more playing time than anticipated in Florida, he might be a capable fill-in. For the record, the Marlins seem very happy with a Paulino/John Baker platoon. Alex Aliva (DET) – Figures to see at least one-third of the action behind the plate this year, is probably a year away from moving in as an everyday backstop for good. In time could a be a decent 15-HR type. Chris Snyder (AZ) – At his best, Snyder had 15-20 HR potential but nothing more than a .250 hitter. Now Snyder is coming off back surgery and is a clear #2 behind Miguel Montero and has been mentioned in trade rumors. Wherever Snyder winds up, he's in a part-time gig at best.