| Catcher Rankings |
| Rank |
Team |
Player |
Avg. |
Runs |
HR |
RBI |
SB |
| 1 |
 |
Victor Martinez |
.301 |
78 |
25 |
114 |
0 |
|
Baseball's best offensive catcher gets a major boost from the fact that he takes few days off. Instead of sitting out once or twice a week like most catchers, Martinez plays first base or DH on his off days.
|
| 2 |
 |
Russell Martin |
.293 |
87 |
19 |
87 |
21 |
|
Martin has rare speed for a catcher. He was the first catcher to steal 20 bases in a season since 2000. |
| 3 |
 |
Joe Mauer |
.293 |
62 |
7 |
60 |
7 |
Mauer suffered through an injury-plagued 2007. But he should contend for a batting title if he can stay healthy in '08.
|
| 4 |
 |
Jorge Posada |
.338 |
91 |
20 |
90 |
2 |
Posada had a career year in 2007, and remains one of the game's top catchers. But can he have a repeat performance at age 36? Most catchers start to fade fast in their early-30s.
|
| 5 |
 |
Brian McCann |
.270 |
51 |
18 |
92 |
0 |
|
McCann couldn't quite match his fantastic 2006 season (.333 with 24 HR), but he's still a talented young hitter who will get tons of RBI opportunities in the Braves' talented lineup. |
| 6 |
 |
Bengie Molina |
.276 |
38 |
19 |
81 |
0 |
|
The best hitter of the Molina brothers, Bengie had a career year in his first season in the National League. He's going to put up solid numbers when healthy, but injuries often derail Molina. Last year was just the third time in eight full seasons that Molina has avoided a stint on the disabled list.
|
| 7 |
 |
Kenji Johjima |
.287 | 52 | 14 | 61 | 0 |
|
In his second season since coming over from Japan, Johjima settled in as one of the better offensive catchers in baseball. He rarely strikes out, leading to a decent batting average. And Johjima has decent power as well.
|
| 8 |
 |
Geovany Soto |
.389 |
12 |
3 |
8 |
0 |
|
Never considered much of a prospect, Soto shed 30 pounds last off-season and turned into a hitting machine. After tearing up Triple-A pitching, Soto continued to crush the ball in 18 games with the big league club. He'll enter the season as Chicago's top backstop, but Soto must prove that 2007 was not a fluke. |
| 9 |
 |
Ramon Hernandez |
.258 |
40 |
9 |
62 |
1 |
|
Hernandez is coming off an injury-plagued season. But he's still just 31 years old and one of the few cathcers in baseball with 20-home run power.
|
| 10 |
 |
Jarrod Saltalamacchia |
.266 |
39 |
11 |
33 |
0 |
|
"Salty" put up solid numbers over just 93 games as a rookie last season. He still qualifies at catcher in many leagues since he played the majority of his games there last season, though Salty may play first base just as often. He was the key prospect in the Texas trade that sent star first baseman Mark Teixeira to Atlanta, and with good reason. Salty is a sweet-swinging switch-hitter with 20-home run potential. He could be a top five catcher if he adjusts to big league pitching
|
| 11 |
 |
Ronny Paulino |
.263 |
56 |
11 |
55 |
2 |
|
Even in a disappointing season, Paulino was still an above average offensive catcher last season. He has a little bit of power and will hit for a decent average. And at age 27, he still has room to improve.
|
| 12 |
 |
Ivan Rodriguez |
.281 |
50 |
11 |
63 |
2 |
|
Pudge might be slowing down a little at age 37, but he still has the ability to hit for a good batting average. And in Detroit's powerful lineup, he should get plenty of RBI opportunities, even hitting at the bottom of the order.
|
| 13 |
 |
Carlos Ruiz |
.259 |
42 |
6 |
54 |
6 |
|
Playing in one of baseball's most hitter-friendly parks and part of one of MLB's most-dangerous lineups, Ruiz can't help but put up decent numbers. He should get more at-bats than he did in 2007 (374), leading to more RBIs and runs. Ruiz also should continue to improve his power numbers, and even has a little bit of speed.
|
| 14 |
 |
Jason Varitek |
.255 |
57 |
17 |
68 |
1 |
|
Varitek might not hit for a great average anymore, but he still has decent power for a catcher. He'll also continue to benefit from hitting in a very good Boston lineup.
|
| 15 |
 |
A.J. Pierzynski |
.263 |
54 |
14 |
50 |
1 |
|
Pierzynski has been consistently solid at the plate. He has hit at least .257 with double-digit homers in each of the past five seasons.
|
