I’m not going to point out Brian McCann or Mauer or any other catchers you or your leaguemates will be looking at in the first 10 rounds. Here are some catchers that I will be targeting at my 2009 fantasy drafts after the top options are gone. I’m also not going to get into the strategy of punting catchers. Been there, half-drunkenly wrote that. Click on the player’s name where applicable to read more and see their 2009 projections. This is a supplement to the top 20 catchers of 2009 fantasy baseball. Anyway, here’s some catchers to target for 2009 fantasy baseball:
Pablo Sandoval – I have his 2009 projections as 60/14/65/.300. I think he can get to 17+ home runs without losing anything on the average side. He’s not as appealing to me as a 3rd baseman or a swimsuit model.
Jarrod Saltalamacchia – Salty will see time at 1st base, DH and catcher. He’s going after some stankworths as Inge, Pierzynski and Suzuki.
Taylor Teagarden – Even with Saltymochachino standing in his way I like him to get enough ABs to be worthwhile. Teagarden is better with the glove and Blalock will get injured.
Chris Iannetta – Iannetta comes from a long line of Italian-American catchers, Napoli, Torre, Cannoli, Berra, Girardi, Piazza and Sal Falsano. Mamma mia! Now throwa chest protector ona Nicky Punto.
Jesus Flores – Flores para los muertes! Flores! Para los muertes! Some pop, low average.
Jeff Clement – Great late flier for power. If you were to take someone like Pierzynski over Clement, you deserve to lose your league. Sorry, sometimes the truth stings. You rub it with some lying-to-yourself ointment.
J.R. Towles – In 2008, I was off him like black off rice, but I haven’t mentioned him much, if at all, in 2009. You just need to throw out 2008. Pretend like it never happened. Or pretend like the only part that happened was when he hit .304 in almost 50 games after his callback from the minors. He has speed and some slight power. The absolute best case scenario seems to be Russell Martin. In the so-late-it-doesn’t-matter-anymore round, you turn your head to the East and you see no catchers by your side. Then like JT accompanying TI, you turn your head to the West, still nobody in sight. So you turn your head to the North, swallow that pill that they call pride and draft Towles.
