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Punting catcher doesn’t mean you don’t want anything from your catcher spot.  I don’t draft A.J. Pierzynski while waving a white flag.  I just try and get value later on.  Which brings us to Geovany Soto.  Last year, Geovany Soto burned a whole lot of people who drafted a catcher early.  Soto’s 2009 was off the charts unlucky.  His BABIP went from .337 in 2008 to .251 last year.  I.e. His average should come up to .270 levels.  His power was zapped because of a shoulder injury.  When he started to get healthy in June, he hit 6 homers that month.  Then an oblique injury sidelined him.  Bad luck followed by terrible luck.  But that’s all behind him.  Let’s look at Geovany Soto for 2010 fantasy baseball and what makes him a sleeper.

From 2008 to 2009, everything that was in Soto’s control went in the right direction.  His walk rate went up, his strikeout rate went down, the amount of pitches he swung at outside the strike zone went down.  When he did swing the bat, he hit more pitches inside and outside the strike zone then he did the previous year.  Even the amount of homers he hit compared to how many fly balls showed he was unlucky.  With a year removed from the injuries, I see no reason why Soto can’t come close to equaling his Rookie of the Year, um, year.  Think 20 homers and a .275 average.  Oh, and this is as much about Geovany Soto for 2010 fantasy baseball as about the schmohawks around him on draft boards.  Jorge Posada?  He turned 57 years old last year.  Russell Martin?  He’s Crapolanco at catcher.  Whatevs.  Kurt Suzuki is Russell Martin for the fantasy baseballer who overthinks things.  Explanation:  Some people think Russell Martin is good, then there’s some people who think Martin’s good but overrated.  Then there’s a select few who think Martin’s good, overrated and Suzuki can do the same for cheaper.  These people are like Alexander Bogdanov.  The Russian scientist who thought he could achieve eternal youth with blood transfusions then died of a blood transfusion.  As long as Soto stays low on draft boards, he’s definitely someone to look at later in 2010 fantasy baseball drafts.