Off the Scrap Heap

Many low budgets decided to go with cheaper options than huge free agent signing this year, using the rule 5 draft, waivers and trades. Below is a list of bargain players and what they should do next year stat-wise. In no particular order:

Franklyn Gutierrez, Seattle Mariners, RF (B-): Cheap. Guttierez was a nice pickup for the lowely Mariners. He used to be a huge prospect for the Indians between 2003 and 2006 but has fell off the table a little bit since then. Still, judging by his minor league numbers he has the potential to go 20-20, or even 25-20 with a respectable batting average. For Valbuena, a not-so-dazzling middle infielder the Mariners lucked out and got a starting outfielder. .280, 15hr, 15 sb, 60rbi

Jose Ceda, Florida Marlins, CL, (B+)- Cheap. Ceda was a fantastic pickup for the Marlins. They traded away their closer, Keving Gregg for the young missile launcher. Ceda hasn't pitched in the majors yet but his minor league numbers dazzle-- in 180 innings hes given only 5 hits up per nine innings. He should be closing for the Marlins by the end of 2009. 3.30, 50 ip, 15 saves.
Donald Veal, SP, Pittsburgh Pirates, SP, (B-)- Rule 5. Veal was a former prospect for the Chicago Cubs, but with their glut of pitchers and his recent struggles in AA they took him off the roster and let the Pirates get their filthy little fingers on him. He has a career 3.80 era in 469.2 innings pitched, and is clearly a horse. The Pirates need a guy to supplement the young arms of Maholm and Snell. 7-10, 4.80, 150 ip, 100 k

Scott Olsen, Washington Nationals, LHP (B)- Cheap. Olsen was a nice pickup for the Washington Nationals this offseason. He can do a lot of things for the rotation, first of all he can eat innings, and pitch about 200 innings annually like he has over his short career, he can take out lefties, he can get double plays and finally, he knows how to win ballgames. His era may rise a little bit, but considering he's a slider/changeup guy, the smaller Nationals Park won't really affect him as much as say a flyball pitcher like Tim Redding. They got an absolute steal for the slapp hitting Emilio Bonafacio. In his three and a half season in the big leagues, Olsen has posted almost 600 innings of work. 12-10, 4.35, 180 ip, 100 k

Josh Bard, Boston Red Sox, C (C+)- Bard was a nice pickup for the Sox. Although he can't catch Wakefield to save his life, the guy has made good contact throughout his career and has a decent arm when healthy. In about a half season in 2006, Bard his .338 and had a .409 OBP. Theo knows what he's doing, and whether or not Bard stars or backs up Varitek he is a valuable acquisition especially as a backup. He's never had much power, but he can hit around .280, hit 5-10 bombs and get on base about 35-36% of the time when healthy. .285, 5 hr, 40 rbi

Brent Lillibridge, SS/2B, Chicago White Sox (B-)- Very Cheap. Lillibridge is a versatile guy, and to me he's a remake of a young David Eckstein. Energetic, and scrappy, Lillibridge can hit 10-15 homers when healthy, steal 20-30 bases and bat near .300 or a shade under. His arm isn't strong, but his range is a plus. He has yet to break out, but in 2006 he hit .308 and stole 34 bases, then hit .299 at a level above that. His college numbers are phenomenal as well, regularly hitting about .330. The White Sox got him and Flowers for Vasquez. He might even start this season depending on what the situation is with Betemit, Ramirez, Fields and Konerko. .275, 5hr, 15 sb, .350 OBP

Wilson Betemit, 3B, Chicago White Sox (B-)- Cheap. Betemit came to the White Sox from the New York Yankees for Nick Swisher. He's never gotten the chance to start, but now that Alex Rodriguez is gone, the Yankees would have had an opening for him. He's a good player, and has 20-25 homerun power and has a solid arm. That alone will probably give him the starting job in 2009. .265, 20hr, 60rbi, .340 OBP

Brett Gardner, CF, New York Yankees (B-)- Very cheap. The Yankees didn't have to make a trade to get Gardner, he came from within their farm system. Basically, Gardner is a perfect leadoff man. He walks a ton, and makes solid contact, batting .291 and getting on base 39% of the time in his minor league career. The best aspect of his game is his speed, rated "80+" on the scouting scale, Gardner turns doubles into triples with ease, collects inside the park home runs and has stolen 153 bases in the minors. It'll be nice to see a guy that cares about playing centerfield instead of the lax and lazy Melky Cabrera. .290, 3 hr, 45 sb, 80 runs

Russell Branyan, 3B/1B, Seattle Mariners (C+)- Cheap. Branyan has always had a ton of power, the most in the majors. He hits 450 foot bombs regularly, but he also strikes out a lot and doesn't make consistent contact. Branyan showed his insane power in 2008 when he hit 12 home runs in just 132 at bats. In a regular season Branyan could hit 30-35 homeruns if he's given 500 at bats. Beltre will start at third but Branyan has a shot to take over at first base, at least for now. .250, 20 hr, 70 rbi.

Coco Crisp, CF, Kansas City Royals, (B)- Moderate. Crisp was yet another fine aquisiton for the Kansas City Royals. He will once again take back his starting job in center, and with that will come 30 stolen bases (at least), great defense and range, and a solid .280 batting average. He could hit 10-15 homeruns in a full season as well if he gets hot. .280, 8 hr, 30 sb, 100 runs

Ramon Ramirez, SU, Boston Red Sox, (B+)- Cheap. This Ramirez will be more well-liked in Boston. Traded from the Royals for Crisp, R&R pitched 71 innings, striking out 70 in 2008. He sported a 2.63 ear and gave up an anti-Farnsworth 2 homeruns. He's a good fit for the Sox and he'll be a very reliable set up man to supplement Hideki Okajima. 2.60 era, 75 ip, 70 k's.

Brian Fuentes, CL, Anaheim Angels, (B+)- Moderate. For a closer that throws 93+ miles per hour, Fuentes comes relatively cheap. His numbers in 2008 were dominant, striking out 82 in 62 innings pitched and giving up just 2 homeruns in the homerun happy Coors Field. His career ERA is 3.41, but over the past two seasons he's kept it below 3.10. Over four seasons at closer he's saved 115 games, and the Angels will expect him to add to that number. 2.60, 40 saves, 70 ip

Cody Ransom, INF, New York Yankees, (C+)- Cheap. Ransom was a nice pickup for the Yankees in 2008 and will replace Wilson Betemit as the utility infielder in 2009. His career range factor at short is an impressive 4.29 and he can play every position in the infield, and I would bet the outfield too. He has nice pop for a infielder as well, hitting .302 with 4 homeruns with the Yankees in just 43 at bats. Since 2005 Ransom hasn't slugged less than .478, that alone should be good enough to convince you that he's the right man for the job. .260, 8 hr, 30 rbi

Matt Joyce, RF, Tampa Bay Rays, (B)- Cheap. Joyce is what you'd get if you had Adam Dunn lose 50 pounds and lay off the donuts. He has good power, bippity-bopping 13 homeruns in barely a third of a season in 2008. He may not be able to keep up that pace and hit 40 homers, but he can hit 20-25 (maybe 30), especially playing home games at Tropicana Field. .280, 25 hr, 100 rbi

Alberto Gonzalez, MI, Washington Nationals, (B-)- Very cheap. Gonzalez is an extremely slick fielder. He'll make a few errors here or there, but his range factor at second and shortstop are both at about 4.50. He has a strong arm, can steal 10-15 bases in a full season and can hit between .280 and .290. He doesn't have much power, but his defense and his contact makes up for that. To me, there shouldn't be any contest between Anderson Hernandez and AG for the second base job in Washington. .285, 3hr, 10 sb, 4.5o RF at SS.

Nick Hundley, C, San Diego Padres, (B-)- Very cheap. Hundley came from within the Padres's organization and has slotted himself in as their starting catcher heading in to 2009. He doesn't make great contact, but he can easily hit 15-20 homeruns. He has a good arm, and calls a Brian Schneider-like game. All around, he's an effective catcher and will be a good mentor for the Padres weak staff. .260, 15 hr, 60 rbi

Ramon Hernandez, C, Cincinnati Reds, (B)- Moderate. Hernandez has always been in the top 10-15 catchers offensively throughout his career. He plays good defense, has a strong arm and is good for 15-20 homeruns yearly. He hit 23 bombs in 2006 and hit another 15 last year in less than a full season. He doesn't strike out much, only 63 times in 2008, and still has the potential to hit near .280, especially in the NL's best hitters park. .270, 15hr, 70rbi,

Ty Wigginton, 3B, Baltimore Orioles, (B)- Moderate. The Orioles always manage to sign the "unfantastic" players from the free agent pool. Wigginton isn't spectacular but he is very consistent. He hit 23 homeruns in 2008 and slugged a sexy .526 though a half season. He hit .285 and played some shit defense. Still, he can at least function as a third basemen and his 25-30 homerun power makes him a nice pick up for the Orioles. .265, 20hr, 70 rbi

Brad Ziegler, CL, Oakland Athletics, (B+)- Perfect Bargain. The Athletics truely picked Ziegler off the scrap heap in 2008. He was on his last legs as a prospect as a 29 year old reliever, but when the Athletics made him their closer when Street starting blowing dogs, he was one of the best in the AL. His ERA was a silly 1.06, and if he can hold off Devine, he'll continue to be one of the top closers in the AL. 2.80, 25 saves, 70 ip

Mike Aviles, SS/2B, Kansas City Royals, (A-)- Perfect Bargain. Aviles was the product of the Royals' disgust with Angel Berroa and Esteban German. The New York native hit a hit a sweet .325 with a 122 OPS+ in 2008. In 2/3 of a season he also hit 10 homers and stole 8 bases. Through a full season Aviles could be one of the top five shortsops in the game if he puts up my projections. .300, 20 hr, 15 sb, 80 rbi, 100 runs

The Best Offseason Acquisitions of 2009

There wasn't as much free agent movement as in years past, but the bulky and lavish contracts of CC Sabathia and Mark Teixeira more than made up for it. As of now, premier veterans like Manny Ramirez and Ben Sheets are still un-signed. The Yankees and the Nationals cleaned house, signing the best of the free agent pool, while the Red Sox added some depth at catcher, the Mets bulked up their rotation and the Dodgers strengthened a shaky middle-infield.

1. C.C. Sabathia, New York Yankees (A)- Sabathia was the primary target of the Yankees going into the off season with Teixeira, Lowe and Sheets being consolation prizes. Sabathia is an innings-eating horse who dragged the lifeless Brewers to the playoffs in 2008 after being traded form Cleveland. Over the past two seasons, Sabathia leads the MLB with 494 innings pitched, and has posted 36 wins, 460 strikeouts and ERA a shade under 3.00. The Yankees know what they're getting in Sabathia, and he'll be the staff's ace. 250 innings is a little much to ask, but 220 of 3.30 ERA ball is definitely possible.

2. Adam Dunn, Washington Nationals (B+)- No team needed an offensive upgrade more than the Nationals. Their young outfield is finally developing into a formidable force, with Milledge, Dukes, Willingham, Pena, Kearns and now Dunn. Dunn was rated by Money Magazine as the most undervalued outfielder in the game. He is extremely consistent, hitting 40 homeruns per year over the past four years and posting a nice .381 career OBP. His fielding is piss-poor in left, so he'll be playing most of his games at first base.

3. Mark Teixeira, New York Yankees (A-)- The added bonus of the Yankees' signing of Teixeira is the fact that they won't have to face him playing in a Red Sox uniform. Teixeira is an extremely well built power hitter and according the Mens Health is the most dedicated player in the weightroom--sans steroids--in baseball. He's a gold glove first basemen and he doesn't strike out all that much for a guy that hits 35 homers a year. He'll be Arod's frontman, batting third.

4. Derek Lowe, Atlanta Braves, (B+)- The Braves need an innings eater with the young Reyes, Jurjens and Hanson ready to take the lead. Campillo, Vasquez and Lowe are the veterans of the rotation and each can consistently pitch 200 innings. Pelfrey, Pedro and Santana can't be expected to pitch 200 innings yearly but Lowe, Vasquez, Jurjens and now Campillo can. Lowe, in his four years with the Dodgers, never pitched less than 199 innings and posted 211 over more three times over that span. His ERA is usually Andy Pettitte-solid around 3.80-4.00. All of sudden the Braves have a top 10 rotation with Lowe, Hanson/Reyes, Campillo, Jurjens, Vasquez and, at some point, Tim Hudson

5. Orlando Hudson, 2B, Los Angeles Dodgers, (B)- Black Dewitt was absolutely fine at 2B last year for the Dodgers, but Hudson gives them a nice upgrade both offensively and defensively. His defense is the best at his position, aleady securing three gold gloves in his young career. He never slugged less than .441 and never hit less than .287 with Arizona, ultimately hitting .305 in over 400 at bats in 2008. He won't have as much power now that's he's leaving the super-dry air of Arizona, but about 10 homers, 5-10 stolen bases, 30 doubles and a .290 batting average is a reasonable projection. At such a thin position the Dodgers made a good move securing Hudson, and they still have DeWitt is he goes down.

6. A.J. Burnett, SP, New York Yankees, (B)- Burnett is a strikeout-machine, and led the AL in strikeouts in 2008 with 231. His 4.07 era was all that dominant but he did pitch very well in the second half. His track record suggests he'l lose significant time to injury while with the Yanks, but his 3.81 era and his 87 career wins are still pretty nice to have at your third starter. If he can keep it together he could rack up wins as the number two or number three starters with the Yankees--simply put, no other team has as good a number three, or even number two (except the D'Backs).

7. Francisco Rodriguez, New York Mets, (A-)- Rodriguez broke Thigpen's single season save record in 2008, saving 62 in 28 ip in 2008. He's still only 26, something that people tend to forget after looking at the his career statline of 451 ip and 208 saves. Fantastic Franky has very good stuff, a 95 mph fastball and an unmathable 2-8 slider. He's struck out a whopping 587 in his 451 innings pitched, adn now that he's left the AL for the friendlier Citifield/NL, his numbers will be even better...

8. Ramon Hernandez, C, Cincinnati Reds, (B-)- The Reds' Hanigan isn't quite ready to take over the starting job, but with his awesome defense, he will soon. Hernandez is a nice stop gap and is an underrated producer at catcher. He's a career .412 slugger and hit 15 homeruns in '08 and 23 in 2006. He gives up too many past balls of late, but that's also a function of catching Daniel Cabrera's lack of control. His arm is solid and he calls a good game, so he's an all-around good signing.

9. Rafael Furcal, SS, (B)- The Dodgers securing Furcal and stealing him away from the Braves' filthy fingers was a good move. Any guy that Billy Beane wants is a good player to have in my opinion. Furcal plays good D', has good range and has an arm that wields a fastball that's been clocked as high as 96 mph. He's a career .286 hitter and steals 25-30 bases annually. He gets on base .350% of the time and can hit 15 homers through a full season. He's been forgotten by most because of his injuries of late, but he's definitely in the top 10 shortstops in the MLB.

10. Ramon Ramirez, SU, Boston Red Sox (A-)- The Red Sox now have the best bullpen in the majors with the aquisition of Ramirez. Papelbon, Okajima, Ramirez, Javier Lopez, Del Carmen and Masterson are all plus-plus pitchers. Ramirez was a dominant reliever with the Royals in 2008 posting a 2.64 ERA, 70 k's through 71 innings pitched. When he was with Colorado, the Rockies liked him but couldn't hold on to him with their glut of rookie players and high-priced veterans. He adds yet another super-duper righty to the bullpen and could be the garnish to Javier Lopez's left-eating slider.

11. Matt Joyce, Tampa Bay Rays, OF (B)- The Rays gave up absolutely nothing in Edwin Jackson to get their hands on Joyce. With Niemann and Hammel out of options and Hellickson, Price and Davis knocking down the door Jackson was expendable. Joyce strikes out too much but he gets on bases and hits homers...even in Tiger's spacious confines. He hit 12 homers in a little more than a third of a season in 2008 and drew 31 walks. He struck out 65 times but showed a good skill set overall. He'll make losing Rocco Baldelli a non-issue.

12. Pat Burrell, Tampa Bay rays, DH (B+)- Burrell will replace Cliff Floyd as the Ray's veteran power hitter. Burrell got a lot of guff for striking out and consistenly hitting .250 in Philly but the guy hasn't hit less than 29 homers since 2004. His walk-strikeout race is pretty nice, walking 216 times in the past two seasons vs. 256 strikeouts. He's a particularly BAD outfielder, so he'll be a DH.

13. Javier Vasquez, Atlanta Braves, SP (B)- Vazquez was the Braves' consolation prize for not securing Lowe. Although his ear and win totals fluctuate, Vasquez has a super consistent-work-horse track record pitching more than 198 innings in every year since 2000. He struck out 200 win 208 ip in 2008 and posted a lackluster 4.67 era, but his ability to stay in a game is invaluable to a team with a young pitching staff.

14. Ty Flower/Brent Lillibridge, C/MI, (B-/C+)- Flowers and Lillibridge are nice aquisitions for the White Sox, considering they were only giving up the agining and inconsistent Javier Vasquez. Flowers is a good catching prospect with a sweet .888 career OPS in the minors through three years. Lillibridge is the newer version of David Eckstein with potential to be a little more. He's a solid middle infielder and he can steal some bases--128 in his minors' career. He hit .287 with Atlanta's AAA club in 2008 and belted 10 homers in a half season as well--nice numbers for a SS. In the Majors, a .270-.290 batting average, 6-10 homers, 15-20 stolen bases ad solid defense.

15. Coco Crisp, CF, Kansas City Royals, (B)- Crisp has the potential to be an A-, but he plain never reached it with the Sox. He plays very good defense in center, getting to balls that few others can grab. He'll move David DeJesus to LF, a much better fit for him, and will add some speed to the top of the order, again displacing DeJesus as the leadoff man. In a little more than a half season in 2008 he proved that he could be a very good leadoff man. He stole 20 bases, walked 35 times, hit 18 doubles and scored 55 times. Through a full season, ,Crisp could steal forty bases and hit 12-15 homeruns.

16. Bobby Abreu, RF, Los Angeles Angels, (B+)- I've never liked Abreu and am glad that he's on the other side of the country now. He's regressing at a pretty obvious rate, but he did spike his power numbers in 2008 order to get a good contract. He's generally a 20-20 guy but looks more like a 15 and 20 guy at this age. His defense is the worst in the MLB at his position--he gets to nothing--and the Yankees are relieved that they'll replace him in right with Nady--a pretty sad statement considering Nady loses the ball too much. He'll displace Guerrero at DH, putting Guerrero's rocket arm and bad back in RF.

17. Nick Swisher, New York Yankees, 1B (B)- At the time, the Yankees needed a first basement, and giving up Betemit for the former Moneyball wet dream of Bill Beane wasn't so bad. Swisher gets on base and had a .381 OBP in 2007 before seeing it drop to .332 because of his .220 batting average. His numbers fell off the table in 2008, probably because of his dislike for Ozzie Guillen. Even so, he still did hit 24 homers in 100 bats short of a full season. If he can rebound, he's a nice player to have on the bench or in the corner outfield. The guy can even play center in a pinch. But 20-30 homeruns, a .250-.270 batting average and 80-100 walks will be Swisher's line through a full season.

18. Mark DeRosa, Cleveland Indians, LF/3B/2B/1B, (B)- With Andy Marte floundering and Carlos Santana not finished converting his game to third base, DeRosa will take over the hot-corner-duty. He hit 20 bombs in 2008 with the Cubbies and is always good for a .280-.290 batting average and consistent defense. He's a super utilit guy and can really play anywhere on the field, even shortstop in a pinch.

19. Milton Bradley, OF, Chicago Cubs, RF/LF, (B)- Bradley is a nice bat to have on any team, but the Cubs got a boost to their outfield after the miserable failure of Ko-sucky Fuck-a-dome. He's never fully healthy, but when he is he can really hit. He hit .321 and 22 homers through 414 at bats in Arlington's friendly confines. He may not duplicate those numbers, but 20 homers a .280-.300 batting average and a good arm in the outfield is a pretty good line.

20. Orlando Carbrera, Oakland Athletics, SS, (B-)- Cabrera is a very solid guy to have at short-he's consistent and you know what you're going to get year in and year out. The consolation prize to Furcal for the A's, Cabrera may even be the better fit in the end. He's won a GG as recently as 2007, his second, and hit .301 with the Angels in that same year. For as many at bats as he gets, he doesn't strike out much (only 71 times in 661 at bats) and he is good at running the bases (19 stolen bases and 184 for his career). In 2003 he hit 17 homeruns with Montreal but he seems to have leveled off at about 8-10 with good line drive power. He'll hit close to 40 doubles every year, and in the super-pitcher's park that the A's sport, he'll hit even more than that, maybe even matching his career high of 47.

21. Joe Crede, 3B/1B, Minnesota Twins, (B-)- Crede strikes out and doesn't make good contact but he does have power and plays a solid third base. The Twins needed a third basement badly, and now their only weak spot on their offense is Nick Punto who had the lowest VORP of any player in 2007. Punto at least makes it up with slick defense at shortstop. Crede is good for 20 homeruns, even with back problems, and he'll be the AL's version of Pedro Feliz.

22. J.J. Putz, SU, New York Mets, (B+)- Putz was the second super reliever to upgrade the Mets crappy bullpen. Heilman is gone, but in Minaya's defense the guy was never that effective to being with. Putz fits better in a set up role, especially after regressing in 2008. His 1.38 ERA and 37 hits in 71 innings pitched in 2007 was very Joe Nathan-like and was unmatchable by any AL Closer outside of Mariano. He'll set up Franky along with Duaner Sanchez, and maybe even John Niese.

23. Wilson Betemit, INF, Chicago White Sox, INF, (B-)- Betemit was the product of shipping Swisher to the Yankees. The guys never really got a chance at a full time job despite his above-average power for an infielder. He's too slow to play second, but he can play an adequate shortstop, a good 3B and a very good 1B. He hit 14 homeruns in only 240 at bats with the Dodgers in 2007 and 18 in 373 the year before. He may even start depending on what they do with Ramirez, Fields and Lillibridge. If he does, he's a nice guy to have at the corners, and could hit .260-.280 with between 15-25 homers over a full season. He's kind of like a Pedro Feliz.

24. Josh Bard, C, Boston Red Sox, (B-)- Bard had a rough season last year, and he was just plain torn apart with injuries. In 178 at bats he hit only .202, highly uncharacteristic for a guy known to make good contact. In 2007 he hit .285 and in 2006 he hit .333. He's never been a slugger, with a career SLG % of about .395, but he knows how to hit and get on base-walking 50 times in a half season in 2007). He may displace Varitek at starter-- although unlikely--if he starts off well. He needs to learn to catch Wakefield though, something that he absolutely could not d in 2008.

25. Russell Branyan, 3B/1B/RF, Seattle Mariners, (B-)- Branyan hasn't gotten the chance to play everyday since he was with the Indiands. He scares managers' because of his insane strikeout numbers, but his power is unmatchable by anyone in the MLB. When he makes square contact he has hit bombs 450 feet. He was third in the MLB with 15 at bats per homerun in 2008 and he's flexible enough to play the outfield as well as the corners. He's getting old, turning 34 for 2009, but his career .485 slugging percentage and the fact that he hit 12 homers in less than a third of a season with the Brewers last year makes the Mariners look genius for picking him up to supplement Beltre and play some first base.

C Plus

Its the year of the catcher and the position has never before offered this much talent. Offensively you have the batting title winner who has taken home the trophy in two of the last three seasons, Joe Mauer, four world series rings in Posada, two in Jason Varitek, MVP numbers in Brian McCann and the possibility of ROY/MVP numbers from Matt Wieters this coming season.

There are quite a few catchers in the MLB that deserve more credit than they get and there are quie a few that don't deserve the credit that they get. If you want to do the overrated/underrated thing, then the overrated are Jason Varitek and Jarrod Saltalamacchia and the underrated are Mike Napoli and Ryan Doumit. Below is the list of the best catchers in the game, categorized by their current "buzz" in relation to their output/potential.

The Underrated

1. Joe Mauer, C, Minnesoda Twins, (A)- Mauer is perfection at catcher. He has already won two batting titles in his short career, won three gold gloves, a couplea' silver sluggers and started at the All Star game. He's the leader of the Twins and is STILL not the household name he should be. It troubles me that more casual six-year-old fans would know Jason Varitek or Jorge Posada's name before Mauers...He's the best of the three, kid, and the best of your generation.

2. Mike Napoli, C, Anaheim Angels, (B)- Napoli could shit out a golden egg and cure Cancer and he'd still never make the front page of the LA Times. The guy had the fewest at bats per home run among catchers. Napoli had only 227 at bats in 2008, sharing his time with the completely ill-prepated Jeff Mathis, and still managed to belt 20 homers and walk 35 times. He doesn't get too many pats on the back because he goes through those pro-longed slumps, but a guy who can put up 30 homers and got on base 35-26% of the time over a full season, especially at catcher, deserves some a applause. Oh, he has a strong arm as well...

3. Ryan Doumit, C, Pittsburgh Pirates, (B+)- Soto got all of the praise for his breakout year in 2008, but by all accounts Doumit had a better one. In 2/3 of a season the DouBoy hit .318 with 15 homers, only 55 strikeouts, 34 doubles and 69 rbi's. Like Ianetta, it took a few years for him to get comfortable and as a late-blooming 28 year old, Doumit got the short end of the stick in ROY voting. Anyway, he replaces Ronnie Paulino at the stopper and through a full season the guy could hit 30 homers and bat .300.

4. Jorge Posada, C, New York Yankees, (B+)- Posada is one of those players whom is indispensible to his team. The Yankees didn't realize how important Posada was until he was gone. The signal caller lost most of 2008 with shoulder surgery and the Yankees consequently missed the playoffs for the first time in a decade. He hit .337 in 2007, his highest batting average ever, and he's always good for 20 homers, 30 doubles, 70 walks and some good defense. He's way too old to play every day for the Yankees now, so a .280 batting average, 15 homers and 45 walks sounds about right.

5. Kurt Suzuki, C, Oakland Athletics, (B)- The Suzuki Side-Kick didn't get the hype that his fellow prospects Cahill, Buck and, back in the day, Crosby got. Still, Suzuki has proven so far that he is the best product at catcher out of the A's farm system over the past decade or so. He doesn't do one thing particularly well, but he calls a good game, has a good arm, can block the plate, hit about 10-12 homers and bat near .300 over a full season. He is a very nice additional at catcher, and like Orlando Cabrera is a short stop, you can slot him in at catcher and know you're fine through September.

Overrated

1. Jason Varitek, C, Boston Red Sox, (B-)- I gave 'Tek a generous 'B-' ranking only because of his role as Captain on the Sox. The truth is, Varitek hasn't played B- ball for a while. He had the worst season of his career in 2008 and put up numbers that only a Molina could love, batting .220 with 13 homeruns, 122 strikeouts and a .313 OBP over a little over 2/3 of a season. He's still solid defensively and probably the most loyal player the Red Sox have, but the only reason Theo gave him a new contract was his pity for the old man. Withou a better option currently, Epstein is taking long, hard looks at Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Taylor Teagarden and Miguel Montero.

2. Jason Kendall, C, Milwaukee Brewers, (C)- Kendall isn't a good player. Before injecting 'roids into his shoulder in 2008 he couldn't throw out a baserunner even on a pitch out. His pluses are his ability to call a good game, block the plate and avoid striking out in the batter's box while his minuses are a much longer list. The former all star put up Jose Molina/Wil Nieves numbers in 2008, batting .243 with 2 homer runs, a .324 slugging percentage and a .327 OBP. Those numbers are criminal, especially for a starter. The Brewers have Salome, their guardian Angel, right on Kendall's tail, and he SHOULD take over full time by mid-2009.

3. Dioner Navarro, C, Tampa Bay Ras, (B-)- Navarro is no slouch at catcher, don't get me wrong, but his All Star game appearance in 2008 won't be repeated. He's a catcher that has a solid arm, plays nimble defense and can bat between .280 and .300. His weakness are his absolute lack of any sort of power and his inability to concentrate with men on base--two very big aspects of the game. Shawn Riggans is on his tail, but Navarro, being a decent option for the Rays, seems to be able to hold down his job, at least for now.

4. Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C, Texas Rangers, (B-)- Salty was traded to the Rangers, from the Braves, for Mark Teixeira. Salty's power potential is nothing to ignore. In the minors he has shown 30 home run power annually. His major league numbers have shown nothing however. He batted just .253 with a .364 slugging percentage for the big club in 2008,

5. Russell Martin, C, Los Angeles Dodgers, (B/B+)- Martin is a good catcher, and a very good receiver. He has a strong arm, and is probably the best defensive catcher in the NL. His offense though is overrated. Just because he's a catcher that can ht .280-.290 and steal 20 bases doesn't make him an annual All Star. He doesn't have much power, hitting 13 bombs in a full season of work in 2008, and his .280 batting average does't exactly knock your socks off. What saves him is his knack for getting on base, almost 39% of the tim in '08 and his ability to advance the runner, striking out only 83 times in over 550 at bats.