by Mike Harmon

Updated: January 17, 2008, 8:38 PM EST 9 comments

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After all, there are generally only a handful of catchers whose offensive production forces them to take pause before announcing their next draft selection.

We remember the days when Mike Piazza and Ivan Rodriguez were blasting home runs just as often as the top players at other positions. There's more turnover at the top of the power ranks at the position these days, or at least there has been in recent years. Eleven or fewer catchers have amassed enough plate appearances in the past four years to qualify for a batting title. Only veteran Jorge Posada slammed 20 or more home runs in the past two years.

Injuries, a lack of protection in their respective lineups and the usual summer swoon experienced by catchers in warm climates conspire to hold down production. Despite this turnover and the usual durability questions that surface, fantasy owners are prepared to welcome a host of young and talented options to fantasy stardom in 2008.

I'll begin my countdown of the top 10 with a player whose surname may cause some difficulties for announcers, but whose bat speaks loudly and clearly for him.

10. Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Texas Rangers

Pundits and fans have turned to calling Saltalamacchia "Salty" in order to avoid embarrassing mispronunciations or experiencing their own Harry Caray moments (I say it with love). They'll have to get used to his name in short order, as this 22-year-old slugger is ready to bust out as a member of the Rangers in 2008. Saltalamacchia batted .283 as a part-time player for the Braves (141 at-bats) with 10 extra-base hits (four home runs) and 12 RBI.

The July 31 deal which sent him to Arlington afforded Saltalamacchia the opportunity to play every day. As a result, Saltalamacchia generated 10 extra-base hits (five home runs) with 14 RBI and 17 runs scored in his first full month of action. While his batting average dropped starkly during his adjustment to playing every day (He hit .252 as a member of the Rangers), Saltalamacchia showed signs of becoming a top power option at the position for years to come. This switch-hitting budding star will settle into a hitter-friendly park and enjoy the return of Hank Blalock to the lineup.

9. Ramon Hernandez, Baltimore Orioles

Hernandez missed significant playing time with a groin injury and a strained oblique, yet he still ranked eighth among catchers with 62 RBI in his 106 games played. His batting average dipped because of the injuries, and Hernandez watched his power numbers drop precipitously. One need only look to the months wrapping around his groin injury to see Hernandez's value. Hernandez batted .300 in July and .324 in September with 24 RBI.

He has eclipsed 20 home runs in a season twice in his career, and was coming off career highs of 23 home runs and 91 RBI before his year was beset by injuries. Hernandez still averaged one RBI per every 5.87 at-bats. Like most Orioles fans, I'm concerned about their ability to score runs this year. However, I do believe that Hernandez can produce 22-25 home runs with 80-90 RBI in a full season. For that reason, Hernandez cracks my top 10.

After a productive 2005 rookie season, Seattle's Kenji Johjima remains one of fantasy's better catchers. (Otto Greule Jr / Getty Images)

8. Ivan Rodriguez, Detroit Tigers

The monstrous production generated by Rodriguez at the turn of the decade is long a thing of the past. Fortunately for fantasy owners, so are the concerns about injuries that shortened his seasons from 2000-02. Rodriguez has appeared in an average of 134.6 games per season during the past five years.

He has settled into his role as an elder statesman at the position and finds himself in an even more potent Detroit lineup for 2008. He has long been among the most consistent performers at catcher, having produced 15 consecutive seasons with double-digit home runs and 24 or more doubles. The additions of Miguel Cabrera and veteran Jacques Jones, as well as the continued growth of Curtis Granderson, will make the Tigers one of the highest-scoring teams in the game. Owners can anticipate another 12-15 home runs, 65-75 RBI and a batting average in the range of .280-.290.

7. Bengie Molina, San Francisco Giants

Bengie separates himself from his brothers as the power-hitting member of the family. All of the Molinas call a great game, but Bengie offers a frequent number of big flys. Molina has bashed 19 home runs in back-to-back seasons, and set a new career mark in 2007 with 81 RBI.

Most importantly, Molina appeared in a career-high 134 games last season for the Giants after splitting time in Toronto and Anaheim in previous seasons. He struggled during the month of July with a weak .221 batting average, but rebounded with a strong .322 batting average, four home runs and 21 RBI in August. The media circus that followed the Giants in 2007 will be gone and this team will get back to basics. There is well-justified concern about this squad's ability to score runs. However, Molina has shown an ability to generate offense during his career, and I don't expect anything less in 2008.

6. Kenji Johjima, SEA

The Sasebo, Japan, native made a splash upon his arrival to the great Northwest in 2005. Johjima batted .291 in a strong rookie campaign with 18 home runs and 76 RBI. While Johjima's RBI production dipped in 2007 as the heart of the order struggled (see Richie Sexson's stats), his batting average and extra-base hit frequency were virtually identical to his rookie campaign.

The Mariners are banking on solid production from rookie Adam Jones and a rebound from Sexson's mighty bat. Regardless of their respective successes, Johjima owners can bank on a batting average of .290-.300 with 15-20 home runs and 70-80 RBI in 2008.

5. Brian McCann, Atlanta Braves

McCann experienced a drop in performance from his phenomenal breakout 2006 campaign. His batting average dipped 63 points, and he blasted six fewer home runs. McCann traded batting average for power on the road, hitting twice as many home runs away from Turner Field with a batting average 44 points lower than his home mark.

He'll clearly benefit from a full season in the heart of the lineup alongside Mark Teixeira, and I suspect that an up-tick in his power numbers is in the offing following an off-season of weight training. McCann turns 24 in February and has slammed 114 extra-base hits in the past two years. Now entering his prime, McCann will take another step forward in 2008. I expect McCann to record his first 100-RBI season with 23-26 home runs and a batting average in the .290-.300 range.

4. Jorge Posada, NYY

Every year, fantasy owners weight a number of factors when considering the selection of Posada. There's no question his age always creeps to the top of the list and they forego his selection. In 2007, Posada notched his first .300 season at the age of 35 (.338). In fact, he topped his previous career mark, achieved in the year 2000, by a full 51 points and thereby set a career OPS mark (.970).

Posada won't approach such lofty marks again this year, to be sure, but there are several points regarding his value to the Yankees and fantasy owners that cannot be disputed. He has averaged 142.5 games played in the past eight years, producing an average of 22.9 home runs and 89.5 RBI during this period. That level of consistently can rarely be matched at this position. Expect another offensive onslaught from the Yankees in 2008, and their catcher will again be a leader in their charge to the post-season.

3. Joe Mauer, Minnesota Twins

Mauer sat atop the positional rankings heading into 2007 following his 2006 batting championship (.347) with 13 home runs, 84 RBI and eight stolen bases. Unfortunately, Mauer was limited to just 109 games with lingering injury concerns and saw his overall productivity affected greatly. He batted .293 with seven home runs and 60 RBI.

He's a tremendous candidate for a rebound season, as a full off-season of rest (He opted against hernia surgery this off-season) should allow Mauer to return to the position's elite. It should be noted, however, that Mauer still tied for 10th among catchers with 60 RBI and second with seven stolen bases despite missing such a great deal of time. Remember, he batted .369 in the month of April (31-for-84) with 12 RBI before his injury. Mauer's past injuries will certainly enter your decision-making process on draft day, but the upside is huge if this 24-year-old star is sound.

2. Victor Martinez, Cleveland Indians

Owners entered the 2007 season with great expectations for Martinez to take his game to a new level alongside Travis Hafner. Martinez responded with new career marks in home runs (25) and RBI (114). Of course, it didn't start quite so well, as Martinez missed nearly two weeks of action in April. He returned to the lineup with a vengeance, batting .313 (85-for-272) with 14 home runs and 58 RBI through the end of June.

Martinez's performance was a tad more inconsistent in the second half at the plate, although his RBI production remained strong. He batted .276 after July 1, a full 51 points below his first-half mark and saw his OPS dip by .126. However, a deeper examination of team performance reveals that Martinez did not receive the support anticipated from slugger Hafner (24 fewer extra-base hits). I suspect that Hafner rebounds in a big way, affording Martinez better pitches to hit. At age 29, Martinez is hitting his prime and does not have the durability issues that affect some of his peers. He has appeared in an average of 147 games during the past four seasons.

1. Russell Martin, Los Angeles Dodgers

Martin whetted the appetites of fantasy owners with his strong 2006 debut. He contributed solid production in all five standard Rotisseries categories in his 121-game introduction to the game. Perhaps the most impressive part of Martin's rookie season was the fact that he walked 45 times against 57 strikeouts. That's phenomenal work for any player, let alone a 23-year-old rookie trying to adapt to life as a big-league catcher.

He took another step forward in 2007, offering tremendous production as a five-tool star. Martin attempted 30 stolen bases and was successful 21 times (three times as many as the next catcher, Mauer, with seven). The Dodgers' star hit 19 home runs (tied for third among catchers) and knocked in 87 runs (fourth among catchers).

Martin was productive throughout the season, with his lone drop-off coming in September as you'd expect from a catcher working in the high Los Angeles temperatures all summer. The lone cloud on Martin's resume is the fact that he hit only .255 at Dodger Stadium, a full 74 points below his road average. However, those numbers were reversed in 2006 (.321 at home and .244 on the road), so the truth lies somewhere therein. Martin turns 25 just before the beginning of spring training, assuaging concerns about a breakdown. Rather, he's still growing.

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