1. Joe Mauer Minnesota Twins
His .347 batting average for catcher was tops in the league for the first time in 64 years (last one was Ernie Lombardi who did it for the Boston Braves back in 1942). The only thing he lacks right now is power, but the other categories, combined with a strong batting average make him the clear cut #1 in ALL league formats. He may not hit for an average this high again in 2007, but we’ll take a .330 BA with power numbers inching back towards the 20 HR, 100 RBI mark, wouldn’t you??
Joe Mauer 2007 Projections
|
G
|
AB
|
Runs
|
Hits
|
2B
|
3B
|
HR
|
BB
|
RBI
|
SO
|
SB
|
CS
|
E
|
AVG
|
|
144
|
527
|
84
|
174
|
34
|
3
|
12
|
81
|
81
|
59
|
11
|
2
|
5
|
0.330
|
2. Victor Martinez Cleveland Indians
Mauer overtook Vic-Mart as the top ranked catcher this season for good reason. Martinez didn’t reach the 20 HR plateau as he did previously in 2005, and outside of his AVG, his numbers across the board fell off a bit in the 2nd half last year. He may not hit for as high an average as Mauer, but he’s still averaging .302 over his last 3 years. At 28, Martinez is in his prime and will challenge Mauer for the top spot once again.
Victor Martinez 2007 Projections
|
G
|
AB
|
Runs
|
Hits
|
2B
|
3B
|
HR
|
BB
|
RBI
|
SO
|
SB
|
CS
|
E
|
AVG
|
|
146
|
541
|
78
|
168
|
34
|
0
|
18
|
68
|
87
|
75
|
0
|
0
|
6
|
0.310
|
3. Ivan Rodriguez Detroit Tigers
At age 34, I-Rod is proving that
he can still be a solid fantasy contributor. But for how much longer? Rodriguez
is no longer the big power hitting threat that he used to be, and the fact that
he hit a combined .166 (8 for 48) throughout the 2006 playoffs is a slight
concern. Just ask Brad Lidge, who carried over his terrible 2005 playoff
performance into last year. The lone bright spot for Rodriguez is the
fact that he's in a contract year, which may entice him to have one more good
season, and that skipper Jim Leland will use him at designated hitter, first,
and second base this season giving him relief from the squat position.
Ivan Rodriguez 2007 Projections
|
G
|
AB
|
Runs
|
Hits
|
2B
|
3B
|
HR
|
BB
|
RBI
|
SO
|
SB
|
CS
|
E
|
AVG
|
|
145
|
586
|
67
|
167
|
34
|
4
|
15
|
21
|
76
|
103
|
8
|
3
|
4
|
0.290
|
4. Kenji Johjima Seattle Mariners
His 1st year on the senior circuit was better than any of us could have
expected. To learn the new pitchers and arm angles and finish the season with a .291 AVG and 18 homers is impressive. Now that the
30-year-old is entering his 2nd year in the big leagues, a slight
improvement from last year’s numbers is expected. He
batted primarily in the 7th spot last season but is expected to move up in the batting order which equates to more opportunities.
Kenji Johjima 2007 Projections
|
G
|
AB
|
Runs
|
Hits
|
2B
|
3B
|
HR
|
BB
|
RBI
|
SO
|
SB
|
CS
|
E
|
AVG
|
|
137
|
509
|
66
|
147
|
25
|
1
|
18
|
20
|
72
|
47
|
3
|
1
|
7
|
0.290
|
