Top 10 Catchers Under 25

This is the first installment of our seven part series on the top 10 players under 25 by position.

Notes: For this series, we've ranked players based both on potential and proximity to the majors -- opposed to mainly ceiling as we did in our Top 100. Think of this list as one you'd take into a dynasty league draft. April 1st, 2007 was used as the cutoff date for eligibility on this list.

1. Joe Mauer, MLB, MIN (4/19/83): The last time a catcher with 300+ at-bats had an on-base percentage over .420 was 10 years ago (Future Hall of Famer Mike Piazza, .431). Mauer produced a .429 OBP last year…as a 23-year-old! It’s still too early to be talking about Cooperstown – Mauer has just 1,117 big league at-bats – but this 6-foot-4, 215 pound lefthanded hitter is right on track.

 
2. Brian McCann, MLB, ATL (2/20/84): Twenty-two-year-old rookie catchers who post a .960 OPS and stunning 41:54 bb/k ratio are revelations, and McCann now has the attention of the baseball world. The 2002 second round pick had never posted an OPS above .835 at any stop along his minor league progression, yet he suddenly dominated the National League with 58 extra-base hits in just 130 games.

 

 
3. Russell Martin, MLB, LAD (2/15/83): At this time last year, Martin, 23, appeared blocked by the younger Dioner Navarro for who knows how long. But despite his lack of pop, Martin had the Dodgers convinced that he was their catcher of the future by early May. The 5-foot-11, 200 pounder was one of the top 30 prospects in the game by the time he was called up, so his .282/.356/.436 rookie line really shouldn’t have come as too much of a surprise.

 

 
4. Jeff Clement, AAA, SEA (8/21/83): After setting a national high school record with 75 career home runs, Clement went on to hit the second-most home runs in USC history (46, All-Time Leader: Mark McGuire, 54). Yes, Clement has struggled in his first year and a half of professional ball, but in large he has been slowed by injuries. Writing a catcher with Clement’s power potential off so soon would be foolish.

 

 
5. Jarrod Saltalamacchia, AA, ATL (5/2/85): The 6-foot-4 Saltalamacchia powered his way to a .913 OPS in 2005 as a 20-year-old in High-A before stumbling mightily after the jump to Double-A – just a .733 OPS. Injuries didn’t help, but the decline in production alarmed many. However, there is hope for the big catcher as his bb/k rate remained solid and his play picked up significantly in the second half – 1.147 OPS in 74 at-bats between July and August.

 

 
6. Neil Walker, AA, PIT (9/10/85): Perhaps the home town savior that the Pirates have been looking for ever since The Family unraveled, Walker, like Saltalamacchia, hit a speed bump in 2006. The 20-year-old started the season in High-A, and hit just .284/.345/.409 in 264 at-bats. Still, the Pirates promoted him to Double-A in August, where he immediately came down with a staff infection and was shut down. Getting back on track, Walker hit .303/.319/.409 against advanced competition in the Arizona Fall League.

 

 
7. Chris Iannetta, MLB, COL (4/8/83): Arguably the best catching prospect to come out of UNC since B.J. Surhoff, Iannetta, 23, shredded through the minor leagues in just two and a half seasons. The 5-foot-11, 190-pounder hit .351/.447/.510 with 24 BB vs. 28 K in 151 Triple-A at-bats. Iannetta will probably peak as a solid catcher who can hit 16 home runs and put up a .780 OPS annually – a notch above Bengie Molina territory.

 

 
8. Matt Wieters, NCAA, GT (5/21/86): Wieters hit .355/.480/.606 as a sophomore at Georgia Tech last season – for comparison, Jeff Clement hit .293/.416/.515 as a sophomore at USC. And Wieters built upon his stellar season by hitting .307/.417/.535 in the Cape Cod League. Undoubtedly one of the top 2007 draft-eligible hitters in the country, Wieters (6-foot-5, 230 pounds) could soar up this list next season if he proves himself defensively and keeps hitting.

 

 
9. Kurt Suzuki, AA, OAK (8/4/83): Winner of the 2004 Johnny Bench Award (given to the top college catcher), Suzuki, 23, hasn’t proven to be nearly as lethal as his junior year at Fullerton (.413/.511/.702) led some to believe, but he should become a solid big leaguer. The Hawaii native hit .285/.392/.415 in Double-A last season. Expect Suzuki (5-foot-11, 200 pounds) to be behind the plate in Oakland once Jason Kendall’s contract expires at the end of 2007.

 

 
10. Miguel Montero, MLB, ARI (7/9/82): If you were high on Montero after his 2005 season kudos to you. He posted an unimpressive .423 BB/K ratio as a 23-year-old between High-A and Double-A. Last year, the 5-foot-11, 180-pounder put up a .815 BB/K ratio between Double-A and Triple-A. He also slugged .515 in 134 Triple-A at-bats. Look for Montero to earn the starting catcher job in Arizona by midseason and eventually become an above-average big league backstop.

 

Check back on Monday for our top 10 first basemen under 25.