| Early catcher rankings for 2009 |
| RK | Player | TM | The thinking is as follows ... |
| 1 | Brian McCann  | ATL | This spot will be up for debate but McCann has the best pop at the position. |
| 2 | Russell Martin | LAD | A bad September is keeping us from ranking him tops at his position. |
| 3 | Geovany Soto | CHC | Breakout rookie might warrant No. 1 spot, but there's just more experience above him. |
| 4 | Joe Mauer | MIN | A very consistent guy, but we might grow old waiting for the true power to come. |
| 5 | Victor Martinez  | CLE | Annual No. 1 was a monster disappointment and now has injury risk weighing him down. |
| 6 | Bengie Molina | SF | Very few backstops are their team's leading RBI man, but Molina is getting old. |
| 7 | Ryan Doumit | PIT | He has always been a great bat, but he has given the Pirates confidence defensively. |
| 8 | Chris Iannetta | COL | Among the many breakthroughs at this position and we expect more improvement. |
| 9 | Kelly Shoppach | CLE | He discovered his stroke and now the Indians have a decision to make this winter. |
| 10 | Jorge Posada | NYY | Shoulder hopefully will be corrected via surgery, but there is still a lot of risk here. |
| 11 | A.J. Pierzynski | CHW | Veteran is a steady option year-to-year, but age suggests you should let him fall to you. |
| 12 | Ramon Hernandez | BAL | He is a solid veteran, but will the Orioles slot him or their elite prospect next spring? |
| 13 | Yadier Molina | STL | A career year has finally come, but we still think he can wind up being the best Molina. |
| 14 | Chris Snyder | ARI | Yet another solid season of useful pop, but will he share at-bats in Arizona forever? |
| 15 | Jarrod Saltalamacchia | TEX | Not only did he have a bad year, but Rangers catching prospects are gaining on him. |
| 16 | Dioner Navarro | TB | He is a poor man's Mauer with a consistent bat but one that lacks real power. |
| 17 | Jesus Flores | WAS | The Mets made a real mistake letting him go via the Rule-5 draft. He is the Nats' future. |
| 18 | Kurt Suzuki | OAK | He has stamped himself as a solid starter for the A's but a borderline Fantasy one. |
| 19 | Ivan Rodriguez | NYY | His end of the season swoon with the Yankees should convince you he is low end. |
| 20 | Mike Napoli | LAA | The power is intriguing, but he is not a guy you should trust; he is far too streaky. |
| 21 | Jason Varitek | BOS | Boston's captain is an ornamental Fantasy pick now; he looks nice but doesn't produce. |
| 22 | Taylor Teagarden | TEX | He has been hot down the stretch, but the top prospect was underwhelming in minors. |
| 23 | Gerald Laird | TEX | We've waited for him to be dealt for years, but maybe he finally gets full-time job. |
| 24 | Jeff Clement | SEA | He might have the most offensive potential of anyone on this list, but it is merely "potential." |
| 25 | Matt Wieters | BAL | Elite catcher prospect is one of the few who could have a Soto-like breakthrough. |
| 26 | John Baker | FLA | We don't think he is as good as he has shown, but he might have earned starting look. |
| 27 | Rod Barajas | TOR | He had a nice comeback year, but he is the type of guy you can find off waivers annually. |
| 28 | Brandon Inge | DET | He regained catcher eligibility, but his numbers suggest he probably should be starting. |
| 29 | Chris Coste | PHI | He might be at the age of breakdown for a catcher, but this journeyman can really hit. |
| 30 | Miguel Olivo | KC | Every time you try to sweep Olivo under the rug, he surprises owners in deeper leagues. |
| 31 | John Buck | KC | It doesn't say a whole lot for you as a starter if you cannot make Olivo go away. |
| 32 | Miguel Montero | ARI | His power is much better than we saw this year, but he still is Snyder's caddy. |
| 33 | Jeff Mathis | LAA | If you find yourself salivating over catcher prospects, Mathis is your cautionary tale. |
| 34 | Jason Kendall | MIL | The veteran was a favorite of Ned Yost, but with Yost out of town might Kendall be, too? |
| 35 | J.R. Towles | HOU | For every Soto, we suppose their has to be a Towles; maybe he is next year's Iannetta. |
| 36 | Brian Schneider | NYM | Despite rave reviews about his defense, he really didn't live up to minimal hype this year. |
| 37 | Kenji Johjima | SEA | What a waste of money he will be for the next few years; no wonder the GM lost his job. |
| 38 | Carlos Ruiz | PHI | He was the Phillies' catcher of the future, but now he looks like a career backup. |
| 39 | Max Ramirez | TEX | His minor league OPS portends a masher, but can he catch and will he get at-bats? |
| 40 | Nick Hundley | SD | The punchless Padres might have found a backstop, but he won't help much in Fantasy. |
