Pablo Sandoval - Since he’s the one who has already played in the Majors, I figured we’d begin with him. I’ve read a few reports on him, saying the ball just comes off his bat a little differently then everyone else, and that certainly is a good thing. He made his major league debut on August 14 and instantly became a constant in the young Giants line-up, whether it was at catcher, first base or third base. Depending on your format and league rules, he may not qualify for catcher at the beginning of the season, but it shouldn’t take long for him to gain eligibility in ‘09.

In 145 AB he hit .345 with 3 HR, 24 RBI and 24 R. Those numbers are impressive, especially the R considering the Giants #1 catcher, Bengie Molina, scored just 46 R in 530 AB. Still, they are nothing compared to his minor league numbers, where he played in Single & Double A in ‘08 and combined to hit .345 with 20 HR, 96 RBI and 90 R in 448 AB. For those who want to say that the power could be a fluke, he did also have 38 doubles.

It would appear likely that he is going to be in the line-up everyday for the Giants in ‘09, primarily at first base, though I could see him taking on a Ryan Doumit type role. Remember, the Pirates were so high on Doumit’s bat early on in his career that they rotated him between catcher, outfield and first base just to keep him in the line-up (in fact, in ‘07 he played 28 games at C, 3 games at 1B and 38 games in the OF). Sandoval is every bit the hitter that Doumit is, and actually has the potential to be even better (Doumit hit .318 with 15 HR and 69 RBI in 431 AB in ‘08). Needless to say, I think Sandoval is a catcher that should be targeted in all formats on draft day after the top names are off the board.

Matt Wieters - While I am still finalizing my Top Prospect List for 2009, there is no doubt that Wieters will find his name in the Top 5. Playing for Single & Double A in ‘08, he combined to hit .355 with 27 HR, 91 RBI and 89 R in 437 AB. Will he be the starter immediately out of Spring Training? Maybe, maybe not, but the fifth overall selection in the 2007 draft will almost certainly make a fantasy impact in 2008. The question is when, not if.

The Orioles do have Ramon Hernandez in place as the starter, but given how far he has fallen in recent years, the team would be much better off trying to see if they could find someone to take him off their hands. His overall numbers were not bad last season (.257, 15 HR, 65 RBI), but that was buoyed by a strong July (.297, 5 HR, 14 RBI), more then anything else.

The truth of the matter is that with the Red Sox, Rays, Yankees and Blue Jays in their division, the chances of the Orioles making any significant noise in ‘09 is very unlikely. They have the base in place, but their pitchers are still a few years away, at the earliest. Why not find out exactly what they have in the kid? My guess is that he starts in the minor leagues, like many organizations have done with their young players recently (like Ryan Braun and Evan Longoria), but by the end of May, he’ll be in the majors and getting everyday AB’s. That makes him a great sleeper in all keeper leagues and formats with a deep enough bench where you can stash him away.

J.P Arencibia - He is the player here who is furthest away from making an impact, but that doesn’t mean owners should ignore him. The former 2007 first round pick, who will turn 23-years old in January, was very good this season at both Single & Double A, hitting a combined .298 with 27 HR and 101 RBI over 510 AB.

It’s not all smiles with him, however, as he did strikeout 101 times compared to just 18 walks, so there is at least some cause for concern. The Blue Jays desperately need to help get him a better command of the strike zone, otherwise major league pitching is going to quickly learn they don’t need to throw him a strike. It is very realistic to see him hitting in the .250 range at the major league level, leaving him less valuable then the other two guys on this list.

Hopefully he can make strides early in 2009, which needs to happen before the Blue Jays give him a chance. There is no way I see him starting the season in the major leagues and I actually don’t see him getting recalled before the All-Star Break. He is just way to raw at the plate, though don’t ignore that type of power potential. It certainly could translate to the major league level, making him a useful option once he is recalled.

There is the chance he becomes one of the elite, but honestly, I wouldn’t bank on it happening so quickly. He’d be my fallback option if I were to miss out on the other two young catchers on this list in a keeper league. Yearly league owners simply should ignore him until he does get recalled and even then, I’d stash him away on my bench until he proves himself.

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written by a guest, January 09, 2009

A little has happened since you wrote this article.

1) Pablo Sandoval is reportedly going to start at 3rd base for the Giants. This is interesting as it may impact his status a a catcher.... at least it could take longer for him to gain this fantasy position.... but also it plays right into what you suggested " Remember, the Pirates were so high on Doumit’s bat early on in his career that they rotated him between catcher, outfield and first base just to keep him in the line-up" Here is a link to the Sacramento Bee article i am referencing for this info. www.sacbee.com/100/story/1459434.html

Also... looky here.... Ramon Hernandez gets traded and now Wieters is more than just the future at C in Baltimore... His stock just improved.

Great Article... hope i added to it.

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written by Patrick DiCaprio, January 02, 2009

thanks for the comments.that article was written before the hernandez transaction. when you start a new site you have to test it out and have stuff at the ready to see if the functionality works etc. It is not an easy job to say the least. so we had articles written well in advance of the actual launch, so if some of the facts have changed well we are sorry for that but it cannot be avoided.

the articles that are posted today and going forward are the focus, so i hope you enjoyed them and thanks for checking out the site.

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