You have to squint to see it, but the market on N.L. catchers last year was a little more aggressive than in years past.
Ten Most Expensive N.L. Catchers 2011
| Rank | Player | $ | Sal | +/- | CBS | LABR | TW | PK | 2010 |
| 1 | $6 | 25 | -19 | 29 | 24 | 22 | 23 | $19 | |
| 2 | $19 | 22 | -3 | 25 | 19 | 22 | 22 | $19 | |
| 3 | $10 | 17 | -7 | 16 | 15 | 19 | 16 | $13 | |
| 4 | $20 | 15 | 5 | 17 | 14 | 14 | 12 | $9 | |
| 5 | $20 | 11 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 11 | $11 | |
| 6 | $13 | 10 | 2 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 9 | $3 | |
| 7 | $11 | 10 | 2 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 10 | $13 | |
| 8 | $9 | 9 | 0 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 10 | $16 | |
| 9 | $10 | 8 | 2 | 9 | 9 | 6 | 6 | $7 | |
| 10 | $6 | 7 | 0 | 5 | 6 | 9 | 7 | $4 | |
| | Average | $12 | 13 | -1 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 13 | $11 |
Thirteen dollars spent per catcher isn't a lot, and pales in comparison to the American League. But the market is relatively bullish in light of what these catchers earned in 2010. Seven of the 10 catchers on this chart get raises. Most of these raises aren't incremental, either. Six of these catchers get bumped $3 or more off of what they earned the previous year.
Unlike in the A.L., the prices here reflect the Stage Three hell we've all come to expect. CBS is more aggressive on the top guys, particularly Posey. But the expert auction and Rotoman's bid prices are pretty much in agreement on most of these guys. Sometimes this similarity is expected (the Ruiz prices are all sensible), but sometimes it's amazing that there is such a consensus. There's only a $2 spread on Buck, a guy who emerged at Age 30 and earned far more than he ever had before?
Yes. The market isn't saying that John Buck is going to earn $9. They're placing bets. They are looking at Buck's past performance and guessing that 2010 is the outlier. However, since Buck signed a fat free agent contract, no one wants to let him slip to $6 and look like an idiot in case they're wrong. Thus (in all likelihood) your 2011 price on Buck.
What's odd, then, is that the consensus on the top catchers produces such high prices at the top. It's not that I don't believe in Posey, but are you sure he's going to earn $25? Those are also pretty fat prices for Soto and Montero. The average salary here isn't sexy, but the guys at the top got paid.
Just like in the A.L., though, you had to spend money to make money.
Top 10 N.L. Catchers 2011
| Rank | Player | $ | Sal | +/- | CBS | LABR | TW | PK | 2010 |
| 1 | Miguel Montero | $20 | 15 | 5 | 17 | 14 | 14 | 12 | $9 |
| 2 | Yadier Molina | $20 | 11 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 11 | $11 |
| 3 | Brian McCann | $19 | 22 | -3 | 25 | 19 | 22 | 22 | $19 |
| 4 | $13 | 2 | 11 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | $1 | |
| 5 | $13 | 5 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 4 | $5 | |
| 6 | Chris Iannetta | $13 | 10 | 2 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 9 | $3 |
| 7 | Carlos Ruiz | $11 | 10 | 2 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 10 | $13 |
| 8 | $10 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 6 | $10 | |
| 9 | Nick Hundley | $10 | 8 | 2 | 9 | 9 | 6 | 6 | $7 |
| 10 | Geovany Soto | $10 | 17 | -7 | 16 | 15 | 19 | 16 | $13 |
| | average | $14 | $11 | 3 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 10 | $9 |
Ramos, Lucroy and Hernandez replace Buck, Posey and Thole.
There seemed to be more standout catchers in the A.L. After McCann there was a $6 drop to Ramos. However, there were a lot of $10+ reliable pluggers in the N.L. last year. Iannetta's 14/51/.238 line wasn't pretty, but if you bought him you got a profitable return from one of your catchers.
On average, the National League seems to offer a pretty steady rate of return on backstops. You probably don't want to get too cute and overspend on an $8-10 earner, but don't be afraid to push a little bit this year. You might be able to buy two every day players at a combined $20 who will earn this back for you (and maybe even a little more).
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