Those fantasy owners, like myself, who drafted Joe Mauer as their primary catcher are likely scrambling for a replacement as the slugger has been placed on the 15-day disabled list. The news out of the Twin Cities is that the former first overall draft pick in 2001 is suffering from bilateral leg weakness and that it could be serious. This is potentially tragic news for his owners and could mean that permanent arrangements may be necessary if his season is in jeopardy.
In situations like these, it’s best to expect the worse and be happy if it turns out for the better. Let’s take a look at some of the possible waiver wire additions to be made out there.
Fantasy Baseball – Joe Mauer Replacements
Russell Martin, New York Yankees – Playing in his first season in the American League has worked well early on for Martin, who is coming off a hip injury that limited him last season. He seems to have found his stroke playing the Bronx and has the potential to hit for average with decent power and run production. The former Los Angeles Dodger will steal the occasional base which is a bonus at the catcher position. Martin will score plenty of runs in the Yankees line-up and will likely be the best catcher available.
J.P. Arencibia, Toronto Blue Jays – Putting trust in a rookie can always be somewhat troubling because of the typical roller coaster ride in production, and the same can be said for Arencibia. After going deep twice on Opening Day, the former Tennessee Volunteer has played sporadically based on matchups. Owners can easily do worse than Arencibia, but expect inconsistencies at the plate sprinkled in with games where he looks unstoppable.
Nick Hundley, San Diego Padres – This may be the pick-up that turns some heads and ends up making the most sense in the end. Hundley is a .249 career hitter who has posted a .406 batting average through the first 10 games while receiving the majority of starts. The opportunity has presented itself for the 27-year-old who is entering his prime and could provide San Diego with desperately needed offense. Owners shouldn’t expect lofty home run totals while playing home games at pitcher-friendly Petco Park but it’s very possible Hundley could crack the top-10 at the position by season’s end.
Kurt Suzuki, Oakland Athletics – This outstanding defensive catcher has gotten off to a slow start thus far this season with a batting average under .200 after the first week and a half of play. Suzuki will be in the line-up more often than not because of his play behind the plate and not solely for his bat. Expect a batting average around .260 to .270 and he should hit anywhere from 12-17 home runs with about 70-75 runs batted in. His gap-to-gap hitting approach will produce plenty of doubles as he is a solid, not spectacular hitter for the position.
Fantasy Baseball Catchers Under the Radar
Alex Avila, Detroit Tigers – Don’t go running out and picking up Avila right away, but keep taps on how he does over the next couple weeks. The left-handed hitter backstop is still young at age 23 and has shown good power with three jacks in 10 games so far this season. If the good hitting continues, expect him to receive the majority of starts behind the plate against right-handed starter while giving way to Victor Martinez when opposite lefties. There is plenty of upside with Avila as he continues to develop into an everyday player, but expect growing pains in the form of batting average and strikeouts.
For what it’s worth, I put my money on Hundley since Martin wasn’t available in my league. Arencibia and Suzuki will prove to be too inconsistent while Hundley has the best chance of making an impact batting fifth or sixth in the line-up on a daily basis.
