Victor Martinez wasn't expected to catch this season for the Tigers, but that wouldn't have stopped many of us from playing him there.
At a utility position, he's just another good hitter. At catcher, he's the best of the bunch.
Now he's likely out for the season, and we're left with, assuming Buster Posey is healthy, five very good options, a former fantasy stud (Joe Mauer) and a lot of questions.
This isn't the year to reach for a catcher early. Our No. 1 player at the position, the Indians' Carlos Santana, batted .239 last season. The No. 2 player, former fantasy stud Brian McCann, has hit .269 and .270 and averaged 74 RBI the last two years.
Don't worry. There are plenty of big boppers at other positions to make up for a lack of pop here. (Well, except at shortstop and third base. But more on those guys later.)
(Note: Players are listed only at the position at which they are expected to spend the most time in 2012, not every position at which they are eligible.)
1. Carlos Santana, Indians: He eventually will hit for average (he batted .290 in the minors), and his other numbers (84 runs, 27 homers and 97 walks in his first full big-league season) suggest he will be the No. 1 player on this list for quite a while.
2. Brian McCann, Braves: He's not the player he was from 2006 to '09, but McCann can still be counted on to hit in the .270 range with more than 20 homers and 70 RBI.
3. Mike Napoli, Rangers: He played out of his mind last season with Texas (.320, 30 homers and 75 RBI in 369 at-bats), thanks in part to reducing his once-ridiculous strikeout rate.
4. Buster Posey, Giants: He is expected to be recovered from a gruesome ankle injury that ended his second season after 162 at-bats.
5. Alex Avila, Tigers: Avila's emergence (.295, 19 homers and 82 RBI) made Martinez a well-paid DH in 2011.
6. Joe Mauer, Twins: He says he's recovered from a season wrecked by illness and injury. If only we believed he could get his 2009 power stroke back.
7. Miguel Montero, Diamondbacks: You could do a lot worse than a .282 average, 18 homers and 86 RBI in the middle rounds.
8. Matt Wieters, Orioles: Maybe he won't ever be as good as some thought, but Wieters was more than serviceable last season (72 runs, 22 homers and 68 RBI).
9. Jesus Montero, Mariners: Here's where we start taking chances. Why not begin with the touted prospect who is so well-regarded Seattle traded Michael Pineda to the Yankees for him?
10. Yadier Molina, Cardinals: We could make a how-many-Molinas joke here, but we'd prefer to focus on Yadier reaching career highs in average (.305), homers (14), runs (55) and RBI (65) for the world champs in 2011.
11. Russell Martin, Yankees: It was his best season since 2008, but it wasn't much to get excited about (.237, 18 homers, 65 RBI, 57 runs and eight steals).
12. Wilson Ramos, Nationals: He batted .285 in the minor leagues and hit .267 with 15 homers and 52 RBI in 389 at-bats in his first full season.
13. J.P. Arencibia, Blue Jays: He strikes out way too often (144 in 478 career at-bats), but he has a ton of power (23 homers and 78 RBI in 443 at-bats last year).
14. Geovany Soto, Cubs: He is now four years removed from his only big season.
15. Kurt Suzuki, Athletics: In 2009 and '10, Suzuki averaged 14 homers and 80 RBI, but his average has been brutal the last two years (.242 and .237).
16. Salvador Perez, Royals: He hit .331 in 148 at-bats as a rookie, but his minor-league track record suggests he won't be of much help in the power departments.
17. Chris Iannetta, Angels: He can help you in homers and RBI (14 and 55 in 345 at-bats last year), but Iannetta is a career .235 hitter and strikeout machine (379 in 1,429 at-bats).
18. Nick Hundley, Padres: He batted .288 last season and has 30 homers and 126 RBI in 1,008 career at-bats.
19. Jonathan Lucroy, Brewers: He hit .298 in the minors and produced 12 home runs and 59 RBI in 2011, his second big-league season.
20. A.J. Pierzynski, White Sox: Mr. Sunshine was productive at times last season (.287), but won't be of much help in homers and RBI.
Eligibility notes
You will see Santana, Napoli and Posey in some first-base rankings, but all are obviously much more valuable behind the plate. Draft them as such.
Others to watch
Devin Mesoraco, Reds: He likely will share time with Ryan Hanigan after a productive 2011 in the minors (.289, 15 homers and 71 RBI in 436 at-bats).
John Buck, Marlins: He likely will never come close to matching his career-best numbers of 2010.
Carlos Ruiz, Phillies: If you need average (.283 last year and .302 in 2010) and aren't worried about pop, Ruiz is a decent selection.
More 2012 fantasy rankings:
Top 20 first basemen: Albert Pujols should find American League pitching to his liking.
Top 20 second basemen: Robinson Cano is the top choice at a surprisingly deep position.
Top 20 shortstops: It's Troy Tulowitzki's time to be the top shortstop, assuming you can shrug off the injury risks.
Top 20 third basemen: The top two choices -- Miguel Cabrera and Hanley Ramirez -- didn't even play that position last season.
Top 10 designated hitters: Michael Young might be able to help your team at several positions, but he's a default DH.
Top 60 outfielders: With Ryan Braun's suspension avoided, he's the best on the board, just over Jose Bautista.
Top 80 starting pitchers: Where do big-potential starters such as Stephen Strasburg and Yu Darvish fit in?
Top 20 closers: Don't jump on a closer too early in a draft; there are many decent options.
Top 100 overall: Plus links to other draft tips.
