Damian Miller was one of the best catchers in the NL last season.
Declarative sentences like that should make teams shutter because it is true.
His .273 AVG was 4th after such luminaries as Ramon Hernandez, Michael Barrett and Paul LoDoca.
His 9 HR put him in the middle of the pack, which ranged from a high of Mike Piazza's 19 to zero.
Given Piazza's 62 RBI was tops at the postion, Miller's 43 runs drive in is very good. (Yes, Piazza was still a very top receiver in the NL last season.)
With this relative performance in mind, be prepared for Miller's owner to try to sell him based on his relative merits. He would likely be one of the top catchers available at NL drafts, but why pay for him based on that?
After all, Humberto Cota hit 7 HR and drove in 43 in fewer ABs, and he is 10 years younger. Not to mention last season was his first extended MLB action. It would be reasonable to expect slight improvement, and that is all it would take to surpass Miller.
I would also expect Brian McCann and Dioner Navarro,along with Josh Willingham, o surpass Miller's production. Not to mention the Met's Ramon Castro was equally effective in limited ABs.
So don't overpay for Miller based on his relatively postive performance in 2005. I expect him to go for no more than a few dollars at draft time.
Of course, I don't expect any catchers to go for more than $15 regardless.
2 comments:
Catchers are always such an impossible category in roto to fill !! It's similar to SS and 2B -unless you have the top 3, it is better to focus on other positions as the gap between the top and the rest is huge and you neglect production for filling spots.
My AL C is Jason Varitek and as I am in a keeper league, I will re-sign him given the lack of talent at the position. When I do field trade offers, that is always a part of his value - the position.
Great site - keep up the good work !
Thank you.
The AL is not quite in the same changing of the guard the NL is in as Varitek, Posada, Pierzynski, Kendall, Ramon Hernandez are still a couple years away from losing their jobs.
Victor Martinez is way ahead of the pack and by the time the previous five are out of jobs, VMart will be a 5 or six year vet and could be on decline as a catcher.
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