I know the season isn't quite over, but at this point "who's hot" or "who's not" probably isn't going to matter, in the sense that you can't make trades based upon it. You're going with your studs at this point and that's the reason they were drafted.
I'd like to talk this week about some reflections on drafts. The end of the year is a good time to look back at your draft results and find the mistakes you made. Today's mistake:
OVERPAYING FOR CATCHERS
This is a mistake emphasized by the fact that the best fantasy catcher has been sleeper Geovany Soto of the Cubs. However, I'd like to point out that of the first six catchers taken, only two really provided solid returns on their investment. Here's how it shakes down.
Victor Martinez: Stuck at zero home runs, V-Mart has not been the consistent source of power that many expected him to be. And although his injury was the biggest factor, catching is the most physically demanding position a hitter can play, and they should be expected to have more injuries than other players. If you took him in the third round, I doubt you're playing for a championship this month.
Russell Martin: This is the hardest guy to analyze. I say that he's still a bust, because you should be disappointed that it doesn't look like he'll reach any of 20/20/100/100. In the third round, which is where he generally went, you should expect three of those categories to be fulfilled. If someone wants to argue position scarcity, I'll listen, but I still think that his stats confirm the fact that he was simply drafted too early in most formats. And yes, I own him in one of my leagues.
Brian McCann: Atlanta's catcher is having a fine season, providing a .295 average to go with 23 HR so far. His ADP was lower than the top 2 players, and he's definitely lived up to his billing. This probably means he is cursed for next season, but if you drafted McCann this year, you were highly rewarded.
Joe Mauer: Minnesota's golden boy has provided a .320 average, which is a nice boost for his owners. He isn't a power hitter, by any means (8 HR this year), but if you consider catcher a position you're trying to fill simply with mediocrity, then Mauer exceeds expectations. He has provided good value this season.
Jorge Posada: We said all off-season that if there was one catcher not to take, Posada was your man. He had a career year last year, and some owner in many leagues was going to pay for last year's numbers in this year's draft. Lo and behold, he struggled this season with injuries and never was the same. Posada in 2008 is the perfect example of a reason you might as well grab a catcher late and play the waiver wire - if you drafted him earlier, you still ended up doing the exact same thing.
Kenji Johjima: Enough said. It's been an awful year for him.
These are the first six catchers taken, and I'd say only McCann and Mauer have earned their draft position. If you're into big risks, it's worth trying for big-time production out of your catcher, but the 5 guys taken immediately after V-Mart were: Justin Morneau, CC Sabathia, Eric Byrnes, Jonathan Papelbon, and Brian Roberts. 4 of the 5 would be fantastic guys to have on your team this year, and to me, they emphasize the fact that too many fantasy owners will always be overpaying for catchers.
