Greatest Showdown Players at Each Position : Catchers

Hey everyone the latest installment of a blog plan that I have is to look at each position and I made a list of the top 5 point getters in each position. On top of the top 5 in each category, if a position had more than 5 players getting over 600 points I continued the list because it truly is the best of the best. The first position that I will be taking a look at is the catchers position. When you're building or drafting a team do you want the high defensive catcher to scare off the speedy players from running, or would you prefer the power house catcher that you bat clean-up and will hit the ball out of the park for you?

T5  Charles Johnson '01 460pts


01 Charles Johnson was rostered by me on my team when I was younger playing in leagues. He's a top 5 showdown catcher still but is tied for the lowest defensive rating of the catchers being looked at. For the points you will spend you get the home run pop and decent speed to make up for the lower defense.

T5 Jason Kendall '00 460pts

The only Speed A catcher in the top 5 with a 10 on-base gives you some options, is he a lead off hitter, maybe a number 2 hitter. He also has the lowest power of the bunch but will make up for it on the base paths. A strong arm will throw out many runners. If you only had 460 points to spend on a catcher are you going with Charles Johnson and his power or Jason Kendall and his speed and defense.
4 Buster Posey '12 510pts 

Buster Posey brings 2 strengths when matched up with these 6 players, He has the lowest out through, being only 2, and has the most doubles on his chart verses the other catchers with 4. The one thing he ranks the lowest in is tied for last in defense. In having him on your team you gain a 10 on-base with low outs on his chart and many doubles with a chance at some home runs.
3 Ivan Rodriguez '01 530pts

The '01 card that became my permanent catcher once I got the card. It seems this guy does it all except walk, which are no fun anyways. He's the only catcher in this group that can hit a triple, and from single + & up he has the widest range from 12-20 with the next closest being 15-20. Those two things right there mixed in with a homer at 17 and the second best defensive chart. The downside to choosing this card would be he has the widest out range which is through 5 and the tie for lowest on-base at 9.
T1 Mike Napoli '11 570pts

Now we have reached the top 2 catchers which are tied for the most points. First up is Mike Napoli who brings the most power with a 17 home run, and while two other players have the 17 home run they are both 9 OBS while the Party at Napolis is a 10 OB. That is the one category he led, while being the only speed C in the group and tied for the lowest amount of doubles with 2 on his chart. Every other category he came in the middle of the road. If you want the power house for the middle of the order this is your guy.
T1 Joe Mauer '09 570pts

Meanwhile Joe Mauer is almost the opposite to Mike Napoli with he will be looking to get on base in more ways than hitting it over the fence. The only 11 in the top 5 and probably the only 11 OB catcher that has been created. Also is only out through 2 so plenty of charts in his favor and a very small chance at rolling an out. Not only is he the best OB catcher, he's also the best defensive catcher of this group with a +10 arm. His weakness is 16-20 being his single+ and up so he will be walking and singling a lot for your team should you choose to spend the points on an expensive catcher.

Here is a look at my diagram of the 6 catchers that I just broke down, Green shading means they are the best in that category, and red shading means they are the worst within the group.

Catcher	Joe Mauer	Mike Napoli	Ivan Rodriguez	Buster Posey	Jason Kendall	Charles Johnson
Points	570	570	530	510	460	460
Out Thru	2	3	5	2	4	4
Speed	B	C	B	B	A	B
On-Base	11	10	9	10	10	9
Defense	10	7	9	6	9	6
Homerun +OB	13	14	13	12	11	13
Single+ & Up	16-20	15-20	12-20	15-20	16-20	15-20
Doubles	3	2	3	4	2	2
Triples	0	0	1	0	0	0
Walks	8	6	0	5	6	4
Cat. Won	4/9	1/9	2/9	2/9	1/9	0/9

After seeing all of this I have to ask, Which catcher do you believe is the best showdown catcher of all time?