In order to make up for some of the offense lost with Posey out, the team also recalled Brandon Belt from Triple-A though his role and playing time is still to be determined. Belt was hitting .337 in 101 at bats for the Fresno Grizzlies with four home runs, 21 RBI and three stolen bases.

The Giants also recalled shortstop prospect Brandon Crawford from Hi-A since Mike Fontenot was placed on the disabled list earlier in the day. Don’t expect anything from Crawford as he is more known for his glove at this point and he will be serving as a backup to Emmanuel Burriss. Crawford was hitting .322 in 59 at bats with three home runs and 15 RBI for the San Jose Giants.

Ryan Vogelsong tossed eight innings of one-run ball on Thursday in a 1-0 loss to the Florida Marlins. Vogelsong now has a 1.77 ERA with a 1.06 WHIP through 40 2/3 innings with 32 strikeouts. When Barry Zito returns in 3-4 weeks, Vogelsong could be part of a trade package to get the Giants a hitter at the trade deadline. The Giants are currently last in the National League in runs scored and were in need of a hitter or two even before Posey got hurt.

In other fantasy baseball news around the diamond on Thursday…

Alfredo Aceves had his second straight solid start of the season, allowing one run in six innings with two walks and six strikeouts. While he is just filling in for an injured Daisuke Matsuzaka at this point, a few more starts like this would give him a better chance of remaining in the starting rotation.

Catcher: Brian McCann vs. Buster Posey

Talk about proven vs. potential, All-Star vs Rookie of the Year.  Both look to put up a 20-25 HR season, great batting average and a solid 80 or so RBI’s.  Projection wise I would have McCann slightly higher on RBI and maybe a HR more but Posey with a higher average.

Positives for McCann: Proven and consistent, a slight injury risk, but that is kind of par for the catcher position in general. Solid batting team around him especially with the off season additions as well as a Jason Heyward set to make an even bigger impact this year.

Positives for Posey: Occasional play at first base should help his health and give him extra at bats since he won’t need as much rest.  Add the position flexibility to the fantasy perspective and that’s a nice bonus to have, especially in high stakes fantasy baseball leagues where trades are not allowed. Batting average at times last season was unworldly and Joe Mauer comparisons and peak potential are the upside.

VERDICT: In my catcher rankings I put Posey as my #3 catcher and McCann as my #4 and both are going to fall around 45 – 60 in my top 200 rankings probably within three spots of each other.  Really to me it is just based on the upside here. If you aren’t able to draft Mauer in the 2nd round, the only chance you have to get numbers like his is going to be in Pose., He has power and average and has the players around him to come close to 100 RBI  Whether he is all hype and last year was just a fluke we will see, but I would take that risk and if someone makes a move too early on him I have no problem falling back on McCann and still likely ending with one of the top three catchers in the league.

Coming Next-

First Base: Adrian Gonzalez vs. Joey Votto

If you want a sneak peak at my 2011 catcher rankings or for any other questions or comments as always you can get reach me on twitter @FantasyFanalyst.

This data is from nine fantasy baseball drafts and shows the first six rounds. With 15 picks per round, there are a total of 90 players selected during that time. Of the total drafts, there were 113 different players selected so there are a few players at the fringe that some owners are undecided on. Here is a look at the current first round for 2011 fantasy baseball adp.

1. Albert Pujols – no surprise, he was first in all nine drafts.
2. Miguel Cabrera – just edges out Hanley, going second six of nine times.
3. Hanley Ramirez – went as low as 6th in one draft.
4. Troy Tulowitzki – lots of people seem to be looking at the numbers he put up in the last month.
5. Carlos Gonzalez – as high as three, as low as nine.
6. Carl Crawford – high of four, low of 11.
7. Joey Votto – makes him the 3rd first basemen in the first round.
8. Ryan Braun – went as high as six in one draft.
9. Evan Longoria – has over taken A-Rod as the top 3B.
10. Robinson Cano – a little more power and he jumps up two to three rounds.
11. Adrian Gonzalez – fantasy baseball owners looking for big things from him now in Boston.
12. Alex Rodriguez – went as high as 10, as low as 16.
13. David Wright – went higher than A-Rod in two drafts.
14. Roy Halladay – as high as 8 and as low as 20.
15. Josh Hamilton – as high as 11, as low as 19.

As many people that say the draft is won in the later rounds, it is also won in the first round as well. If you look at the final ADP (average draft position) for the last few years and then check their final fantasy baseball rankings, you will see that half of the times the players picked in the first round don’t end up their in terms of value. While I would not call these players busts because they still put up good stats, there ends up being better players that should have been selected.

If I had to pick five players from the list that will not be in the to p15 at the end of the season, I would probably say:

1. Robinson Cano – doesn’t steal bases and if he hits 17 home runs and .300 then he is not in the first round.
2. Troy Tulowitzki – too streaky.
3. Josh Hamilton – injury prone
4. Carlos Gonzalez – could go 25-20 and not finish in the first round for value.
5. Alex Rodriguez – age, drop in batting average and lack of steals

Again, these are not players to avoid or not take in the first round, but if I had to choose who will not be a first round pick in terms of value by the end of the year, those are my choices.

Other interesting data to be gleaned from the ADP so far. Young players are high up on the board this year. Everybody is looking for that guy that is going to break out and be this year’s Carlos Gonzalez. At some point however, players are getting drafted too high that they have to have a incredible year in order to justify their spot. Here is a look at where some of the young guns are going.

Buster Posey (35) – ahead of Brian McCann

Jason Heyward (41) – some injury risk with him a little too high at this point

Mike Stanton (65) – early in the 5th round, he better hit a ton of home runs for people to be picking him here.

Carlos Santana (80) – early in 6th round

It looks like middle infielders have taken a step back from 2010 as the good majority of them look to be going lower in 2011. Ian Kinsler (33), Jimmy Rollins (40), Brandon Phillips (42), Derek Jeter (67).

Other players of note:

Jose Bautista (51) – high of 34, low of 60

Pedro Alvarez – drafted in four of nine drafts, went: 62, 89, 89, 90

Mark Reynolds – drafted in six of nine drafts, high of 55

If you are looking for 2011 fantasy baseball projections, be sure to grab your copy of the 2011 FBT Fantasy Baseball Draft Guide.

As you will note from the rankings below, I have Jesus Montero listed as catcher. If he starts in the major leagues, he will not qualify at catcher for one to three weeks depending on your leagues requirement for games played by position. With Jorge Posada headed for the designated hitter role, Montero has a shot if the Yankees don’t sign anyone.

1. Joe Mauer – his numbers in 2010 were much in line with his 2008 season. Many people expected him to close to 20 home runs and he did not even make it half way there. His new home ballpark Target Field seemed to definitely have an impact as he hit only one home run there compared to seven at home in 2008. Value is still high due to his batting average and runs scored.

2. Victor Martinez – now with the Detroit Tigers, will serve as designated hitter and part-time catcher. Led all catchers in RBI last season with 79, despite missing 20+ games due to injury. Has not fared well at Comerica Park in his career, hitting .225 in 169 at bats with four home runs and 19 RBI.

3. Brian McCann – led the National League in RBI for catchers last year and has been as consistent as they come with more than 20 home runs in four of his last five seasons. Walk rate took a big step forward in 2010 with 74 free passes in 479 at bats.

4. Buster Posey – it was a banner year for Posey, claiming the NL Rookie of the Year award and managing a pitching staff that led the major leagues in ERA. Will likely be the fourth fantasy baseball catcher selected in drafts in 2011. Hit much better on road in 2010, with a .351 average, 12 home runs and 38 RBI.

5. Carlos Santana – the injury that ended his season early in 2010 does nothing to diminish his value. Will likely go in the top 10 rounds of your fantasy baseball draft and some will value him like they did Wieters last year. Has great plate discipline and should have a solid year in 2011.

6. Kurt Suzuki – His stats would have been close to his 2009 numbers outside of batting average if he had not missed 20+ games. Really struggled hitting third, batting just .222 with two home runs compared to hitting clean up where he hit .272 with 9 home runs and 35 RBI in 191 at bats. Struggled the second half of the season, hitting .233 with only three home runs in 249 at bats.

7. Geovany Soto – caught barely 100 hundred games for the second year in a row as arthroscopic surgery on his shoulder ended his season early. When he did play, he looked more like the 2008 version and not the guy in 2009 that hit only .218.

8. Mike Napoli – looked to be headed for a season low on playing time before the injury to Kendry Morales occurred. Hit 26 home runs despite hitting none in April while getting only 42 at bats. Will lose some at bats to Jeff Mathis at catcher if he remains with the Angels.

9. Miguel Montero – suffered a torn meniscus in early April and ended up playing in only 85 games. When he returned, he was hacking at the plate, striking out almost as many times as he did in 2009 in 128 less at bats. I would still value him close to his 2009 season with a little lower batting average.

10. Matt Wieters – I wrote last year he was likely a year away from making the jump to a McCann level and his numbers were worse than most expected. Hard to fathom him scoring only 37 runs in 446 at bats. Showed some slight improvement the second half of the year as his plate discipline improved. Will have to watch his ADP in spring to see where he is going. Could be a good value play or he may be over hyped again. Need to have a little patience as he had just 578 at bats in the minor leagues before he was promoted.

11. Miguel Olivo – it looked like he was going to be in a time share in Colorado with Chris Ianetta but took the job away with a first half that saw him hit .325 with 11 home runs. Fell back to the earth after the All-Star break with a .193 average in 166 at bats. Just signed with the Seattle Mariners and should be good for 15 home runs again in 2011.

12. Jorge Posada – turns 40 in August next season as age is starting to take a toll on him. Has not had more than 400 at bats since 2007. If you draft him in mixed leagues, you will need to grab a catcher for your reserve squad in order to replace Posada when he is out.

13. Jesus Montero – I have him slotted for 400 at bats in order to get this ranking. With Posada headed to designated hitter, Montero could get his shot unless the Yankees sign a free agent. Regardless if they do, they are going to need to find room for his bat in the lineup at some point in 2011.

14. John Jaso – not a bad year for Jaso who was nowhere on the fantasy radar heading into the 2010 season. Had better numbers hitting leadoff where he had a .272 average with three home runs and 16 RBI in 169 at bats. Has extra value in leagues with an on base percentage or OPS category.

15. A.J. Pierzynski – just resigned for two years with the White Sox so prospect Tyler Flowers will remain in Triple-A for at least another season. Has had more than 460 at bats every season since 2003. Boosted his batting average by the end of the year, hitting .299 after the All-Star break.

16. Yadier Molina – Has some value as a second catcher in fantasy baseball leagues but lacks one solid category to start in one catcher leagues unless it is extremely deep. Kept his steals and broke 60 RBI, but has show little power and scores very few runs.

17. Carlos Ruiz – came on strong after the All-Star break, hitting .316 with six home runs and 40 RBI as he saw more consistent playing time. Batting average has gone up 83 points over the last two years. Has added value in leagues where on base percentage is a category.

18. Chris Snyder – no doubt about the power, the question is can you afford to have his batting average on your roster? Luckily the impact is not as big as another position since he will likely be around 350 at bats or so.

19. John Buck - turned his 2010 career year into a three year contract with the Florida Marlins. One of numerous Blue Jay players to see a jump in home runs last year. Has a career batting average of .243 so don’t think he all of a sudden has become a good average hitter.

20. Russell Martin – Martin was headed toward another year similar to 2009 before injuring his hip in August which ended his season after he had played 97 games. Now a free agent, he is looking for a new home after the Dodgers signed Rod Barajas. Seems to be following a similar path to Jason Kendall at the same age range with a drop in his stolen bases.

1. Joe Mauer – despite the drop in power, he still hung on to the number one spot thanks to his batting average and runs scored.

2. Victor Martinez – I had Martinez ranked very close to Mauer last year and it would have been pretty close had he not missed time due to injury.

3. Brian McCann – solid catcher that is pretty consistent from year-to-year, one of the few power hitters left in the Atlanta Braves lineup.

4. Mike Napoli – the injury to Kendry Morales gave him extra playing time after he was mired on the bench for the first part of the season behind Jeff Mathis.

5. Buster Posey – it was an unlikely move by San Francisco Giants general manager Brian Sabean to go with the youngster at catcher early in the season over the grizzled veteran Bengie Molina, especially with the staff the Giants had. Posey passed with flying colors on offense as well as calling the game and is poised to be a high draft pick in 2011.

6. John Buck - it seemed like every player in Toronto hit 20 or more home runs and Buck was no exception. He is a free agent this winter so he is not someone I would be looking at as a keeper in any type of format.

7. Miguel Olivo – took the job from Chris Iannetta and never looked back. If you are in a league with daily transactions, you might want to reserve him for road games next season as his splits were .318 with 10 home runs at home vs. .211 with four home runs away from Coors Field.

8. Kurt Suzuki – Suzuki seemed to wear down in the second half of the season, hitting 10 home runs before the All-Star break and only three after it with a .233 average. He seemed most comfortable in the cleanup spot where he hit .272 with 9 home runs in 191 at bats.

9. Jorge Posada – had the exact same at bats as he did in 2009 and drove in 24 less runs, thanks to a batting average that was 37 points lower. Now at age 39, you almost have to take a backup catcher on your reserve if you own him to cover for the 40 games he is going to miss during the season.

10. Geovany Soto – Soto had bounced back in 2010 and was heading toward his 2008 numbers before getting injured. Was on fire in July, hitting .315 with 6 home runs and 20 RBI.

11. A.J. Pierzynski – AJP is consistent as his numbers always seems to be in the same range every season. Turning 34 in December, he might be looking for a new team as a free agent with youngster Tyler Flowers close to being ready for the Chicago White Sox.

12. Carlos Ruiz – hit over his head in 2010 with a .302 average after a previous career high of .259 in full-time at bats. Has extra value in leagues with on base percentage as a category as he walked more than he struck out for three straight years.

13. Yadier Molina – has posted pretty similar numbers in all categories the last three seasons, although his batting average has dropped off as he has struggled against left-handed pitching. Nice to see that his stolen bases held up from his 2009 numbers.

14. Rod Barajas - seemed dead and buried in New York and then got revived by a move to the Los Angeles Dodgers at the end of the season, hitting .297 in 64 at bats with five home runs and 13 RBI.

15. John Jaso – injuries to the two catchers in front of him in Tampa Bay opened a spot in the lineup for him and he held his own, even hitting leadoff at times. Likely to be in a platoon role in 2011 after hitting just .191 against left-handed pitching.

16. Ryan Doumit – power numbers were somewhat similar to 2008, but he is just too injury prone to be considered in the upper tier of catchers. Ended up seeing time in the outfield when he came back with Chris Snyder in the fold. At bats are a question mark for next year depending on what Pittsburgh does in the offseason.

17. Matt Wieters – one of the biggest fantasy baseball busts of 2010 as he showed no real improvement from 2009. It seems almost impossible for an American League catcher to score 37 runs in 450+ at bats but that is what he managed to do. One of the few buy low candidates at the catcher position right now, but likely will have his ADP driven up by the time spring drafts roll around.

18. Chris Snyder – power is legit but batting average is a real drag on your teams category. Hit just .169 after coming over to Pittsburgh with five home runs in 40 games.

19. Ramon Hernandez – can’t count on him for 400 at bats anymore with age and Ryan Hanigan behind him, but he did manage to hit .297 this season with almost 50 RBI.

20 – Miguel Montero – injury caused him to miss almost half the season so he could be slightly undervalued for 2011. A little alarming that he managed to almost strike out the same number of times as 2009 despite having 128 less at bats.

As I prepare for 2011 however, I am thinking about changing that strategy in mixed fantasy baseball leagues where two catchers are needed. The 2010 seasons was a mixture of under performance and injury coupled with catchers drafted at the end of the draft that ended up out performing many of the top players.

If you run down the list of the top picked catchers, almost each one of them came in under expectations. Joe Mauer’s power returned to pre-2009 levels. Victor Martinez’s runs and RBI were impacted by missing 20+ games due to injury.  Kurt Suzuki saw a drop in batting average as well as runs scored and RBI thanks to a weak Oakland A’s offense. Matt Wieters showed no real improvement from the previous season and Miquel Montero, Geovany Soto, Russell Martin and Carlos Santana (although to a lesser extent) all missed time due to injuries as did John Baker.

The only catcher in the top half of the draft that really held their value based on where they were drafted were Brian McCann and Mike Napoli, thanks to the injury to Kendry Morales which got him a lot more at bats than most people predicted before the season.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, there were several catchers that surprised, notably Buster Posey, only because he got many more at bats than expected. John Buck in Toronto who hit more home runs than the previous two years combined and set a career high in batting average at 34 points higher and John Jaso who came out of no where in Tampa Bay thanks to injuries to score 57 runs in 339 at bats.

Thinking out loud, the fact that the injury risk is higher at catcher for collisions at home plate in addition to the dings and dents from wild pitches and foul tips, combined with the fact that taking a catcher early in the draft, say the top 3 to 5 rounds, means you are likely sacrificing stolen bases or a solid starting pitcher with the catcher selection. Right now I feel it is time to move to more middle or end of the draft catchers instead of grabbing one in the top half.

Looking at 2011 fantasy baseball drafts, Posey figures to move up to the area where McCann is in the 3rd or 4th round range. Wieters likely falls back into the clump of Montero, Suzuki, Napoli, Soto that went in rounds 8-12 in 2010. Napoli’s value could be higher or lower depending if he is still with the Los Angeles Angels or not. It will be interesting to see where Carlos Santana goes since he missed a good chuck of the season, but based on what he did in 150 at bats, I would expect to see him go in the area that Wieters did in 2010 in rounds 5-6.

American League:

Max Scherzer returned to the major leagues after two starts in Triple-A and proceeded to strike out 14 of 17 hitters on Sunday, while working 5 2/3 shutout innings against the Oakland A’s. His next start will come against Kansas City next weekend so I would have him active in a mixed league format.

Outfielder Nelson Cruz of the Texas Rangers is headed back to the 15-day disabled list again, meaning David Murphy will see more at bats over the next two weeks. Craig Gentry was recalled from Triple-A in a corresponding roster move but he is nothing more than a backup outfielder.

Third basemen Mark Teahen of the Chicago White Sox possibly suffered a broken finger on Sunday and will have X-Rays on Monday, making it unlikely he will see action next week. Jayson Nix took over Sunday and hit a pinch-hit grand slam and should see additional starts in week nine.

With Kendry Morales likely lost for the remainder of the fantasy baseball season after getting injured Saturday in the winning celebration, Mike Napoli got the start at first base on Sunday. Robb Quinlan was recalled from the minor leagues and could see time there as well, although neither of those options is necessarily long term. With Lyle Overbay heating up the last few weeks and Brett Wallace ready in the minor leagues, Overbay could be a possible trade target for the Los Angeles Angels.

National League:

Buster Posey was called up by the San Francisco Giants and got starts at first base over the weekend. He should see five to six starts per week between first base and catcher so he should be active in all formats going forward.

Carlos Zambrano and Tom Gorzelanny are flip-flopping roles between the starting rotation and bullpen this week with Zambrano getting the start on Wednesday against the Pittsburgh Pirates. With Randy Wells also struggling, I would still hold onto Gorzelanny for another week or two to see how that shakes out.

With Joey Votto missing another game this week due to a stiff neck, his status is questionable for next week. It seems a long period of time to miss for a stiff neck and with some of the personal issues he went through last season, hopefully there is nothing more to the situation that is not being reported at this time. Miguel Cairo has done a good job filling in for him this week and is a decent option in NL only leagues for next week.

Andre Ethier is expected to return to the Los Angeles Dodgers lineup on Monday against the Arizona Diamondbacks, sending Xavier Paul back to the bench.

Cashner, with a 2.75 ERA and 42 strikeouts in 36 innings could be facing a similar fate as Jeremy Hellickson of the Tampa Bay Rays. Each pitcher has been dominating in the minor leagues, but with no spots currently open in the major league rotation, there is a very good chance that when they are recalled to the big leagues, they will each be working in relief roles.

I have created a Minor League Tracker spreadsheet that shows all of the year-to-date stats for players that I highlighted in my team-by-team Triple-A minor league reports so you can easily keep an eye on possible players to target on the waiver wire in future weeks.

I have added additional columns that list the rank of the player in the overall top 100 by Baseball America and by Keith Law of ESPN as well as added the major league team names, plus included all Triple-A and Double-A hitters and pitchers that qualify to be among the league leaders so there is a ton of information you can now filter through.

Hitters:

Outfielder Michael Stanton (FLA) continues to lead the way with 15 home runs and 33 RBI through 28 games, although he is striking out in 31% of his at bats. Management is on record that Stanton will be up some time this summer, but if he jumps past Triple-A right to the major leagues, I think he is going to struggle to hit for average with his high ratio of strikeouts.

Third basemen Mike Moustakas (KC) is off to a great start in Double-A, hitting .392 with six home runs and 21 RBI, with only nine strikeouts in 74 at bats.

For all the hype that Carlos Santana (CLE) gets and rightfully so, Buster Posey (SF) is matching him stat for stat in Triple-A. Santana is hitting .314 with five home runs and 25 RBI compared to Posey at .345 with five home runs and 21 RBI.

Pitchers:

Martin Perez (TEX) has a 2.45 ERA in six starts with 29 strikeouts in 25 2/3 innings to go along with a 1.44 ERA.

Simon Castro of the San Diego Padres has been holding his own on Double-A with a 2.10 ERA and 1.02 WHIP ratio. Castro has struck out 26 in 34 1/3 innings.

Jordan Lyles (HOU) has been superb in Double-A with a 2.83 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP in 35 innings with 31 strikeouts. I would expect to see him promoted to Triple-A by the middle of this summer.

The key name to note on the roster is catcher Buster Posey, who was sent down to Triple-A so he could concentrate on catching rather than spend time in the major leagues possibly playing multiple positions. He has career minor league numbers of 459 at bats with 19 home runs and a .327 batting average, to go along with a great eye at the plate. He has drawn 70 walks against only 72 strikeouts in those at bats.

The other name to watch is starting pitcher Madison Bumgarner who entered spring as the favorite for the 5th starter job, but a lack of velocity had him sent down to Triple-A at the end of spring training. He struggled in spring with his control, allowing eight hits and seven walks in seven innings with zero strikeouts.

How they rank:

Baseball America: Posey (1), Bumgarner (2)
Keith Law: Posey (1), Bumgarner (2)
John Sickels: Posey (1), Bumgarner (2)

Here is a look at 2010 Fresno Grizzlies roster by position:

Catchers:

Buster Posey
Steve Holm

Infielders:

1B Brett Pill
2B Brock Bond
SS Juan Ciriaco
3B Ryan Rohlinger
Brad Boyer
Matt Downs

Outfielders:

Joe Borchard
Ben Copeland
Jesus Guzman
Eddy Martinez-Esteve
Mike McBryde

Starting Pitchers:

Madison Bumgarner
Eric Hacker
Joe Martinez
Kevin Pucetas
Horacio Ramirez

Relief Pitchers:

Denny Bautista
Steve Edlefsen
Geno Espinelli
Alex Hinshaw
Osiri Matos
Joe Paterson
Felix Romero
Henry Sosa

Here is a look at the 2010 fantasy baseball tiers for catchers.

Tier 1:  rounds 1-2

1.  Joe Mauer
2.  Victor Martinez

Tier 2:  rounds 3-5

3.  Brian McCann
4.  Matt Wieters

Tier 3:  rounds 9-12

5.  Jorge Posada
6.  Kurt Suzuki
7.  Miguel Montero
8.  Geovany Soto
9.  Russell Martin
10. Mike Napoli
11. Bengie Molina
12. Ryan Doumit

Tier 4:  rounds 13-15

13.  A.J. Pierzynski
14.  Chris Ianetta
15.  Yadier Molina

Tier 5:  rounds 16-18

16.  John Baker
17.  Carlos Ruiz

Tier 6:  bottom of the barrel time

18.  Rod Barajas
19.  John Buck
20.  Kelly Shoppach
21.  Ramon Hernandez
22.  Jarrod Saltalamacchia
23.  Gregg Zaun
24.  Gerald Laird
25.  Nick Hundley
26. Miguel Olivo
27. Buster Posey
28. Ivan Rodriguez
29. Jason Kendall
30. Taylor Teagarden