Victor Martinez was going to be a full-time designated hitter in 2012.

The Tigers have a very good, much younger catcher in 24-year-old Alex Avila, making Martinez a perfect fit for DH.

The news this week that the 33-year-old could miss the season after tearing the ACL in his left knee during offseason conditioning was still a big blow to the fantasy catching ranks, however.

Many leagues allow you to use a player at the position at which he played the season before, even if said player has changed positions and might never go back. Thus, if you had the option of playing Martinez at catcher or utility in fantasy, you certainly would have selected catcher.

Sadly, we probably won't have that choice this year. The Tigers said this week Martinez likely needs surgery, making his chances of playing in 2012 remote at best.

Martinez no longer seems to be much of a power hitter -- he had 12 home runs last season, down from his average of 21.5 in 2009 and '10 -- but he still rakes. In 2011, he batted a career-high .330, drove in 103 runs and had an OPS of .850 (up from .844 the year before).

In his career, he's a .303 hitter who has had at least 20 home runs five times and driven in 100 runs or more four times.

Martinez's injury thins an already-skinny catching position in fantasy.

He would have been our top-ranked catcher. Now, we're left with his long-term replacement in Cleveland, Carlos Santana, leading a list that features five very good options, a former stud who is a risky pick before the middle rounds (Joe Mauer), two solid-but-unspectacular choices (Miguel Montero and Matt Wieters), a touted rookie (Jesus Montero) and ... a Molina?

Our early top 12 at catcher as spring training nears:

1. Carlos Santana, Indians: Batted .239, but had 27 homers, 79 RBI and 84 runs in 2011.

2. Brian McCann, Braves: He's not the stud he once was, but McCann has still averaged 23 homers and 74 RBI the last two seasons.

3. Mike Napoli, Rangers: We doubt he can come close to duplicating his sensational 2011 (.320, 30 homers, 75 RBI and 72 runs in 369 at-bats).

4. Buster Posey, Giants: He was productive as a rookie in 2010, but is coming off a frightening ankle injury sustained in a home-plate collision early last season.

5. Alex Avila, Tigers: He batted .295 with 19 homers and 82 RBI in his first full big-league season.

6. Joe Mauer, Twins: He says he's recovered from an illness- and injury-plagued 2011, but we're left with the realization he can hit for average and not much else.

7. Miguel Montero, Diamondbacks: He was solid in three categories in 2011 (.282, 18 homers, 86 RBI).


8. Matt Wieters, Orioles: OK, so maybe he isn't as good as we thought he would be, but Wieters did hit 22 homers and drive in 68 last season.

9. Jesus Montero, Mariners: He batted .328 in 61 at-bats as a rookie for the Yankees. He was traded to the Mariners in the Michael Pineda deal.

10. Yadier Molina, Cardinals: Granted, he hit .305 with 14 homers and 65 RBI last season, but this is where the rankings seem to take a dive toward A.J. Pierzynski levels.

11. Russell Martin, Yankees: He started strong for the Yankees last season, but tailed off and finished with a .237 average, 18 homers and 65 RBI.

12. Wilson Ramos, Nationals: He hit .267 with 15 homers and 52 RBI in 389 at-bats in his first full major-league season. In a 12-team league, he could be a starter, which makes me miss Martinez already.

Twins general manager Bill Smith has said he doesn't think Joe Mauer's stay on the disabled list because of an illness and injury will be long term.

The Twins' manager, Ron Gardenhire, had this to say Sunday about the team's $184 million catcher: "I think he's lost 15 or 20 pounds. He's sick."

If that weren't discouraging enough, Mauer's viral infection, which hospitalized him last Thursday, may or may not be contributing to leg weakness.

He could be back by the end of the month. He could be a second or third-round fantasy pick you wish you had back. If the latter scenario is the case, now is the time to explore the waiver wire.

Here are six options at catcher who are available in more than half of the leagues on ESPN.com, ranked according to value:

1. Nick Hundley, Padres (owned in 38.6 percent of the ESPN.com leagues): He is hitting .340 with three home runs, nine RBI, 10 runs scored and 14 strikeouts in 50 at-bats. He won't keep his average in the .300 range (Hundley is a career .248 hitter), but he should hit for power. In 579 at-bats since 2009 (roughly one full season), Hundley has 19 homers and 82 RBI.

2. John Buck, Marlins (5.9 percent): His numbers won't get your attention (.228, one homer, nine RBI, .653 OPS), but his 2010 will. Last season, Buck batted .281 with 20 homers and 66 RBI. The .281 average is 38 points above his career norm, and the RBI total was 16 better than his previous best. Like Hundley, he's a decent power option (91 homers and 333 RBI in 2,379 career at-bats).

3. J.P. Arencibia, Blue Jays (44.1 percent): Note to self: Always start Arencibia on opening day. Last year, he had two homers and three RBI in his major-league debut, then had one RBI the rest of the season (to be fair, he had 35 at-bats on the year). This season, Arencibia had two homers and five RBI in his first game, and has one RBI since. Still, he's batting .286 with a .919 OPS and is believed to (cue Jay Bilas) have huge upside.

4. Alex Avila, Tigers (10.4 percent): Prior to Tuesday's game, he was hitting .279 with three homers, nine RBI, six runs and an .875 OPS in 43 at-bats. The 24-year-old was a fifth-round pick of the Tigers in 2008, and he has produced in limited action in the big leagues (15 homers and 54 RBI in 398 at-bats). A concern: Avila is a career .241 hitter who doesn't have overwhelming minor-league numbers (.280, 13 homers, 77 RBI, 73 runs and a .796 OPS in 542 at-bats).

5. Chris Iannetta, Rockies (16.8 percent): We know he has power, but it would be nice if he did something else. In 2008 and '09, Iannetta had a combined 622 at-bats and had 34 homers, 117 RBI and 91 runs. He also hit .248 with a ridiculous 167 Ks. Last season, Iannetta had only 188 at-bats, and this year, he's off to an unimpressive start (.211 with two homers, seven RBI and 13 Ks in 38 at-bats prior to Tuesday). He's better suited as an NL-only option.

6. A.J. Pierzynski, White Sox (2.6 percent): Mr. Personality was pretty effective in 2009, when he batted .300 with 13 homers. Last season, he slipped to .270 with nine homers, 56 RBI and a .688 OPS. This year, he is hitting .255 with no homers, seven RBI, four runs and a .590 OPS. He should be an option strictly in AL-only leagues or if you're really desperate to acquire a 34-year-old who doesn't really help you in any category.

Joe Mauer, as expected, is the consensus No. 1 catcher as we enter the 2011 season.

Victor Martinez and Brian McCann usually follow in some order — but we prefer to stray from the norm.

I would take Giants rookie Buster Posey after Mauer is off the board, and consider the phenom among the top 20 players overall after a rookie season in which he produced 18 homers, 67 RBI, 43 extra-base hits and an .862 OPS in 406 at-bats.

Mauer will hit for a better average, but do you really believe he’ll hit more home runs (Mauer had nine last season) or drive in more runs than Posey?

It says here he won’t, and we don’t think Posey will endure a sophomore slump.

That brings us to our first set of rankings for 2011 — the backstops. Players are ranked where we expect them to spend the most time this season, not at every position at which they are eligible. For example, Jorge Posada is listed as a designated hitter, not a catcher.

Posada is obviously much more valuable at the latter position, and should be considered in the No. 12 range (one spot ahead of Jaso) at catcher.

On to the rankings:

Rank, player: R-HR-RBI-SB-Avg.
1. Joe Mauer, Min: 88-9-75-1-.327
2. Buster Posey, SF: 58-18-67-0-.305
3. Victor Martinez, Det: 64-20-79-1-.302
4. Brian McCann, Atl: 63-21-77 -5-.269
5. Carlos Santana, Cle: 23-6-22-3-.260
6. Geovany Soto, ChC: 47-17-53-0-.280
7. Kurt Suzuki, Oak: 55-13-71-3-.242
8. Miguel Montero, Ari: 36-9-43-0-.266
9. Matt Wieters, Bal: 37-11-55-0-.249
10. John Buck, Fla: 53-20-66-0-.281
11. Russell Martin, NYY: 45-5-26-6-.248
12. John Jaso, TB: 57-5-44-4-.263
13. J.P. Arencibia, Tor: 3-2-4-0-.143
14. A.J. Pierzynski, CWS: 43-9-56-3-.270
15. Carlos Ruiz, Phi: 43-8-53-0-.302
16. Mike Napoli, Tex: 60-26-68-4-.238
17. Yadier Molina, StL: 34-6-62-8-.262
18. Chris Iannetta, Col: 20-9-27-1-.197
19. Josh Thole, NYM: 17-3-17-1-.277
20. Rod Barajas, LAD: 39-17-47-0-.240

Preseason top 100 players (5): Mauer (19), Posey (20), Martinez (36), McCann (44), Santana (78).

Short hops
Was Mauer’s 2009 home-run total of 28 a fluke? Since 2005, he has hit, in order, nine, 13, seven, nine, 28 and nine home runs. ... The Tribe’s Santana appears to be fully recovered from his scary knee injury and could be a seventh- or eighth-round steal in a 12-team league. ... Montero was very good in 2009 (.294, 16 homers, 59 RBI, .833 OPS in 433 at-bats), but was limited to 297 at-bats by injury last season. ... Wieters seems to have regressed, but his minor-league track record suggests he should put it all together soon. ... Jaso, who should be the Rays’ everyday catcher, could be a sleeper. The same goes for Arencibia, who will be a starter now that Buck is in Florida. The latter batted .301 with 32 homers and 85 RBI in 412 at-bats in Triple-A last season. ... Napoli is an intriguing choice after hitting at least 20 homers in three straight seasons, but unless Michael Young is traded, he is a backup catcher, first baseman and DH.

NOTE: Statistics are from the 2010 season. ... Players are listed only at the positions at which they are expected to spend the most time in 2011.

THIS WEEK: We’ll preview the first basemen on Tuesday and the second basemen on Wednesday.

NEXT WEEK: Shortstops, third basemen and designated hitters.

Maybe you were like me and Wilson Ramos' four-hit debut Sunday was all it took for you to acquire him on the waiver wire.

If you have Joe Mauer, it seems to be a wise move. With Mauer nursing a sore heel, Ramos was 7-for-9 with two runs scored, three doubles and one RBI in his first two major-league games.

As impressive as the rookie's start is, we need to keep something in mind: By the end of the week, he'll be a part-time player at best.

Unless Mauer's injury, which has been described as a deep bone bruise, is more serious than the Twins are letting on, he should return in the next few days.

In daily leagues, keep Ramos in your lineup until Mauer is ready to play. In weekly leagues, you should have an answer by Sunday night, since the early reports are Mauer could be back relatively soon.

Ramos has been touted as one of the Twins' top two prospects, and he was impressive in spring training with Minnesota in 2010, batting .400 with two homers, six RBI and only two strikeouts in 30 at-bats.

In the minor leagues from 2006-09, the 22-year-old batted .294 with 31 home runs, 181 RBI and 143 runs in 1,122 at-bats.

Ramos could be kept on the roster when Mauer returns, unless the Twins want him to play every day in Triple-A. There aren't many at-bats to be had at designated hitter, since Minnesota already has plodders Jason Kubel and Jim Thome.

If you own Mauer, the solution is simple. If you're depending on Ramos because your production at catcher has been subpar, another player to consider is the Mets' Rod Barajas, who has six home runs and 13 RBI in 74 at-bats.

Barajas, who had 19 homers and 71 RBI in 429 at-bats with Toronto last season, will bring down your batting average (he batted .226 last season and is a .238 career hitter), but he will give you a boost in the power department.

Barajas is available in almost 88 percent of the leagues on ESPN.com.

Before we get to our first fantasy baseball preview of the season, here’s a quick question for Indians fans who are in AL-only leagues: Lou Marson, Mike Redmond or Wyatt Toregas?

The possibility that one of the aforementioned Indians catchers will be drafted — and possibly started — in any fantasy league this season is among the best arguments proponents of mixed leagues can make.

The Tribe trio combined for 56 hits in 247 at-bats (a .227 average), zero home runs and 17 RBI in 85 major-league games last season.

You already knew the Indians’ catching situation — at least until Carlos Santana’s arrival — was as tenuous as their starting rotation. But you might not have known the position, from a fantasy perspective, isn’t much better.

This season, there seem to be three sure things — the Twins’ Joe Mauer, the Red Sox’s Victor Martinez and the Braves’ Brian McCann — and three very good No. 1 catchers (the Dodgers’ Russell Martin, the Yankees’ Jorge Posada and the Orioles’ Matt Wieters).

The latter statement is assuming Martin rebounds from a season in which he batted .250 with seven homers and 53 RBI, the 38-year-old Posada stays healthy and Wieters lives up to the hype.

Translation: If you don’t want your catcher to be a liability, you better draft one in the first five rounds.

If you wait, you might be looking at a best-case scenario of gambling that Geovany Soto rebounds or 35-year-old Bengie Molina continues to produce solid home-run and RBI numbers.

On to the rankings:

Rank, player: R-HR-RBI-SB-Avg.
1. Joe Mauer, Twins: 94-28-96-4-.365
2. Victor Martinez, Red Sox: 88-23-108-1-.303
3. Brian McCann, Braves: 63-21-94-4.281
4. Russell Martin, Dodgers: 63-7-53-11-.250
5. Jorge Posada, Yankees: 55-22-81-1-.285
6. Matt Wieters, Orioles: 35-9-43-0-.288
7. Kurt Suzuki, Athletics: 74-15-88-8-.274
8. Miguel Montero, Diamondbacks: 61-16-59-1-.294
9. Geovany Soto, Cubs: 27-11-47-1-.218
10. Bengie Molina, Giants: 52-20-80-0-.265
11. Ryan Doumit, Pirates: 31-10-38-4-.250
12. Mike Napoli, Angels: 60-20-56-3-.272
13. Yadier Molina, Cardinals: 45-6-54-9-.293
14. Chris Iannetta, Rockies: 41-16-52-0-.228
15. A.J. Pierzynski, White Sox: 57-13-49-1-.300
16. John Baker, Marlins: 59-9-50-0-.271
17. Ramon Hernandez, Reds: 25-5-37-1-.258
18. Rod Barajas, Mets: 43-19-71-1-.226
19. Miguel Olivo, Rockies: 51-23-65-5-.249
20. Pudge Rodriguez, Nationals: 55-10-47-1-.249

Preseason top 100 players (3): Mauer (8), Martinez (43), McCann (46)

Short hops
In 523 at-bats last season, Mauer more than doubled his previous career high of 13 homers, set in 2006. ... McCann has 86 home runs and 366 RBI in the last four seasons. ... Soto was great in 2008, when he batted .285 with 23 homers and 85 RBI in his first full big-league season. ... Doumit was also much better in 2008 (.318, 15 homers, 69 RBI) than ’09. ... Napoli has 40 homers, 105 RBI and 173 strikeouts in 609 at-bats the last two years. ... Iannetta also can be a liability in points-based leagues that penalize for strikeouts. He has fanned 167 times in 622 at-bats the last two seasons. ... Same goes for his new teammate, Olivo, who has 208 strikeouts in 696 at-bats in that span. ... A possible sleeper, if healthy: The Reds’ Hernandez, who averaged 16 homers and 73 RBI from 2006 to 2008.

NOTE: Statistics are from the 2009 season. ... Positions listed are according to the depth charts at mlb.com.

THIS WEEK: We’ll preview the first basemen on Thursday and the second basemen on Friday.

NEXT WEEK: Shortstops, third basemen and designated hitters

The knock on Joe Mauer was always a lack of power.

We knew he'd hit well over .300, walk more times than he struck out, get on base twice as often as David Dellucci and drive in 70 or 80 runs.

This, we never could have guessed -- especially not after the Twins catcher missed the first month of the season because of a back injury.

I'm no hitting coach -- and I don't play one on the Internet -- but I would think recovering from a back injury wouldn't help a player's chances of hitting a home run. In Mauer's case, he's turned into the Albert Pujols of backstops.

In 224 at-bats, he's hit 15 home runs -- two more than his previous career high -- and his 1.118 OPS is almost 200 points better than his prior best.

Aside from Pujols, Mauer was the easiest selection on the list that follows. Without further adieu, our first-half fantasy all-stars. All stats are through Wednesday night's games.

Sorry, fellas, no incentive clauses included.

Catcher: Joe Mauer, Twins -- Did we mention he's batting .388 and has scored 48 runs in 60 games? Runner-up: Victor Martinez, Indians. What a difference a year makes.

First base: Albert Pujols, Cardinals -- Now that he's stealing bases (10 on the season), you couldn't ask for more. He's batting .331 with 67 runs, 31 homers, 82 RBI, 34 more walks than strikeouts (69-35) and a 1.184 OPS. Runner-up: Justin Morneau, Twins. With 21 homers, he is just two away from his 2008 total.

Second base: Chase Utley, Phillies -- So much for spring training injury concerns. Utley narrowly edges Ian Kinsler, thanks to his .306 batting average, 57 runs and .997 OPS. Runner-up: Ben Zobrist, Rays. Possibly fantasy's biggest surprise, Akinori Iwamura's replacement at second in Tampa has 17 homers and 50 RBI, along with a 1.017 OPS, in only 232 at-bats. More on Kinsler in a bit.

Shortstop: Hanley Ramirez, Marlins -- We've had fun at his expense, but only because of many owners' draft-day decision of Ramirez over Pujols at No. 1 overall. He's currently bothered by a hip injury and his stolen-base total is way down (12, after averaging 46 the previous three years), but he's still been great. Ramirez is batting .346 with 14 homers and 60 RBI. Runner-up: Derek Jeter, Yankees. Even at 35, he's a fantasy standout, batting .315 with 10 homers, 35 RBI, 55 runs and 17 steals.

Third base: Mark Reynolds, Diamondbacks -- Before the season, I never would have guessed this would be the worst position at the top. Reynolds is batting only .262 and he strikes out even more often than an Indians regular (115 in 313 at-bats). But he hits for power (24 homers and 62 RBI), steals bases (14), has an .896 OPS and is on pace to reach triple figures in runs scored. Runner-up: David Wright, Mets. He's batting well and stealing bases, but what happened to his power (five homers, after totaling 63 the previous two years)?

Designated hitter: Ian Kinsler, Rangers -- Like Utley, he hits for power (20 homers and 54 RBI) and scores a lot of runs (60). He's better on the basepaths (17 steals), but will bring down your batting average (.252).

Outfielders: Carl Crawford, Rays; Jason Bay, Red Sox; and Ryan Braun, Brewers. Crawford is batting .314 with 43 steals, and Bay has done everything but hit for average (.263). Braun, however, is the best of the bunch -- .324, 59 runs, 16 homers, 58 RBI, seven stolen bases and a .962 OPS.

Runner-up: Torii Hunter, Angels. He sat out Wednesday's game with an abdominal injury, which is a concern after a fantastic first half (.305, 17 homers, 65 RBI, 56 runs, 13 steals).

Next up: The pitchers.

The comeback that couldn't escape our attention -- and this would've been the case even without "SportsCenter" following his every spring training step -- was Alex Rodriguez and his 2009 impact following hip surgery.

Two that have caught our eye in the last few weeks don't involve the tabloids or steroids. Just a couple of feel-good returns -- one from a player who would be a certain first-round pick if we redid the draft today, and one who's trying to overcome a much more serious disorder.

We knew entering the draft that Twins catcher Joe Mauer wasn't expected to play until May because of a back injury. What we didn't know was the all-average, little-pop hitting machine would transform himself into the Albert Pujols of backstops during his time on the disabled list.

Mauer came back right on schedule -- May 1 -- hit a home run in his first trip to the plate and hasn't stop mashing since. In 80 at-bats in 22 games, he's scored 24 runs, hit 10 home runs, walked five more times than he's struck out (16 to 11), is batting .438 and has an on-base percentage of .525 and an OPS of 1.400.

If you could select any hitter for your team today, aside from Pujols, Evan Longoria and maybe Raul Ibanez, is there any choice but Mauer?

His batting average and patience certainly aren't surprising, considering he's a career .322 hitter with a .404 on-base percentage and 64 more walks than strikeouts (308 to 244). What's shocking is his monthly output of 10 homers, which is one better than his 2008 total and three more than he hit in 2007.

Prior this season, Mauer averaged a home run every 46.8 at-bats. This year, it's one per eight.

Should we expect him to hit 40 homers? Probably not. But in a year in which all of the highly rated young catchers, with the exception of the surging Brian McCann, have struggled (Russell Martin and Geovany Soto) or gotten hurt (Ryan Doumit), Mauer's Justin Morneau imitation provides a refreshing jolt to a bad position.

He is only three homers shy of his career high of 13, set in 2006, when he batted a career-best .347 and drove in a career-high 84 runs.

His draft-day ranking now looks ridiculously low. As do his career home run totals prior to 2009.

Talking about Willis: It's impossible not to root for Tigers pitcher Dontrelle Willis as he tries to overcome an anxiety disorder. In three starts since returning to Detroit's rotation on May 14, he is 1-1 with a 3.57 ERA. He's struck out nine and walked eight in 17 2/3 innings.

It's too soon to consider Willis a fantasy starter, but he is at least worth a look in deeper leagues.

He hasn't been effective since 2006, and he hasn't been a fantasy stud since 2005, when he was 22-10 with a 2.63 ERA for the Marlins. That said, he's only 27 and has pitched well in his last two starts (three runs and nine strikeouts in 13 innings).

At some point, he could be a weekly starter. More importantly, we're able to even consider that possibility, one we couldn't have imagined during Willis' difficult 2008 season.

We can't forget him: Now for the federally mandated Yankee portion of the blog.

A-Rod hasn't disappointed the owners who took a chance on him in the second, third or fourth rounds of their drafts. The tabloid punching bag is batting only .189, but he's hit seven homers and driven in 13 runs in 16 games.

If you're worried about his batting average, don't. He's been patient -- two more walks (13) than strikeouts (11) -- and he has an OPS of .971, which suggests his batting average will rise with the temperature. Rodriguez is a .305 career hitter, and he should at least reach .290 by the end of the season.

So far, it's been home run or bust. Of his last seven hits, six have been homers. That might not sound encouraging until you consider that those home runs have come in the last nine games. And that he plays in a stadium that might allow David Eckstein to hit 10 homers.

Pick Three

This week, we have all-starting-pitcher version of free-agent recommendations for deeper leagues. Again, these are players who are available in the majority of the leagues on ESPN.com -- in this case, the three are free agents in between 79 and 95 percent of the leagues.

Jason Marquis, SP, Rockies (available in 94.8 percent of the leagues on ESPN.com): He's won six of his nine starts. He also has an ERA of 4.45, only 27 strikeouts in 60 2/3 innings and calls his home park Coors Field. What, you expected Johan Santana to be available? He's not going to help you much in the K department and, like most pitchers, he struggles pitching in Colorado (he's 2-2 with a 7.13 ERA at home this season). But before you dismiss Marquis' six wins, consider that he's won 11 or more games in each of the previous five seasons, a span in which he's averaged 13 victories, and he's 12 games over .500 for his career. He's also been very productive on the road: 4-1 with a 2.70 ERA this season. If he's scheduled for two starts, and at least one is on the road, in a given week, he's a decent option.

Brian Bannister, SP, Royals (available in 82.1 percent of ESPN leagues): He's 4-1 with a 2.79 ERA and has limited the opposition to two runs or fewer in five of his eight starts. Like Marquis, he's not much of a strikeout asset (just 25 in 42 innings this season and 234 in 427 2/3 innings for his career). He's not a top-flight starter by any means, but the 28-year-old is more than capable of improving upon his 2007 statistics (12-9 with a 3.87 ERA).

Rick Porcello, SP, Tigers (available in 79.4 percent of ESPN leagues): He's only 20 and prior to this season he had never pitched above Class A. But save me a seat on his bandwagon after a four-start span in which the right-hander is 4-0 with a 1.13 ERA and 16 strikeouts in 24 innings. He was the Tigers' first-round selection in 2007, and you have to believe big-league batters will figure him out soon. Until they do, reserve a spot in your starting lineup.

That does it for Week 7. We'll be back Saturday on the News-Herald's main sports site with a first-round do-over. Until then, good luck and remember to give thanks to those who have sacrificed their lives for our safety.