NEW YORK METS - Mike Piazza 35 R/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 2000 NYM 136 482 156 26 0 38 90 113 58 69 324 398 614 4 2 2001 NYM 141 503 151 29 0 36 81 94 67 87 300 384 573 0 2 2002 NYM 135 478 134 23 2 33 69 98 57 82 280 359 544 0 3       There seemed to be a perception last season that Piazza was having an off-year. But for a 34-year-old catcher playing in a lousy hitter's park, he was pretty amazing. Piazza hit 21 home runs on the road.... it appears that he will again be catching in 2003. If the team doesn't win, his defense will again me a magnet for critcism.

FLORIDA - Ivan Rodriguez 31 R/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 2000 TEX 91 363 126 27 4 27 66 83 19 48 347 375 667 5 5 2001 TEX 111 442 136 24 2 25 70 65 23 73 308 347 541 10 3 2002 TEX 108 408 128 32 2 19 67 60 25 71 314 353 542 5 4       Most outstanding catchers start to decline badly in their early-to-mid 30's, after they have played about 1200 games behind the plate. Pudge started so early and was so durable in his prime that he has already caught more than 1400 games. And a least half of those were in the Texas heat.       I have always been curious what would happen to Pudge as he got older; he is such a unique athlete that I wondered if he would be an exception to the rule, and continue to play well into his mid-to-late 30's.       The jury is still out. Pudge is still a brilliant player, but serious injuries in each of his past three seasons have cut into his playing time. Is he wearing down, or has he just suffered three fluke injuries in a row? I am inclined to believe that he has just been a victim of bad luck, that he is just as potent a hitter as he has ever been and is probably still capable of catching 140 games in a season. The Marlins may have gotten themselves a bargain.       Time will tell; however, you can expect his power numbers to drop significantly this year. The Ballpark in Arlington is a terrific park for hitters; Pudge is moving to Pro Player Stadium in Miami, which is one of the worst.

PHILADELPHIA - Mike Lieberthal 31 R/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 2000 PHI 108 389 108 30 0 15 55 71 40 53 278 352 470 2 0 2001 PHI 34 121 28 8 0 2 21 11 12 21 231 316 347 0 0 2002 PHI 130 476 133 29 2 15 46 52 38 58 279 349 443 0 1       An outstanding player who made a terrific comeback from a bad knee injury in 2001. Lieberthal is a catcher who hits for average and power and gets on base and is good defensively; one more reason to like the Phillies in 2003.

PITTSBURGH - Jason Kendall 29 R/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 2000 PIT 152 579 185 33 6 14 112 58 79 79 320 412 470 22 12 2001 PIT 157 606 161 22 2 10 84 53 44 48 266 335 358 13 14 2002 PIT 145 545 154 25 3 3 59 44 49 29 283 350 356 15 8       Kendall's performance at the plate was a modest improvement, but was still a long, long way from his brilliant 1999-2000 seasons. He was used exclusively as a catcher, and is still an above-average backstop, but it is depressing to think that at age 29 his best days may be far behind him.

LOS ANGELES - Paul Lo Duca 31 R/R and Todd Hundley 34 S/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS LO DUCA 2000 LA 34 65 16 2 0 2 6 8 6 8 246 301 369 0 2 2001 LA 125 460 147 28 0 25 71 90 39 30 320 374 543 2 4 2002 LA 149 580 163 38 1 10 74 64 34 31 281 330 402 3 1 HUNDLEY 2000 LA 90 299 85 16 0 24 49 70 45 69 284 375 579 0 1 2001 CHC 79 246 46 10 0 12 23 31 25 89 187 268 374 0 0 2002 CHC 92 266 56 8 0 16 32 35 32 80 211 301 421 0 0       It took a long time for Lo Duca to convince the Dodgers that he can play, but he finally busted loose with a great season in 2001. Last year he continued his hot hitting, batting .326 at the All-Star break. But he batted only .233 after the break, thanks to mostly to a miserable August. His home run stroke also took a vacation, on the whole his season was so impressive. Even still, he's a durable catcher, and a better hitter than most; 2001 was likely a career year but I think we'll see him hit .300 again.       Hundley has played for 13 years and has hit 200 home runs, and now is just playing out the string. Hard to believe that he is only three years older than Lo Duca. Hundley still has a bit of pop, and is a capable backup despite the ugly batting averages.

MONTREAL - Michael Barrett 26 R/R and Brian Schneider 26 L/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS BARRETT 2000 MON 89 271 58 15 1 1 28 22 23 35 214 277 288 0 1 2001 MON 132 472 118 33 2 6 42 38 25 54 250 289 367 2 1 2002 MON 117 376 99 20 1 12 41 49 40 65 263 332 418 6 3 SCHNEIDER 2000 MON 45 115 27 6 0 0 6 11 7 24 235 276 287 0 1 2001 MON 27 41 13 3 0 1 4 6 6 3 317 396 463 0 0 2002 MON 73 207 57 19 2 5 21 29 21 41 275 339 459 1 2       Barrett had an explosive April, and three weeks into the season was leading the league in RBI. The remainder of his season was unexceptional, but it was still his best since his fine rookie year in 1999. He is frustrating because he has the potential to do better, but if he continues to play like he did last year then he will be around awhile.       While Barrett cooled off during the summer, Schneider proved that he can play as well. I think there are a lot of teams that would like to have either one of these guys, and chances are, the Expos will be selling.

COLORADO - Charles Johnson 32 R/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 2000 BAL-CHW 128 421 128 24 0 31 76 91 52 106 304 379 582 2 0 2001 FLO 128 451 117 32 0 18 51 75 38 133 259 321 450 0 0 2002 FLO 83 244 53 19 0 6 18 36 31 61 217 301 369 0 0       Johnson's batting average dropped into Todd Hundley's territory last season. Johnson and Hundley have had comparable careers; both are power hitting catchers and strong defensive players. Hundley was the better hitter in his prime, Johnson is a great defensive player.       Hundley's average has been consistently poor the past five years, with the exception of a brief comeback in 2000. Johnson may also have a comeback season in him, but otherwise expect his batting average to remain in the dumps.       Of course, Johnson is also playing in Colorado now, which confuses everything. Put it this way: at worst, Johnson is still an improvement over what the Rockies had.

SAN FRANCISCO - Benito Santiago 38 R/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 2000 CIN 89 252 66 11 1 8 22 45 19 45 262 310 409 2 2 2001 SF 133 477 125 25 4 6 39 45 23 78 262 295 369 5 4 2002 SF 126 478 133 24 5 16 56 74 27 73 278 315 450 4 2       The Giants cheated a bit on their way to the pennant. They saved money on catching by working 37-year-old Santiago as hard as they could. They also didn't bother picking up an extra hitter, instead deciding to use bat Santiago behind Barry Bonds. Benito gave them everything he had and almost got them to the championship.       After 17 years, 200 home runs and over 1600 hits, Santiago has vindicated the writers who chose him as Rookie Of The Year in 1987. He is one of seven catchers to win the award; all seven were pretty good: Johnny Bench, 1968 Mike Piazza, 1993 Carlton Fisk, 1972 Thurman Munson, 1970 Benito Santiago, 1987 Sandy Alomar Jr., 1990 Earl Williams, 1971       Three Hall-Of-Famers, plus an MVP (Munson). Sandy Alomar has been in the league 15 years; Earl Williams was a great player for three years but then faltered.

CHICAGO CUBS -Damian Miller 33 R/R and Paul Bako 31 L/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS MILLER 2000 ARI 100 324 89 24 0 10 43 44 36 74 275 347 441 2 2 2001 ARI 123 380 103 19 0 13 45 47 35 80 271 337 424 0 1 2002 ARI 101 297 74 22 0 11 40 42 38 88 249 340 434 0 0 BAKO 2000 3TEAMS 81 221 50 10 1 2 18 20 27 64 226 312 308 0 0 2001 ATL 61 137 29 10 1 2 19 15 20 34 212 312 343 1 0 2002 MIL 87 234 55 8 1 4 24 20 20 46 235 295 329 0 2       The Curse of Rick Wilkins lives on. The Cubs decided that Todd Hundley and Joe Girardi are yesterday's newspaper, and picked up 2002 All-Star and former World Series hero Damian Miller from Arizona. Miller is an OK player and is very consistent; last year he struggled the second half of the season and also battled back spasms. He will turn 33 years old... these guys are OK but they're not a big improvement over what the Cubs has last year.

HOUSTON - Brad Ausmus 34 R/R and Gregg Zaun 32 S/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS AUSMUS 2000 DET 150 523 139 25 3 7 75 51 69 79 266 357 365 11 5 2001 HOU 128 422 98 23 4 5 45 34 30 64 232 284 341 4 1 2002 HOU 130 447 115 19 3 6 57 50 38 71 257 322 353 2 3 ZAUN 2000 KC 83 234 64 11 0 7 36 33 43 34 274 390 410 7 3 2001 KC 39 125 40 9 0 6 15 18 12 16 329 377 536 1 2 2002 HOU 76 185 41 7 1 3 18 24 12 36 222 275 319 1 0       Ausmus is a superior defensive catcher whose bat is slowly dying; he's a good athlete and he is durable, and can be relied on for at least one more season. Zaun is a career backup who only bats 150 times each season; some years he is Mickey Cochrane, in others he is Henry Blanco.

CINCINNATI - Jason LaRue 29 R/R and Corky Miller 27 R/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS LARUE 2000 CIN 31 98 23 3 0 5 12 12 5 19 235 299 418 0 0 2001 CIN 121 364 86 21 2 12 39 43 27 106 236 303 404 3 3 2002 CIN 113 353 88 17 1 12 42 52 27 117 249 324 405 1 2 MILLER 2000 103 317 74 18 0 9 40 44 41 51 233 373 375 5 8 2001 103 314 97 23 0 16 55 70 35 51 2002 CIN 39 114 29 10 0 3 9 15 9 20 254 328 421 0 0       Swish LaRue does a pretty good job for the Reds, strikes out a lot but puts some runs on the board. Corky Miller did a good job as a backup; Reds catchers drove in 80 runs last year, which is better than many.

ST LOUIS - Mike Matheny 33 R/R and Joe Girardi 38 R/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS MATHENY 2000 STL 128 417 109 22 1 6 43 47 32 96 261 317 362 0 0 2001 STL 121 381 83 12 0 7 40 42 28 76 218 276 304 0 1 2002 STL 110 315 77 12 1 3 31 35 32 49 244 313 317 1 3 GIRARDI 2000 CHC 106 363 101 15 1 6 47 40 32 61 278 339 375 1 0 2001 CHC 78 229 58 10 1 3 22 25 21 50 253 315 345 0 1 2002 CHC 90 234 53 10 1 1 19 13 16 35 226 275 291 1 0       Matheny is the premier all-field, no-hit catcher in the game, though to be fair he is not an automatic out. Joe Girardi is the Godfather of this type of catcher, a man who was a revered figure in New York before discovering obscurity with the Cubbies. This combo is OK, but they are old, old, old and don't put any runs on the board.

ATLANTA - Javier Lopez 32 R/R and Johnny Estrada 26 S/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS LOPEZ 2000 ATL 134 481 138 21 1 24 60 89 35 80 287 337 484 0 0 2001 ATL 128 438 117 16 1 17 45 66 28 82 267 322 425 1 0 2002 ATL 109 347 81 15 0 11 31 52 26 63 233 299 372 0 1 ESTRADA 2000 AA 95 356 105 18 0 12 42 42 10 20 295 322 447 1 0 2001 AAA 32 131 38 13 0 0 13 16 5 6 290 319 389 0 0 2001 PHI 89 298 68 15 0 8 26 37 16 32 228 273 359 0 0 2002 AAA 118 434 121 27 0 11 49 67 26 53 279 322 417 1       Fearing that Javier Lopez is too old and his bat is too slow, the Braves decided to deal Kevin Millwood in exchange for A.J. Pierzynski... oh wait, that's when Bobby Cox woke up and discovered he had Johnny Estrada instead.       I guess Estrada is an OK player, I guess, and Lopez still has a bit of pop in his bat, I guess, but if I were a Braves fan I would rather keep Millwood and let Henry Blanco catch all 162 games.

ARIZONA - Chad Moeller 28 R/R and Rod Barajas 28 R/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS MOELLER 2000 MIN 48 128 27 3 1 1 13 9 9 33 211 261 273 1 0 2001 AAA 78 274 75 20 0 8 41 36 25 54 274 337 434 1 4 2002 AAA 60 211 67 8 2 10 37 48 29 46 318 401 517 1 0 2002 ARI 37 105 30 11 1 2 10 16 17 23 286 385 467 0 1 BARAJAS 1999 AA 127 510 162 41 2 14 77 95 24 73 318 354 488 2 0 2000 AAA 110 416 94 25 0 13 43 75 14 65 226 253 380 4 3 2001 ARI 51 106 17 3 0 3 9 9 4 26 160 191 274 0 0 2002 ARI 70 154 36 10 0 3 12 23 10 25 234 288 357 1 0       In a surprise move, the Diamondbacks actually got younger at the catching position! They traded some age and experience in Damian Miller, and will let Chad Moeller and Rod Barajas handle catching duties. Both have some power, both should be in their prime, neither is going to be an All-Star. This could be an OK combination for Arizona if one of these guys proves he can bat 250 times in a season.

SAN DIEGO - Wiki Gonzalez 28 R/R and Mike Rivera 27 R/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS GONZALEZ 2000 SD 95 284 66 15 1 5 25 30 30 31 232 311 345 1 2 2001 SD 64 160 44 6 0 8 16 27 11 28 275 335 462 2 0 2002 SD 56 164 36 8 1 1 16 20 27 24 220 330 299 0 0 RIVERA 2000 A 64 243 71 19 4 11 30 53 16 45 292 336 539 2 0 2001 AA 112 415 120 19 1 33 76 101 44 96 289 368 578 2 2 2002 AAA 74 265 66 11 1 20 43 53 35 64 249 341 525 0 1 2002 DET 39 132 30 8 1 1 11 11 4 35 227 254 326 0 0       The Padres had high hopes for Gonzalez before the season; not only was he expected to assume everyday catching duties, but his bat is good enough that he could have been an All-Star. But he broke his wrist in April, sprained his ankle in June and strained his hip flexor in July. It was a miserable season, but he is still the best that the Padres have got. Mike Rivera and Gary Bennett are around but both are second stringers. Gonzalez can hit, but whether or not he can stay healthy is the big question mark.

MILWAUKEE - Robert Machado 30 R/R and Javier Valentin 28 S/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS MACHADO 2000 AAA 92 330 99 20 0 9 41 58 28 43 300 357 442 1 5 2001 CHC 52 135 3 30 10 0 2 13 13 7 26 222 266 341 0 0 2002 CHC-MIL 73 211 55 14 1 3 19 22 17 41 261 316 379 0 0 VALENTIN 2000 AAA 39 140 50 16 2 7 25 35 9 27 357 397 650 1 0 2001 AAA 121 431 121 29 2 17 53 71 47 108 281 352 476 0 1 2002 AAA 127 455 130 33 1 21 69 80 41 96 286 346 501 0 1       I'm sure that the Brewers would rather not rely on a pair of no-name catchers, but they could probably do worse than these two. Machado has been a third-string catcher for several years, and last year played well enough to establish himself as a solid second-string catcher.       Valentin was once a good prospect with the Twins, and has a solid season with Minnesota in 1999, when he was 23 years old. After that he injured his knee, and never made it back to the majors. But he has hit very well in the minors in each of the past three seasons, and there is no reason to think that he can't play a little bit.

CATCHERS - BOTH LEAGUES
1 Mike Piazza	11 Charles Johnson	21 Javier Lopez
2 Ivan Rodriguez	12 Toby Hall	22 Chad Moeller
3 Jorge Posada	13 Benito Santiago	23 Wiki Gonzalez
4 Mike Lieberthal	14 Victor Martinez	24 Ramon Hernandez
5 Jason Kendall	15 Damian Miller	25 Geronimo Gil
6 Paul Lo Duca	16 Brad Ausmus	26 Ken Huckaby
7 A.J. Pierzynski	17 Jason LaRue	27 Einer Diaz
8 Ben Davis	18 Mike Matheny	28 Brent Mayne
9 Jason Varitek	19 Bengie Molina	29 Brandon Inge
10 Michael Barrett	20 Sandy Alomar	30 Robert Machado