There are a couple of reasons catchers rarely get any serious consideration come fantasy baseball draft day. First, and foremost, most catchers do not put up offensive numbers comparable to other position players, which is fine in MLB because most of their skills and value come in the form of defense and intangibles (i.e. handling a pitching staff), but in fantasy baseball it is a deterrent. The downside of the fantasy catcher is his durability, particularly in the National League, as catchers can expect to see around 100 fewer plate appearances than a regular position player.

Nonetheless, every team in every league will be drafting a catcher in the coming weeks, and this year’s catchers pool is a bit deeper than in previous years. Grabbing a competent backstop will play a key role in winning your fantasy league.

1. Joe Mauer – Minnesota Twins

2009 – .365 BA 28 HR 96 RBI 94 R

Mauer is far and away the best catcher in the MLB, and consequently the only catcher who should be drafted in the first few rounds of your draft. Mauer is coming off a season where he won this third batting title, a MVP award, and set career highs in nearly every statistical category. The scary part is that he accomplished all of this while missing all of April. At 27, there should be no worries about Mauer’s ability to hold up physically and may be just chipping away at his potential as he enters his prime.

2. Victor Martinez – Boston Red Sox

2009 – .303 BA 23 HR 108 RBI 88 R

Somehow year after year Victor Martinez manages to play enough games to retain his eligibility at the catcher position. While Martinez will likely play more games at first base and DH this season, fantasy owners will be able to place him in their catcher slot, propelling him near the top of this list. Martinez is a career .299 hitter and aside from an injury-shortened 2008, has averaged 21 home runs per season. Look for Martinez to take full advantage of the hitter-friendly confines of Fenway Park and hitting in the middle of a dangerous Boston Red Sox lineup.

3. Brian McCann – Atlanta Braves

2009 – .281 BA 21 HR 94 RBI 63 R

It isn’t often that a catcher leads their team in home runs and RBI, but Brian McCann did just that in 2009. Whether that is a statement about the Braves’ offense or McCann’s ability, I’ll leave you to decide, but there is no denying the numbers. McCann has been one of the most consistent offensive catchers in the Majors since taking over full-time in 2006. McCann has topped the 20 home run and 90 RBI mark in three of the past four seasons, something that only one other ‘catcher’ has done in that span (Victor Martinez). McCann is a very gifted catcher, but is held back by a Braves offense that was 17th in the league in runs scored last season.

4. Jorge Posada – New York Yankees

2009 – .285 BA 22 HR 82 RBI 55 R

There can be an argument made to place Posada ahead of McCann but the question of durability weighs too much for me to rank him higher than the Braves’ backstop. There is a lot of mileage on Posada’s body, and he has been sidelined in each of the past two seasons with significant injuries. Posada will be 39 years old this August and the Yankees brass decided they needed the DH spot free to give position players days off, namely Posada. Age and injury issues aside, Posada should still manage to hit 20 home runs, drive in 85-90 RBI, and is only two years removed from a .340 batting average.

5. Kurt Suzuki – Oakland Athletics

2009 – .274 BA 15 HR 88 RBI 74 R

Ichiro wasn’t the only Suzuki that generated excitement in the AL West, as Kurt Suzuki had a career year and somewhat of a coming out party in 2009. Suzuki’s combined numbers from 2007 and 2008 looked similar to what his 2009 statistics looked like. He hit eight more home runs, had 46 more RBI and scored 20 more runs from 2008 to 2009. This shouldn’t come as much of a shock because Suzuki is only 26 years old and is a former 2nd-round pick by super-GM Billy Beane. Will there be a slight drop off? Maybe, but Suzuki deserves to be talked about as one of the top offensive catchers in the league.

6. Bengie Molina – San Francisco Giants

2009 – .265 BA 20 HR 80 RBI 52 R

At 36 years old, Bengie Molina set a career-high with 20 home runs and was the premier catching free agent this past offseason. Much to the Mets’ chagrin, Molina signed a one-year deal to return to the Giants and will be the starting catcher for at least part of the 2010 season. Despite the effect his power output has on an otherwise poor offensive team, Molina does have some issues that need to be addressed. Molina may be the slowest runner in the league, which extends credibility to the term “catcher’s speed” and he had a simply atrocious OBP last year (.282). Molina is also only keeping the position warm for Buster Posey, who should find his way to the big leagues at some point this season.

7. Mike Napoli – Los Angeles Angels

2009 – .272 BA 20 HR 56 RBI 60 R

Napoli showed tons of potential in 2008 when he hit 20 home runs in 227 at-bats, but his production slowed significantly in 2009. Napoli hit the same 20 home runs and drove in only 7 more runs in 155 more plate appearances. Napoli will be the Angels’ starting catcher in 2010 but there are a few questions that surround him and make me a bit skeptical. First, Napoli is hitting in an Angels lineup that has been significantly downgraded by the losses of Chone Figgins and Vladimir Guerrero. Second, Napoli strikes out about once every three times he steps to the plate, which inevitably effects his ability to put up better offensive numbers.

8. Russell Martin – Los Angeles Dodgers

2009 – .250 BA 7 HR 53 RBI 63 R

Next to Geovany Soto, Russell Martin may have been the biggest disappointment at catcher in 2009. Comparing Martin’s 2008 and 2009 seasons, his average dropped 30 points, he hit six less home runs and had 16 less RBI. While Martin’s production took a hit, he did manage to maintain a .350 OBP and steal 11 bases, so there is definitely some value here. If Martin can bounce back and have a season similar to his 2007 campaign, he will be a steal in the later rounds.

9. Matt Wieters – Baltimore Orioles

2009 – .288 BA 9 HR 43 RBI 35 R

Wieters showed the baseball world why the Orioles are so excited about the future, as the highly touted catching prospect finally made his way to the Major League level. Wieters will be 24 in May and improvement is to be expected after a season where he saw MLB-caliber pitching for the first time in his career. Wieters should see about 200 more plate appearances this season, and he definitely has potential to put up a .300 BA 20 HR and 85 RBI stat line at some point in his career. His experience and rawness is what has him ranked this low but owners should expect improvement this year, especially hitting in a hitter-friendly ballpark like Camden Yards and in a much-improved Orioles lineup.

10. Yadier Molina – St. Louis Cardinals

2009 – .293 BA 6 HR 54 RBI 45 R

The 2nd Molina brother to find his way onto my list is a perfect example of how being a great catcher in the MLB doesn’t necessarily translate into fantasy baseball. Molina rounds out my list for three reasons, first, he actually did hit .293 last year, which was third among catchers who qualified for the batting title (Victor Martinez did not have enough ABs at the position). Second, I am not sold 100% on Geovany Soto’s ability to bounce back after his awful 2009 season. Molina also hits in one of the best lineups in the NL, making it easier for him to put up impressive statistics for his position.

asulla-heffinger@nypost.com