National League Central Positional Rankings: Catcher

As we close in on Spring Training, I have decided to do position-by-position rankings for the NL Central. While I am a Cubs fan, I will do my best to stay impartial in my rankings.

Along with ranking the six starters, I will also name my top backup and my top up and coming prospect.

Catcher in the NL Central is a position with a lot of questions entering this season. Will Geovany Soto and Ryan Doumit bounce back from poor seasons? How much do Gregg Zaun and Ramon Hernandez have left?

Is this the year J.R. Towles finally shows why he was a top prospect? Will Yadier Molina continue his ascent to stardom?

So on with the rankings, and on with the debate as to who has the better catcher.

Top Prospect: Jason Castro, Houston Astros.

2009 Stats (Between Class A and Class AA)

BA: .300
OBP: .380
SLG: .446
H: 134
HR: 10
RBI: 73
Runs: 65
Caught Stealing: 49-of-109 (45%)

Castro's numbers are impressive, and with J.R. Towles and Humberto Quintero currently holding down the fort at the big league level, it could be only a matter of time before he gets a call up.

However, after what happened when they rushed Towles, and the fact that he is still only 23 and entering just his third pro season, the Astros could keep Castro in the minors another full season.

He is no doubt the top catching prospect in the division, and no doubt the Astros top overall prospect.

Top Backup: Koyie Hill, Chicago Cubs

2009 Stats

BA: .237
OBP: .312
SLG: .324
H: 60
HR: 2
RBI: 24
Runs: 26
Caught Stealing: 20-of-50 (40%)

Hill stood in admirably last season when starter Geovany Soto went down with an injury, as he started 26 straight games.

He is a solid defensive catcher with a strong arm, and his hitting is about on par with what you would expect from a backup catcher.

This choice came down to Jason Jaramillo of the Pirates, but Hill got the nod thanks to his superior defense.

6. J.R. Towles, Houston Astros

2009 Stats

BA: .188
OBP: .250
SLG: .354
H: 9
HR: 2
RBI: 3
Runs: 7
Caught Stealing: 1-of-11 (9%)

Towles was supposed to be the catcher of the future when he took the opening day job from Brad Ausmus two years ago.

Now he seems like little more than a stop gap option while top prospect Jason Castro gets more seasoning in the minors.

In the meantime, Towles and Humberto Quintero will keep the position warm, and provide little in the way of offense.

Towles is still just 26, and there is a reason he was given the starting job in 2008. He could be in line for a surprisingly good season, but more than likely he's just a stop gap option.

5. Gregg Zaun, Milwaukee Brewers

2009 Stats

BA: .260
OBP: .345
SLG: .416
H: 68
HR: 8
RBI: 27
Runs: 34
Caught Stealing: 11-of-54 (20%)

No offense to Gregg Zaun, who is a more than capable backup, but at 39 years old, there is no reason he should be anything other than a backup.

He split time between Baltimore and Tampa Bay last season, and was equally unimpressive in both stops.

With regular playing time, he could have a .260 BA, 10 HR, 40 RBI season, but considering he brings little to the table defensively, he is far from the top of this list.

4. Ramon Hernandez, Cincinnati Reds

2009 Stats

BA: .258
OBP: .336
SLG: .362
H: 74
HR: 5
RBI: 37
Runs: 25
Caught Stealing: 18-of-51 (35%)

At 34, Hernandez is by no means the All-Star player he was in Oakland and Baltimore. At the same time, he is not as bad as his numbers showed last season.

After having surgery to fix a nagging knee injury, and taking a $5 million pay cut after the team declined his option, Hernandez has something to play for this year, and a return to his 2008 range of .250 BA, 15 HR, 60 RBI is a realistic possibility.

3. Ryan Doumit, Pittsburgh Pirates

2009 Stats

BA: .250
OBP: .299
SLG: .414
H: 70
HR: 10
RBI: 38
Runs: 31
Caught Stealing: 20-of-64 (31%)

Doumit was one of the surprise stories of 2008, but nagging injuries cost him a number of games in 2009 resulted in a drop in his numbers across the board.

There should be not reason he can't return to the 15 HR, 70 RBI level he was at in 2008 if he stays healthy, and he certainly still has some upside at just 29 years old.

He should be a leader at the center of the youth movement that is going on in Pittsburgh, and he is one of the league's better offensive catchers when healthy.

2. Geovany Soto, Chicago Cubs

2009 Stats

BA: .218
OBP: .321
SLG: .381
H: 72
HR: 11
RBI: 47
Runs: 27
Caught Stealing: 23-of-82 (28%)

As good as Soto was in 2008 when he won the Rookie of the Year and started the All-Star game, he was equally bad last year.

He claims to have dedicated himself this off-season after taking his job for granted last season, and he has slimmed down by 40 pounds.

If he can return to form, he may well be number one on this list, but if not, he falls behind Doumit and possibly lower.

1. Yadier Molina, St. Louis Cardinals

2009 Stats

BA: .293
OBP: .366
SLG: .383
H: 141
HR: 6
RBI: 54
Runs: 45
Caught Stealing: 22-of-54 (41%)
*All-Star
*Gold Glove

Molina has become the game's premier defensive catcher, and his offense is slowly rounding into shape.

The fact that he caught 138 games last season, and only had 54 attempted steals against him speaks volumes to the respect his cannon arm gets.

Still just 27, he should continue to hit around .300 with 10 HR and 50 RBI a realistic possibility, while still striking fear into opposing base runners.