Today's Fantasy Rx

National League Catchers with Draft Value of $0 and $-1

Quick Key to the tables:
AB = At-bats.  H = Hits.  BA = Batting Average.  HR= Home Runs.
RBI = Runs Batted In.  SB = Stolen Bases.  R = Runs.  B = Bats.  T = Throws.
Pos = Position qualification based on 20 appearances or max. # of games in 2004.
Age = Player's Age as of October 1, 2004.
4x4 = BA, HR, RBI, and SB in 12-team, $260 leagues with 23-man rosters.
5x5 = BA, HR, RBI, SB, and R in 12-team, $260 leagues with 23-man rosters.
RAR = Runs Above Replacement; Adjusted RAR = RAR modified to
consider a player's 2004 defensive rating in Scoresheet fantasy baseball.

Players are ranked in order from the highest draft value in a 4x4 league to the lowest. As the majority of fantasy leagues allow you to keep anyone traded to the other league, all players are listed in the league where they began the season.

16.		AB	H	BA	HR	RBI	SB	R	Pos
Mike Matheny		385	95	.247	5	50	0	28	C
STL Cardinals		4x4		5x5		RAR		Adj. RAR
Age: 34	B:R    T:R	0		1		-6.8		-2.1

Declining walk and contact rates leave San Francisco's new catcher very vulnerable to further offensive problems. Matheny will struggle to exceed two dozen extra-base hits, and departing the Cardinals' lineup also should cost him a few RBI. He appears too risky to own in almost every variety of league considering his weak skills and considerable qualitative downside.

17.		AB	H	BA	HR	RBI	SB	R	Pos
Brad Ausmus		403	100	.248	5	31	2	38	C
HOU Astros		4x4		5x5		RAR		Adj. RAR
Age: 35	B:R    T:R	0		1		-7.2		-2.6

Ausmus continues to end Astro rallies prematurely due to his woeful skills. He slipped to a career-worst 3.30 #P/PA without demonstrating any significant increase in his contact rate or power potential. While he at least remains an acceptable starter against southpaws, his .235/.292/.302 performance against right-handers over the past three years renders Ausmus largely useless to the vast majority of fantasy owners.

18.		AB	H	BA	HR	RBI	SB	R	Pos
Mike Redmond		246	63	.256	2	25	1	19	C
FLO Marlins		4x4		5x5		RAR		Adj. RAR
Age: 33	B:R    T:R	0		0		-3.1		-2.3

Joining Minnesota should allow Redmond to settle back into a part-time role with both Joe Mauer and Matt LeCroy available to start games. Consistently solid contact rates and developing power potential also could translate into a surprisingly strong performance for the veteran. Although you shouldn't target Redmond on draft day, Mauer owners in very deep leagues might consider rostering the youngster's backup. A strong start also could warrant employing Redmond as roster filler even in standard leagues due to his previous success and positive skill trends.

'04 Catcher Week continues tomorrow, featuring more National Leaguers without PDV.

Today's Fantasy Rx: On a day mostly full of unimpressive veterans, the 2004 rookie catchers look like the only players worth any significant consideration for next season. Yadier Molina and whomever wins the Arizona starting job between Chris Snyder and Koyie Hill both should return at least a small profit on bids to $5. Owners in leagues with severe inflation even could push $8, but heading towards double-digits is a bad idea when bidding on young catchers without a strong track record or the benefit of playing in Coors.