Which major league catchers are having the most early season success at the plate?
Brian McCann, Atlanta Braves
With five homers and 12 RBIs, Brian McCann is becoming a force for the Braves. He has shown very good potential in the last few seasons and seems to be taking a step forward this year. He’s now cemented as one of the best catchers in the majors.
A.J. Pierzynski, Chicago White Sox
This 31-year-old veteran catcher is off to a blazing start. He’s hitting .323 with three homers and 11 RBIs. While it’s unlikely that A.J. Pierzynski will be able to keep up this pace, …read more

Today’s question is pretty straightforward. If you could choose one catcher for your big-league team, would it be Joe Mauer or Russell Martin?
Look, don’t talk to me about Victor Martinez, Brian McCann, or whoever else. They are fine catchers, but the guys I’m interested in are Mauer and Martin.
I have a slight preference for Mauer (yeah, the comp to Jason Kendall at the same age is a little disturbing), but I could see it going either way. In fact, the Hardball Times writers recently had their fantasy baseball draft, and I evaded the question by grabbing ‘em both.
So, …read more

The Atlanta Braves have given catcher Brian McCann a six-year contract extension worth $27.8 million. Six years is a long time for a catcher, but at the ripe old age of 23, McCann may still have room for improvement. That’s a scary proposition considering he hit .333/.388/.572 in his first full big-league season.
If you look around for decent comps for McCann, you won’t find any. The closest probably is Minnesota’s Joe Mauer, and he also happens to be at a similar stage in his career, so we can’t look to his numbers for guidance.
I will say that I’m extremely leery …read more