Week in and week out it seems the same names appear when it comes to the catcher position. There are only a handful of "elite" catchers in the league this season, and it may even be a stretch to call them elite. They are solid, yes, but they are not in the same categories as Jorge Posada and Victor Martinez of the previous years. However, it seems like the catchers this season are of a new breed. There is some power, there is the ability to drive in some runs, but the average is what sets them apart from most catchers. The catchers this week have had pretty solid weeks, but their ability to make contact is what gave them their true value. Most of the time this article features the same names, but luckily there is a new name to top the list, although it's not a name one may have expected.

Gold

Kelly Shoppach (Catcher - Cleveland Indians) - Shoppach has been struggled at times since taking over for the injured Victor Martinez, but lately he's been extremely solid. He's been getting several extra base hits, drove in some runs, and is even hitting for a decent average lately. He is definitely no Victor Martinez, but he's playing extremely solid baseball and the Indians need all the offense they can get while Martinez and Pronk are hurt. Shoppach flashed some power this week, which made his solid numbers into great numbers. He may not be amongst the top catchers on a weekly basis, but he was definitely good enough to make the list this week.

8/22, 5 runs, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 0 SB, .364 AVG

Silver

Joe Mauer (Catcher - Minnesota Twins) - Mauer is one of the most solid catchers in the game, and this week he seemed to find a bit of the power that fantasy owners were hoping he would have discovered a while ago. He's only got four homeruns for the season, but he's driving in a decent amount of runs. Most importantly, for him at least, is that he's getting on base. He's got a very nice average and an amazing OBP. He's showing great plate discipline and is taking walks. He may not be hitting for much power, but he's keeping a very solid average and is getting on base which will lead to even more runs, especially with Justin Morneau in the lineup. Mauer may never reach the potential, in terms of power, that many were hoping he would, but he is making up for the lack of power by racking up hits and getting on base.

7/19, 6 runs, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 0 SB, .368 AVG

Bronze

Geovany Soto (Catcher - Chicago Cubs) - Congratulations are in order. Soto is basically a lock to become the first rookie to ever start for the NL in the All-Star game. He definitely deserves the honor because he's had quite an impressive season. Soto started the season off pretty rough, but he soon caught fire and it was hard to slow him down. It seems like his numbers are always the same at the end of the week. He'll have scored some runs, hit a homer, and driven in a handful of runs while collecting a lot of hits. This week is just another perfect example of why Soto is the best catcher in the NL. He's solid and fantasy owners know exactly what to expect from him each week.

10/25, 5 runs, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 0 SB, .400 AVG

Other Top Performances:

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