Brad Ausmus

Ausmus ceded a lot of at-bats to Humberto Quintero and J.R. Towles last season, one of which will be his successor behind the dish in Houston. Never really known for his bat, Ausmus hit just .218 in 2008. He'll compete for a backup job with the Dodgers this spring.

We all know the story with Ausmus by now: reliable receiver and great with the pitching staff, but leaves plenty to be desired at the plate. It stands to reason that this will be his last year in the majors, and his main value will come in handling the pitchers and mentoring Houston's young catchers. Ausmus should only be on your radar if you're in an NL-only league that requires multiple starting catchers.

Ausmus regressed at the plate last season, hitting .230 and slugging an underwhelming .285. He's still a quality receiver behind the dish, and pitchers always enjoy working with him. In terms of fantasy, you should only be considering him if you're in a very deep NL-only league.

As his defensive value declines, his offense gets better. Last year was arguably his best season with the bat, though still just a marginal fantasy performance. You don't want him in '06 in any but the deepest leagues.

Ausmus was the primary backstop for the Astros, playing in 129 games in 2004. Raul Chavez is the future catcher for the Astros, so Ausmus could see a dip in playing time if Chavez emerges into the player the Astros envision him becoming. From a fantasy standpoint, Ausmus is deadly to his owners, producing a low batting average combined with a lot of at-bats.

Ausmus' defensive abilities, especially when it comes to handling a pitching staff, have been touted by Astros managers and teammates alike. While we think that can sometimes be overrated, it's worth noting that Ausmus' catcher ERA (the ERA of Astros pitchers when Ausmus was in the game) was fourth among qualifying major league catchers at 3.66. Meanwhile, teammates Gregg Zaun and Raul Chavez had catcher ERA's of 4.79 and 4.40 respectively. Still, was that difference reflective of Ausmus' abilities, or that Zaun and Chavez usually caught for the Astros' fifth starter, and more importantly, is that worth having his impotent bat in the lineup nearly every day?

Ausmus used to have some value vis-à-vis other catchers because he ran a little. He's run less frequently the last two years, tallying six stolen bases over the last two seasons combined after recording double-digit stolen base seasons in the four previous years. Even in Minute Maid Park, Ausmus hits for very little power.