Brian Schneider

Schneider spent last season as a backup to Carlos Ruiz and re-signed with the Phillies in the offseason to fill that same role again in 2012. Vance Worley had a lot of success throwing to Schneider last season so that combination figures to keep working together giving Schneider at least one start a week throughout the season. Beyond that, his only shot at extended playing time will be a Ruiz injury.

Schneider spent last season as Carlos Ruiz's backup and is set to do so again this year. That role should yield about a start a week provided Ruiz stays healthy. Schneider has shown the ability to hit around .250 with a few home runs when he gets consistent playing time so he might be OK to use in a deeper NL-only leagues should Ruiz have to miss any time with an injury.

Schneider had an injury-plagued 2008, but somehow found a way to miss more time in 2009. A muscle strain in his back and strained calf forced him to miss six weeks of action, then the play of Omir Santos and Josh Thole ended up limiting Schneider to just 59 games. Schneider agreed to a two-year, $2.75 million contract with the Phillies, where he will back up Carlos Ruiz.

First the positives, Schneider saw an uptick in batting average and home runs in 2008. As for the negatives, Schneider suffered through an injury-plagued year, bothered by several nagging ailments, contributing to a drop in playing time and RBI. In addition, questions have surfaced about his game-calling ability, which previously was his strength and the main reason why he was able to remain a starter despite such poor production. Schneider will open 2009 as the Mets' starting backstop, but he may yield more playing time to Ramon Castro.

Schneider's already limited power at the plate remained AWOL in 2007, and it seems as though the shoulder problems that surfaced late in 2005 have turned him into a left-handed version of Brad Ausmus, a great game-caller and solid defender with a bat too weak to justify being a major league starting catcher. He'll get another shot with the Mets, but don't expect a revival to even his previous levels of offensive adequacy.

To put it simply Schneider got worked too hard in 2006, with the result being a series of nagging injuries and a precipitous drop in his power output. As of yet, the Nationals haven't brought in an experienced backup to give him the regular breathers he clearly needs, so his fantasy value could depend on whether minor league vet Brandon Harper is capable of playing in 50-plus games.

Schneider battled through some late shoulder problems to post another solid season with the stick. His defense makes him more valuable in real baseball than fantasy, but for a cheap solution at catcher you could do much worse.

Schneider had a very good year defensively by most measures, and his bat held up under the extra playing time, so what's not to like? He profiles as exactly the sort of catcher who will gain some thump in his bat as he ages too (Mike Macfarlane and Darrin Fletcher had similar career paths), so if you're an advocate of the $1 catcher strategy, Schneider probably has a little more upside than most of your other options.

Schneider ended up with the majority of the playing time behind the plate last year. He was only marginally better than Michael Barrett at the plate, but at least he's cheaper.

Michael Barrett gets the press, but Schneider was just as productive behind the plate for a fraction of the price. That still doesn't make him a future All-Star, just someone to whom the cost-conscious franchise might hand a starting job.