Jason LaRue

This is Jason LaRue. You know what he is. He hit .213 as a backup to Yadier Molina last year, and he's likely to do similarly this year. He'll be 35 on Opening Day, and Bryan Anderson isn't far from the majors. The end of the road is coming soon.

LaRue is coming off his worst year as a major leaguer, hitting just .148 with four home runs in 66 games serving as John Buck's backup. He still has a strong arm from behind the plate, but is virtually useless when standing next to it. He was signed by the Cardinals to fill the same role for the Cardinals and Yadier Molina, and you can expect more of the same out of him with a low average, little power and a great arm.

The Royals liked John Buck so much they went out and got a more veteran version of him. LaRue's 2006 season was soiled by a knee injury that he tried to come back too quickly from, and then by the emergence of David Ross at the plate. He's better than what he showed last year, but even at his best, he's going to be a low-average, high-strikeout hitter. He'll make up for some of that with his power, and for the Royals with his arm, but you don't want him as your first-string catcher on your fantasy team.

The Reds surprisingly received solid production from their catching combo in 2005, aided in part by LaRue's improved batting eye. He'll never hit for average, but LaRue offers some power from the catcher's spot, certainly something that's rare enough in the NL.

The impact of LaRue's slightly-above-average power is nullified by his poor batting eye and resultant batting average. Don't go out of your way to acquire him for more than the league minimum in an attempt to acquire counting stats.

LaRue has been consistently mediocre throughout his career. The potential always looms that he could have a token Damian Miller-esque breakout season, but for the most part he remains the typical $1 catcher.

LaRue has never been a favorite of manager Bob Boone, due to his defense. While LaRue's prowess at throwing out runners is unquestioned (he led the majors by throwing out 45.2% of attempted baserunners), his receiving skills are shaky. He had 20 passed balls in 2002, leading the major leagues. LaRue isn't much better at the plate than behind it, with just limited power and mediocre plate discipline.