Lou Marson

Marson is a useful backup catcher, but nothing more. His bat is not enough to carry him in most fantasy formats as he does not offer any power upside and lacks the playing time necessary to inflate his counting totals. He'll return as Cleveland's backup catcher to Carlos Santana, benefiting from the Tribe's steady use of Santana at first base in order to keep their best power threat in the lineup regularly.

Marson saw more playing time than most backup catchers do as a result of Cleveland's desire to shift Carlos Santana over to first base or DH on occasion to give him a break from the catching duties. Marson didn't do much with the slightly expanded role, hitting .230 with just one homer in 79 games for Cleveland. He's nothing more than a catch-and-throw backstop, and doesn't offer anything of fantasy relevance at the plate. He'll serve as Santana's primary backup again this season and should see a similar workload.

Marson started the season as the team's starting catcher, keeping the position warm until Carlos Santana was deemed ready. In a cruel twist of fate he got sent to Triple-A once Santana arrived only to get called back up when Santana's season was ended with a knee injury. Marson draws a fair amount of walks but doesn't hit for average or power. If Santana is slow to recover from knee surgery, Marson would likely start the season as the team's catcher. Even with that opportunity, there's nothing here to get excited about.

Marson draws walks but doesn't hit for any power. Still, he could find himself as the Indians' catcher on Opening Day now that Kelly Shoppach is in Tampa Bay. He's merely keeping the position warm with top prospect Carlos Santana just about ready. There's really nothing to get excited about here even if he wins the job out of spring training.

The 22-year-old Marson has ascended exactly one level of play ever since entering the Phillies’ organization in 2004 and he experienced his best campaign in 2008 with Double-A Reading. He's a promising prospect behind the plate and while it's unlikely he'll find his name on the Opening Day roster, he'll have a chance at a late-season callup if he continues to develop. Marson could find himself playing ahead of Carlos Ruiz and Chris Coste by season's end, so keep an eye on his progress. He has limited power but great hitting instincts and could be worth adding in keeper formats given that he's still got some time to add pop.