Russell Martin

This is a slideshow on the top 10 Yankee performers right now.  Keep in mind that the entire show is not based on past seasons' performances.  It is only based on the future, which I think is the most relevant tool that we can look to at this point.  Thus, don't be surprised if you see some major names kept off of this list.

Begin Slideshow

This year, like every other, will provide us with season-ruining busts and the championship making prospects. To help you out, the following are the top five players you should, and still can target to ensure success in your fantasy league. Note: the following rankings and stats are based off of Yahoo! Fantasy Sports Leagues. For a more complete ranking of fantasy players go to Jackman Sports' Rankings found here.

When the New York Yankees signed Russell Martin to a one-year contract during the offseason, they were hoping simply for Martin to provide spring training competition to youngsters Francisco Cervelli and Jesus Montero.

After a solid spring, Martin earned the starters job and has hit the ground running so far this season.

The term "fantasy sleeper" is rather stupid at this point. 

There is so much written, so many forums and so much media, no one is a sleeper. 

You think Gio Gonzalez is a sleeper this season? He's not. Everyone knows who he is. They might not like him as much as you do, meaning you will be able to draft him late, but he is not being slept on.

In 2007, Russell Martin won a silver slugger and was generally considered one of the best catchers in the game. Since then, it has been a long steady fall from grace. Martin was plagued with MCL injuries last season, only playing in 97 games, which helped continue his streak of declining production:

Every year, there are those waiver wire wonders that carry your team through the fantasy baseball season. In 2010, fantasy stars like Jose Bautista, Buster Posey, Carlos Santana and Angel Pagan are just a few of the many players who made an impact despite their undrafted status on draft day. 

If anything can be taken from the first two days of spring training, it's this: The Yankees have a great farm system. 

The Yankees are choc-full of talent ranging from starting pitchers to catchers. 

At nearly every position there are legitimate prospects that should be making their ways to the Bronx over the next couple of years. 

Most importantly, and immediately, is starting pitching and catching.

The Yankees catching job is going to be one of the biggest focuses after the starting rotation this spring.

So it comes as no surprise that both Russell Martin and Jesus Montero have reported to spring training nearly a week early.

Over the next two weeks, I’ll examine the relative strengths and weaknesses of the teams in the AL East on a position-by-position basis.

The players at each position will be ranked in relation to their peers within the division, with each team being assigned points based on where their player ranks in comparison to the other players.

Today, I begin the series with a look at the catchers.

Begin Slideshow