Ryan Doumit catches for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Doumit posted good OBPs and excellent slugging percentages in 2007 and 2008, but fell off in 2009 due to an injury to his scaphoid bone. Wrist injuries are very tough on hitters, so we’ll see how he comes back in 2010. It’s tough to find catchers who are good offensive players, so a return to form by Doumit could really improve the Pirates. (My daughter broke her scaphoid bone her freshman year of high school, and the resulting scar tissue made violin bowing more difficult for her.)

For some reason, Doumit hits much better with men on base; .240 with the bases empty, .308 with men on. He hits really well with men on first base, which may mean when he bats left handed, he’s very capable of pulling the ball through the hole at first. Looking at Bill James Online, he’s really good at lining the ball to right.