Shuffle Up: John Buck, flushing hero

You probably know the Shuffle Up rules by now, but we'll go through a refresher course just in case.

The prices below are my catcher rankings for the rest of the season. Don't obsess over the prices in a vacuum; what matters is how the players relate to one another. Commodities at the same dollar figure are considered even.

Assumptions: 5x5 scoring, mixed-league format. Players who are currently disabled or in the minors are not eligible for ranks. The value on that type of player is largely context-driven, anyway; Yasmani Grandal could be a valuable stash in some pools and next-to-worthless in some other groups.

I'll add comments as the day goes along and I reserve the right to tweak this list during the day. Your respectful disagreement is always welcome in this exercise; win the debate, win the rank. And be sure to remember the golden rule of Shuffle Up: a player doesn't gain 15-20 percent of bonus value simply because he's on your roster.

To the ledger:

$24 Buster Posey
$22 Joe Mauer
$21 Yadier Molina
$21 Matt Wieters
$20 Carlos Santana
$20 Wilin Rosario

If I knew for sure the Santana thumb injury weren't anything serious, he'd be at $23. You don't mess with those thumb injuries.

$18 Miguel Montero
$18 Mike Napoli
$15 Victor Martinez
$14 Salvador Perez
$13 Jesus Montero
$13 Jonathan Lucroy

I still expect Martinez to have a decent average and run-production season, but his power is nothing special at this stage of the game and obviously he's returning from a completely lost season.

$11 Ryan Doumit
$10 J.P. Acencibia
$9 A.J. Pierzynski
$8 Alex Avila
$7 Jarrod Saltalamacchia
$5 Tyler Flowers
$5 Evan Gattis
$5 John Buck

Gattis is a highly-variable stock who could be a $15 or $0 catcher the next time we rank these guys. How quickly is McCann going to return, and how well will McCann hit when he's back in action? Will the Braves try to find at-bats for Gattis somewhere else? The easier it is to U-turn out of a spec play, the easier it is to be aggressive on a Gattis kick-the-tires special. If McCann weren't in the picture at all, Gattis would be slotted somewhere in the second tier of catchers.

Buck currently has a higher batting average than OBP, which is very difficult to do. The five homers and 15 RBIs have been a blast, sure. But let's not forget who he is: a 10-year veteran with a career slash line of .237/.303/.410. This could go poof at any moment. I did add Buck in the Yahoo! Friends & Family League this week, mindful of the four-game set at Colorado around the corner. But he'll probably be the first body released when I need to add someone else. Short leash, gamers.

$4 John Jaso
$2 Russell Martin
$2 Welington Castillo
$2 A.J. Ellis
$1 Kurk Suzuki
$1 Chris Iannetta
$1 Wilson Ramos
$1 Rob Brantly
$0 Derek Norris
$0 Jason Castro