The long drought at the Catcher position has finally come to an end, as a host of young options are now ascending the ranks and leaving very impressive stat lines in their wake. The need to move early when searching for quality options is no longer a necessity, but there are options at the top that are oh so tempting. Pick the path that you wish to stroll down and don’t look back. Henry Davis is currently only eligible at OF but should gain Catcher eligibility early in the 2024 campaign. He’s worthy of our attention as a sneaky late-round option.
- Adley Rutschman, BAL – He’s been very good in his first two seasons. In 2024 he elevates his game to elite status. A 25-90 campaign with a .380 OBP is within reach.
- J.T. Realmuto, PHI – He didn’t hit the 20-20 mark in back-to-back seasons, but coming up four stolen bases short is close enough to allow him to hold his spot near the top of the charts.
- William Contreras, MIL – Contreras led all Catchers with 86 runs scored. He finished 4’th with 78 RBI. Along the way managed a .289 BA and .367 OBP. Is there more in the tank in 2024?
- Will Smith, LAD – Last year, Smith found his way into an additional 60 or so at-bats when DH’ing on his off days. With Shohei Ohtani now in the fold, Smith will see a marginal reduction in at-bats and the corresponding countable stats.
- Sal Perez, KCR – Pencil in a perfectly boring 20 HR, 80 RBI, and .255 BA season. As safe a floor as you’ll find and the extra playing time at 1B boosts those counting stats. 1B-23
- Francisco Alvarez, NYM – He’s poised to surpass the 30 home run mark and the BA should show improvement. The Mets have solved their catcher woes for the next decade.
- Bo Naylor, CLE – 2024 will be the first in a long string of 20-10 seasons.
- Jonah Heim, TEX – He led all catchers in RBI with 95 RBI, a whopping 15 more than his closest competition. Hitting in that strong lineup in Texas has its perks.
- Cal Raleigh, SEA – 30 HR pop but it comes with a ton of swing and miss that will have him flirting with the Mendoza line.
- Willson Contreras, STL – Now that the Cards have figured out that he’s a catcher, he’ll hang on to a Top-10 slot.
- Yainer Diaz, HOU – We saw that potential last year when he came out of nowhere to produce a 23 homer 60 RBI campaign. As good as this news was, there should be concerns when a hitter walks only 11 times in 377 plate appearances.
- Sean Murphy, ATL – He’s not as good as the first half and can’t be as dreadful as he showed in the second.
- Gabriel Moreno, ARZ – He’s good, just not 2023 playoff good.
- Logan O’Hoppe, LAA – In a season cut short due to injury, he flashed that sky-high potential. One of the many young catchers that has the potential to be a great option in the early-teen rounds.
- Keibert Ruiz, WAS – 18 home runs and 67 RBI last year as a 24-year-old is attention worthy.
- Luis Campusano, SDP – You’re investing in Campusano as a #2 catcher in two catcher sets with the probability being very high that he returns #1 catcher value.
- Shea Langeliers, OAK – I like the potential but the supporting cast won’t help his cause.
- Tyler Stephenson, CIN – I like the park, the surrounding cast, and the fact that as a #2 Catcher there is upside potential.
- Elias Diaz, COL – He started 126 games at Catcher last year, the third most in the game. That might help explain his career high 72 RBI.
- Ryan Jeffers, MIN – Christian Vazquez and Ryan Jeffers were in a job-share last year. That won’t be occurring in 2024, as Jeffers assumes the #1 role and additional at-bats in the Twin Cities.
- Mitch Garver, FA
- Endy Rodriguez, PIT
- Danny Jansen, TOR
- Alejandro Kirk, TOR
- Yan Gomes, CHC
- Jake Rogers, DET
- Patrick Bailey, SFG
- Austin Wells, NYY
- Connor Wong, BOS
- Travis d’Arnaud, ATL
- Max Stassi, CWS
- Gary Sanchez, FA
- Rene Pinto, TBR
- Blake Sabol, SFG OF-43
- Korey Lee, CWS
- Freddy Fermin, KCR
- Nick Fortes, MIA
- Yasmani Grandal, FA
- Miguel Amaya, CHC
- Christian Bethancourt, CLE
- Ivan Herrera, STL
- Christian Vazquez, MIN
- Drew Romo, COL
- Matt Thaiss, LAA
- Kyle Higashioka, SDP
- Jeferson Quero, MIL
- Carson Kelly, DET
- Diego Cartaya, LAD
- Omar Narvaez, NYM
- Sam Huff, TEX
- Riley Adams, WAS
- Tyler Soderstrom, OAK
- James McCann, BAL
- Reese McGuire, BOS
- Seby Zavala, SEA
- Edgar Quero, CWS
- Martin Maldonado, FA
- Garrett Stubbs, PHI
- Francisco Mejia, FA
- Jacob Stallings, FA
- Tom Murphy, FA
