One can pursue catchers in many ways and get you where you want to be. The elite group consists of William Contreras and you’ll pay a 2nd/3rd Round price to acquire him on draft day. The next tier offers plenty of great options, followed by a mid-tier with plenty of depth and solid production. It has been long since we’ve seen the Catcher position this deep. Just be careful if you plan to go late filling the position, as you could dig yourself a BA hole that could prove to be a challenge.

1. William Contreras, MIL – If the HR, RBI, BA/OBP, and SB numbers aren’t convincing, the fact that he finished the year with 99 runs scored, a whopping 22 more than runner up Will Smith, should convince you he is the #1 catcher in the game.

2. Adley Rutschman, BAL – In the first half, Rutschman posted a 16-59 .275 line and looked like the best offensive catcher in the game. He followed that up with a 3-20 .207 second half and looked very mortal. He’s simply too talented to repeat that poor second half.

3. Yainer Diaz, HOU – The Houston offense isn’t as good as it once was, but Diaz hitting in the five hole will post a floor of 20 HR, 80 RBI, and .280 BA. In Leagues that use 10 game eligibility rules he qualifies at 1B.

4. Salvador Perez, KCR – The last full season in which Sal Perez hit less than 20 homers was 2014. That won’t change in 2025.1B-49

5. Cal Raleigh, SEA – Raleigh slugged 34 homers last year, the best at his position. He was 2’nd in RBI with 100 on the nose and 3’rd in runs scored with 73. Producing numbers of that high caliber makes it very easy to live with the .220 BA.

6. Will Smith, LAD – Over the past 4 years, Will Smith has hit 25, 24, 19, and 20 home runs. He has driven in 76, 87, 76, and 75 runs. If you’re looking for a safe floor in the 6’th/7’th Round he’s your guy.

7. Willson Contreras, STL – Contreras is moving to First Base full-time in 2025. That’s 550-to-600 at-bats of catcher eligibility and with it the potential for great counting stats.

8. Logan OHoppe, LAA – O’Hoppe managed to slug 20 homers to go along with 56 RBI last year but more importantly looks to be fully healed from the torn labrum suffered in his 2023 rookie season. The best is yet to come!

9. Francisco Alvarez, NYM – 25 home runs as a 21-year-old in 2023 won’t be his career best.

10. Shea Langeliers, OAK – Langeliers hit 29 homers and drove in 80 runs last year. He also struggled to a .224 BA. The RBI totals will probably never reach those of Cal Raleigh, but three rounds later you’re getting close to the same player.

11. J.T. Realmuto, PHI – There could be another 2023 in the tank, just don’t pay for it on draft day as it appears the gradual decline has commenced.

12. Tyler Stephenson, CIN – A perfectly boring 15-to-20 HR type with a solid hit tool.

13. Austin Wells, NYY – A fine rookie campaign where he smacked 13 homers while driving in 55 runs has him in position to be the #1 catcher on a team boasting one of the best offenses in the game. The future is looking very bright for the 25-year-old backstop.

14. Ryan Jeffers, MIN – The power developed in 2024 as he broke the 20 home run mark, but the high BABIP fueled BA tumbled from .276 in 2023 to a more realistic .226 in 2024. Somewhere in-between is the likely destination.

15. Keibert Ruiz, WAS – One of these years Ruiz will go 20-75 with a .270 BA. Will 2025 be that year?

16. Gabriel Moreno, ARZ – The hit tool is solid. Will the power catch up to the hit tool?

17. Sean Murphy, ATL – That sound you’re hearing is Drake Baldwin pulling into the parking lot.

18. Jonah Heim, TEX – The outstanding 2023 campaign could very well prove to be the outlier.

19. Ivan Herrera, STL – Ivan Herrera is now the #1 Catcher in St. Louis and That 2023 season at Triple-A Memphis was some impressive. He could move up quickly as we head into draft season.

20. Connor Wong, BOS – Wong came out of nowhere in 2024 to post a 13 HR, 52 RBI, .280 season. That level of production should continue moving into 2025, which makes for a solid #2 catcher in two catcher sets.

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The Mariners have a top-heavy Minor League system. Their 1 through 5 might be the best in baseball outside the Red Sox’s Top 5 players.  However, the back half of the system is not strong, and it was tough even to find players who might be relevant at the highest level.

Colt Emerson, Cole Young, and Harry Ford lead the system.  While I have Emerson at the top, you can make an argument for each player to lead the system.  You can even argue that Michael Arroyo, their number four ranked prospect, has the best blend of tools and feel for hitting.  Felnin Celesten is about to catch Ethan Salas as the best prospect in the 2023 International class.  He looked great in 2024 after an injury-riddled 2023 season.

Finally, there is Jurrangelo Cijntje.  He’s a switch pitcher with enough stuff from both sides to pitch in at least Double-A.  If you can maintain pitching from both sides into the Major Leagues, he could become the most discussed player in baseball since Shohei Ohtani made his debut in 2018.

 Prospect Snapshot

• Top Prospect: Colt Emerson
• Biggest Mover: Felnin Celesten
• Biggest Disappointment: Jonny Farmelo – only because he got hurt.
• Emerging Prospect: Dawel Joseph

The list can be found here.

I’ve always struggled to find 20 legitimate players to include in the A’s list.  But, this year, it was easier.  Are all of them guaranteed to be in the Major Leagues?  No, but there’s no denying that the system is better.

Nick Kurtz and Jacob Wilson lead the list and are entirely different players.  Kurtz could be a power-hitting first baseman with high OBP skills, and Wilson is a light-hitting middle infielder who could hit .300.  Both are great defenders and could become fixtures in Oakland by the end of the 2025 season.

Colby Thomas jumped up this season and showed power and speed (31 home runs and 15 stolen bases) but also struck out 30% of the time in Double-A.  Luis Morales is the top-ranked pitcher and can touch 100 MPH with his fastball.

There is also plenty of depth in the system, more than I’ve seen in years.

Prospect Snapshot

• Top Prospect: Nick Kurtz
• Biggest Mover: Colby Thomas
• Biggest Disappointment: Darrel Hernaiz – I thought he would be better, but he didn’t hit in his time in Oakland.
• Emerging Prospect: Gage Jump

The list can be found here.

The Angels system is not very good.  Fortunately, they made a couple of solid trades at the deadline that helped the top of the system, but after Caden Dana, I’m not sure there is a true impact player.  Christian Moore has looked good in his professional debut, but I’m not a fan of the swing.  Nelson Rada is also intriguing but needs to get stronger.

Sam Aldegheri, Matthew Lugo, and George Klassen were the Angels’ significant acquisitions at the deadline, and all three are projected to be Major Leaguers but will likely fall short of impact Major Leaguers.  After that, there are some lottery picks but not much else.

Hopefully, Mike Trout will return healthy in 2025 and give the Angels faithful something to cheer for.  Unfortunately, there’s not much in the minor leagues that can surround him to make it a competitive team.  It’s been that way for 15 years.  Just ridiculous!

Prospect Snapshot

• Top Prospect: Caden Dana
• Biggest Mover: George Klassen
• Biggest Disappointment: The Angels front office – It’s just a weak system
• Emerging Prospect: Dioris De La Rosa

The list can be found here.

While it appears the Astros are ending the waning phase of their window, they continue to win.  However, the Major League team is aging, and while there is talent in the minor leagues, the players are mostly complementary.

Jacob Melton is once again the top prospect and appears to be just about ready to help. He has speed and power and the best chance to become an impact player.  Zach Dezenzo is also an intriguing player who had a brief audition in Houston over the summer. Of course, Pedro Leon is still kicking around, but he does not appear to be in the Astros’ plans anytime soon. Luis Baez has big-boy power with concerns about how much he’ll hit, and Brice Matthews falls into the category of “if only he could hit.”  The strikeout rates are scary.

The system’s pitching is thin, with A.J. Blubaugh having the best chance to develop into a mid-rotation starter.

Prospect Snapshot

• Top Prospect: Jacob Melton
• Biggest Mover: AJ Blubaugh
• Biggest Disappointment: Pedro Leon – I’m not sure it’s all his fault, but he needs a change of scenery.
• Emerging Prospect: Anderson Brito

The list can be found here.

Every year, I struggle through the Giants system.  I like Bryce Eldridge and Carson Whisenhunt, but after that, there’s a lot of “meh.”  Kyle Harrison looks like he will be at least a number three starter, so that worked out. As did Heliot Ramos.  Who else has?

Marco Luciano finally graduated, and he was hard to rank because of his swing-and-miss, which played out in his MLB debut. In his debut, Grant McCray has shown speed and power, but he’s striking out at 40% of the time.  Hyden Birdsong?  Not really.   Then there’s Vaun Brown, Luis Matos, and Mason Black.  All were owned heavily by Dynasty League managers, and none will become stars.

The Giants have done a lousy job at drafting and developing players and haven’t taken advantage of the Latin market.  It’s a shame.  The Championship years of the early 2010s are long gone.  What are they going to do now?

Prospect Snapshot

• Top Prospect: Bryce Eldridge
• Biggest Mover: Jhonny Level
• Biggest Disappointment: Mason Black – I thought there would be more.
• Emerging Prospect: Jesus Alexander

The list can be found here.

The Padres system is thin.  I will not use any negative terms like stinks or sucks because every time I think that, several players emerge.  No team in Major League Baseball has used their minor league rosters as trade assets more than the Padres.  Has it worked? Maybe a little bit.  But wouldn’t CJ Abrams, James Woods, and MacKenzie Gore look good on their Major League roster now?  What about Trea Turner, Max Fried, Josh Naylor, Emmanuel Clase, Ty France, and Brent Rooker?  All of these players were traded by AJ Preller.  I’m unsure what to say, so I’ll leave it as written.

There are a few players left who I think have the potential to make it to the Major Leagues. Leo De Vries looks like the real deal, and while Ethan Salas really struggled in 2024, the talent is there.  I also like Henry Baez.  He performed very well this season.  Tirso Ornelas is underrated.  I liked their draft, but many of the players they selected are high school kids.

In the end, the job of the GM is to get to the playoffs with a chance to win a Championship.  Preller has had a decade and plenty of money to make that happen.  He’s made it to three post-seasons, including 2024.  The furthest he made was the NLCS in 2022.  He spent 1.376 billion dollars in the process.

Prospect Snapshot

• Top Prospect: Leo De Vries
• Biggest Mover: Henry Baez
• Biggest Disappointment: Ethan Salas – This might not be fair given his age and assignment, but he hit .206 with a .311 SLG.
• Emerging Prospect: Kale Fountain

 The list can be found here.

While the Dodgers used much of their prospect capital to trade for players at the deadline, the system is still deep and good. Most of the talent is a few years away from Los Angeles, but the potential is sky-high.

It’s just a matter of time.  Dalton Rushing is the closest player available to help the Dodgers next season.  He took a big step forward and hit better in the Texas and PCL League than in the Midwest League.  The Dodgers have played him in left field, and that is likely how he’ll break into the Major Leagues.

Josue De Paula is one of the best young prospects in the game, but he has yet to hit his stride. There’s going to be big-boy power with a feel to hit.  Zyhir Hope, Eduardo Quintero, and Joendry Vargas are three teenagers who have significant upsides but are a few years away from making their Major League debut.

Their pitching continues to be extremely strong but with many significant injuries.  River Ryan and Kyle Hurt had TJS, Nick Frasso was out all season with a shoulder issue, and Maddux Bruns missed half the season with a back injury.

Prospect Snapshot

• Top Prospect: Josue De Paula
• Biggest Mover: Zyhir Hope
• Biggest Disappointment: Maddux Bruns – can’t throw strikes and spent a lot of time on the IL
• Emerging Prospect: Emil Morales

The list can be found here.

I’ve been critical of the Rockies for years; some of it is justified, and others are not.  However, you must credit them for developing Ezequiel Tovar and Brenton Doyle.  Tovar is extremely aggressive at the plate but has evolved into a power-hitting shortstop, and Doyle went 20-20 in 2024 and cut his strikeout rate by nearly 30%.  They are arguably their two best positional players.

The pitching continues to be a disaster, and ultimately, there might not be any answer.  However, the next great hope is Chase Dollander.  He was one of the best pitchers in the minor leagues this season and should see Colorado in 2025.  I’ve seen him pitch, and it’s nasty stuff.  Will he be successful in Colorado?  I honestly don’t know, but I’m hopeful.

Charlie Condon had a terrific Draft year at Georgia, and when the Rockies took him with their first pick last July, I was excited. However, his professional debut was concerning, as he struck out nearly a third of the time. Yes, it was a small sample size, but still not good.  I will be a little leery with him in FYPDs and would not blame fantasy managers for taking a safer pick (Bazzana or Wetherholt).

As always, the system is deep, with many opportunities for fantasy managers.  I love Zac Veen, and despite his injury history, there is fantasy goodness there.  Adael Amador can flat-out hit, and Cole Carrigg could be the best fantasy player on the list.

Prospect Snapshot

• Top Prospect: Charlie Condon
• Biggest Mover: Cole Carrigg
• Biggest Disappointment: Yanquiel Fernandez
• Emerging Prospect: Ashly Andujar

The list can be found here.

The Diamondbacks had an uneven minor league season.  Several of their high-end prospects underperformed, and some of their underrated players exceeded expectations.  Jordan Lawlar disappointed the team as he spent most of the season on the IL.  I thought he would have spent at least half the year in Arizona.  While Jackson Holliday struggled to establish himself in the Major Leagues, his draft mate, Druw Jones, is struggling in Low-A.  Tommy Troy had a solid season but spent a lot of time on the IL.

Yilber Diaz blew up this season and got a chance to pitch in the Major Leagues, and he did not look lost. Gino Groover also spent a lot of time on the IL but looked great when he returned. Finally, Adrian Del Castillo was a hot pickup for a couple of weeks, hitting .300 with four home runs.

I’m a fan of the Diamondbacks’ continued efforts to create an excellent talent funnel for their Major League team. According to the GM handbook, that’s how it’s supposed to work.

Prospect Snapshot

• Top Prospect: Jordan Lawlar
• Biggest Mover: Gavin Conticello
• Biggest Disappointment: Druw Jones
• Emerging Prospect: Belfi Rivera

The list can be found here.