As Bob Dylan so eloquently stated “The Times They Are a-Changin’” and with four new faces moving into the Top 10 for 2026 the landscape at catcher is changing quickly. The days of drafting the elite catchers early and waiting until the end game to fill in the blanks is gone. The depth and balance at the position means a more even distribution throughout all rounds of the draft.
1. Cal Raleigh, SEA – Cal Raleigh had an amazing 2025 season becoming only the seventh player in the history of the game to hit 60 home runs in single season while obliterating the single season mark for home runs by a catcher and finishing runner-up to Aaron Judge in the MVP voting. This leads us to 2026 and future expectations. Bet on 40 balls leaving the yard and anything over and above falls into the bonus category.
2. William Contreras, MIL – William Contreras enjoyed a very good 2025 season in which he slugged 17 homers, drove in 76 runs, and scored a whopping 89 runs leading all catchers in that category. All of this occurred while he spent most of the year dealing with the challenges of a fractured finger. Expect a return to low-20 home run power in 2026.
3. Shea Langeliers, ATH – Not only did he reaffirm the 29 homers hit in 2024 by hitting 31 last year, but Langeliers also reduced his strikeout totals to 103 in 481 at-bats – down from 145 in 482. His BA soared from .224 to .277 in the process and cemented his status as one of the top catchers in the game.
4. Agustin Ramirez, MIA – In 2025, Agustin Ramirez accumulated a total of 37 combined home runs and stolen bases. Care to guess how many other catchers bested that total? If you guessed two, Cal Raleigh (74) and Shea Langeliers (38), you’d have the correct answer. Finishing 6’th in the NL ROY does this young budding star and his great rookie season no justice.
5. Ben Rice, NYY – Enjoy the power production at catcher as Rice will be primarily occupying first base in 2026. 600 at-bats are on the table and with a statcast page that is redder than the carpet at the Oscar’s, move early or watch from the sidelines. 1B-50
6. Drake Baldwin, ATL – Drake Baldwin’s career is off to a great start as he slugged 19 home runs with 81 RBI, and posted a great .810 OPS in winning the 2025 NL ROY title. Is the best yet to come?
7. Hunter Goodman, COL – Goodman tied for second at the catcher position with 31 homers. He owned the third best RBI total with 91. There’s no doubting the miss in his swing and miss game but it’s offset by the strong counting power stats.
8. Will Smith, LAD – I don’t think I’d bet on a repeat of that amazing .404 OBP Smith produced last year, but high-teen homers supported by 60-70 RBI gives Will Smith one of the safest floors in the game.
9. Salvador Perez, KCR – Is there another 30-100 season in the tank as Perez heads into his age-36 season? I wouldn’t bet against it occurring. 1B-30
10. Yainer Diaz, HOU – A 20 home run 75 RBI season seems like a reasonable projection but bump him down in OBP Leagues. Walking an average of less than once per week is simply not good enough in that format.
11. Adley Rutschman, BAL – It was a disappointing year for the soon-to-be 28-year-old but a bounce back campaign should be in order. Is a 20 HR 70 RBI season with a .250 BA too much of an ask?
12. Alejandro Kirk, TOR – It was a year of career highs for Kirk as he set career highs in home runs with 15, RBI with 76, and stolen bases with one. His bounce back campaign, after two down seasons, was a huge factor in the Jays 2025 success.
13. Kyle Teel, CWS – So far so good for the young backstop, acquired from the BoSox in the Garrett Crochet deal. A 15 homer season combined with that solid hit tool could see Teel rising up the ranks in 2026.
14. Gabriel Moreno, ARZ – He missed from mid-June to mid-August while dealing with a hairline fracture in his right index finger. The numbers were once again solid. There simply wasn’t enough of them.
15. Samuel Basallo, BAL – Basallo struggled in his first kick-at-the-can last fall, fueled by a low BABIP, but that shouldn’t sway you from investing in Basallo as a mid-tier catching option in 2026. ‘Tis a marathon, not a sprint.” I’ll toss down a few bucks that come year end he’s a Top 10 Catcher heading into 2027.
16. J.T. Realmuto, PHI – The Phillies should be working harder than us Fantasy folk in finding a way to get Realmuto back into the fold for 2026.
17. Carlos Narvaez, BOS – Very quietly, Carlos Narvaez cobbled together a very solid 15-50 rookie campaign. Duplicating that feat seems to be a reasonable order and one that makes Narvaez a very solid #2 Catcher in two-catcher formats.
18. Austin Wells, NYY – Wells elevated his power game last year, increasing his home run totals from 13 in 2024 to 21 homers in his first full campaign as the #1 backstop in the Bronx. That level of power makes it easier to live with the low BA potential.
19. Carter Jensen, KCR – The hype will prove to be real…..very real.
20. Logan OHoppe, LAA – It looks like one can count on 20 home run production but the low BA/OBP will be a burden. When you post a 139/24 strikeout-to-walk rate in 423 at-bats it seriously limits the upside potential.
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