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.
To see the rest of our list- another 46, become a Patreon member.
You can access our Patreon site here.
You must be logged in to post a comment.