THE DYNASTY GURU’S 2023 TOP 40 DYNASTY LEAGUE CATCHERS, #21-40
Continuing with our highlights of the league’s top Catcher, as judged by our collection of industry experts, below are the players ranked #21-40.
21. DANNY JANSEN, TORONTO BLUE JAYS (AGE: 28, PREVIOUS RANK: 31)
Last year, Danny Jansen had a career-high 15 home runs in just 248 plate appearances. He walked at a rate of 10.1% and had an OBP of .339. His fly ball rates and hard hit rates have increased steadily since 2020; the power increase is real and will only be helped by the new outfield dimensions in Toronto. Although he shares catching duties with Alejandro Kirk, the Jays will find ways to get both bats into the lineup. Even though the playing time might be a risk, Jansen is a good value, and if you can buy low, add him to your roster. (Drew Klein)
22. AUSTIN WELLS, NEW YORK YANKEES (AGE: 23, PREVIOUS RANK: 24)
Austin Wells of the New York Yankees is the catcher so nice, they drafted him twice (35th round in 2018, first round in 2020). This may be the player we all look back on and wonder why we only had him ranked 22nd. There are many great catching prospects right now, including a couple on the Yankees’ crosstown rivals, and Wells is getting a little overshadowed by them. Last year, across three levels, Wells hit at a .277/.385/.512 clip with 20 home runs and 16 stolen bases. He has shown good discipline with a double-digit walk rate and is a left-handed pull hitter which should play well in Yankee Stadium. My advice is to buy low on Wells while other managers are looking at the higher-ranked prospects and sit back and watch him rise up these ranks. My small print warning on that advice is that if he moves to a corner outfield position, it will lower his value, but his hit tool will still be worth a roster spot. (Drew Klein)
23. HARRY FORD, SEATTLE MARINERS (AGE: 20, PREVIOUS RANK: 25)
Harry Ford is a young athletic catcher who, in his first full year as a professional last year, stole 23 bases. He also had a .274 batting average and a 17.6% walk rate which brought his OBP to .425. His raw power hasn’t translated to game power yet, but there are encouraging reports from the Seattle organization that they are confident in his power. There are also reports that they are pleased with his defensive skills, which is important to fantasy managers because his profile would project a move out from behind the plate. If he remains at catcher, he’ll be a valuable dynasty asset, and if he moves to the outfield, he’ll still be someone you’ll want on your roster. (Drew Klein)
24. SHEA LANGELIERS, OAKLAND ATHLETICS (AGE: 25, PREVIOUS RANK: 33)
Langeliers should get the bulk of the playing time in Oakland until Tyler Soderstrom is called up. This will give him the opportunity to show whether he can hit major league pitching, and if he can, he has strong enough defensive skills to have Oakland consider moving Soderstrom to first base. The big question is the hitting adjustment from Triple-A, where in 2022 he had a slash line of .283/.366/.510, to the majors where in 153 plate appearances his slash line was .218/.261/.430. After his call-up last year, he struck out at a 34.6% rate, largely due to swinging at nearly 40% of pitches out of the zone with a 44% contact rate on those pitches. Until he can force pitchers to throw strikes in the zone, he’ll do more harm than good to your ratios. (Drew Klein)
25. KEVIN PARADA, NEW YORK METS (AGE: 21, PREVIOUS RANK: NR)
A first-round selection by the Mets in the 2022 draft, Kevin Parada is two years away from forcing the Mets to make a decision on how they’ll get him and Francisco Álvarez in the lineup. Scouts grade his hit tool and power both at 60. He is a line-drive hitter who projects to hit for a good average and provide 20 – 25 home runs. He’ll need to work on his throwing ability to remain at catcher, but even if he were to move to DH, he’ll be hitting in the middle of the lineup and will bring solid production to your roster. (Drew Klein)
26. TRAVIS D’ARNAUD, ATLANTA BRAVES (AGE: 34, PREVIOUS RANK: 26)
In 2022, at the age of 33, Travis D’Arnaud put up some of the best numbers of his career. In a career-high 426 plate appearances, he put up a .268/.306/.405 slash line with 18 home runs and 61 RBI. If he was on your roster last year, you likely looked at that as a bonus, but you shouldn’t be counting on it again going forward. The Braves brought in Sean Murphy to be their primary catcher, which indicates that’s how they’re looking at D’Arnaud’s 2022 production as well. He may prove to be a useful piece on your roster this year, but for dynasty purposes, you’ll want to invest in some of the younger prospects on this list. (Drew Klein)
27. LUIS CAMPUSANO, SAN DIEGO PADRES (AGE: 24, PREVIOUS RANK: 20)
The biggest question I’ve heard in fantasy circles about Luis Campusano is “what do the Padres see that we don’t?” Is he stuck behind Austin Nola on their depth chart purely based on batting average? Although Campusano hasn’t shown much power in his two brief stints in the majors, his slash lines the past two years in Triple-A were .295/.365/.541 and .298/.363/.483. He walks at an 8 – 9 % rate, which isn’t bad, and through the minors kept his strikeout rate consistently under 20%. He is likely the future catcher in San Diego; definitely worth keeping on your dynasty roster. (Drew Klein)
28. JOEY BART, SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS (AGE: 26, PREVIOUS RANK: 15)
If you ever visit The Dynasty Guru Headquarters, you’ll see a man sitting by himself in the lobby. It will sound like he’s singing the Baby Shark song, but as you get closer, you’ll hear that he’s actually singing, “Joey Bart, Bart, Bart.” Keep walking, he’s mostly harmless.
When Bart was drafted second overall in the 2018 draft, it looked like the Giants had found their successor to Buster Posey and the fantasy community rejoiced. Sadly the promise has been unfulfilled. As a major leaguer he hasn’t had a slugging percentage over .400, and in 408 career plate appearances, his slash line is .222/.294/.351. His numbers from Triple-A in 2021 give some hope that he’ll develop as a hitter, and it’s important to note that his major league sample size is small. Also, the Giants don’t have anyone pushing for the starting catcher position. Hold on to him, but with so many young catchers rising through the ranks, don’t be afraid to move on if you have options presented to you.
On your way out, please don’t sing along with the man in the lobby, it only encourages him. (Drew Klein)
29. YASMANI GRANDAL, CHICAGO WHITE SOX (AGE: 33, PREVIOUS RANK: 5)
It’s not been long since Yasmani Grandal was a valuable source of power and OBP from the catcher position. I was among those who were encouraged by his second-half performance in 2021 and then disappointed by a .202/.301/.269 slash line in 376 plate appearances in 2022. The fact is that not too many catchers experience a resurgence at the age of 33, and I’m not predicting one for him based on his performance over the past two years. His max exit velocity indicates he can still hit the ball hard, but all other metrics indicate he’s not making contact, particularly hard contact, at a rate that will help your team. (Drew Klein)
30. JONAH HEIM, TEXAS RANGERS (AGE: 28, PREVIOUS RANK: NR)
Jonah Heim had a career-high 16 home runs in 2022 accompanied by a .227 batting average. His BABIP has been low in each of his major league seasons, so while he might be due for a regression, it’s worth noting that it hasn’t happened yet. He didn’t put up power numbers in the minor leagues but did hit for a better average. As he continues to adjust to major league pitching there projects to be an increase in average, but not much and not likely to be accompanied by a boost in power. This may be where he peaks on these lists and I wouldn’t advise you to invest in him on your dynasty rosters. (Drew Klein)
31. MITCH GARVER, TEXAS RANGERS (AGE: 31, PREVIOUS RANK: 23)
The Texas Rangers currently have several offensive-minded catchers and it would appear that Mitch Garver could see increased time at DH in the upcoming season. Health has long been one of his greatest barriers to being one of the top options at the position. I wouldn’t suggest investing heavily in dynasty but Mitch Garver could be a decent backup or bench option in shallow formats for a win-now team. (Drew Spurling)
32. EDGAR QUERO, LOS ANGELES ANGELS, (AGE: 19, PREVIOUS RANK: NR)
One of the more promising prospects in the entire Los Angeles Angels system, Edgar Quero is still likely a couple of seasons away from making a major League impact. However, there is a lot of fantasy promise in his statline, as his 2022 line of .312/.435/.530 suggests. If you can be patient, he could certainly be the catcher of the future for the Angels. (Drew Spurling & Taylor Case)
33. DALTON RUSHING, LOS ANGELES DODGERS, (AGE: 21, PREVIOUS RANK: NR)
A 2022 MLB Draft selection by the Los Angeles Dodgers, Dalton Rushing may have one of the most exciting offensive profiles of any prospect near the bottom of the catcher rankings. At this time it’s anyone’s guess what his ultimate position will be, but another strong showing in 2023 could see Rushing’s ranking jump up as many as 10 – 20 spots in the rankings next year. His bat has thus far been impressive in a small sample after being drafted, as suggested by his 224 wRC+ and a 1:1 walk-to-strikeout ratio for the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes. (Drew Spurling & Taylor Case)
34. GARY SÁNCHEZ, FREE AGENT, (Age: 30, PREVIOUS RANK: 18)
Currently still a free agent, Gary Sánchez is someone that is largely off my board unless you’re playing in the deepest of formats. While he does still possess the requisite power to be useful in the short term assuming he signs with a team, he just doesn’t have a great approach and also isn’t a very good defensive catcher. I think it would be bad advice to say this is someone you can rely on in any capacity other than redraft or two-year scenarios assuming a contract. (Drew Spurling)
35. CHRISTIAN VÁZQUEZ, MINNESOTA TWINS, (AGE: 32, PREVIOUS RANK: 30)
While Christian Vázquez has never been a source of high OBP, he does carry somewhat consistent playing time for a win-now team in deep formats. If he can manage to chip in a few steals (something he was fairly reliable for from 2017-21), I think he can be a decent backup guy at the very least. He should play the majority of the games behind the plate for the Twins in 2022, which should give him a certain counting stat floor as well. (Drew Spurling & Taylor Case)
36. OMAR NARVÁEZ, NEW YORK METS, (AGE: 30, PREVIOUS RANK: 22)
Another short-term option for deeper formats, Omar Narváez should see regular playing time with the New York Mets in 2023. Slated to hit a really good offense he could be a relatively decent bench option with a good OBP with a ceiling of 15 – 20 HR provided he gets enough plate appearances. (Drew Spurling)
37. CARSON KELLY, ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS, (AGE: 28, PREVIOUS RANK: 19)
The future has become somewhat muddled after the acquisition of Gabriel Moreno for Carson Kelly. His great defensive profile should still buy him a fair amount of playing time, however, I fear he may not contribute quite enough for your club in all but the deepest of formats. Perhaps a plug-in dude for daily formats, he isn’t someone you want to start in weekly lineups. There is a smidge of pop in his bat, but overall his bat profile just isn’t too exciting. (Drew Spurling & Taylor Case)
38. YAINER DÍAZ, HOUSTON ASTROS, (AGE: 24, PREVIOUS RANK: NR)
Yainer Díaz has limited exposure at the MLB level after only 9 PAs in 2022. He also currently appears to be behind veteran Martín Maldonado on the depth chart for the Astros. It would appear it may only be a matter of time before Díaz gets a chance to prove himself as he has absolutely destroyed the minor leagues his entire career and is coming off of 105 games at AA & AAA where he hit .306 /.356/.542 good for an .898 OPS. There is certainly reason for optimism that this could be a sneaky good target in Dynasty formats if you can exert patience. (Drew Spurling)
39. JEFERSON QUERO, MILWAUKEE BREWERS, (AGE: 20, PREVIOUS RANK: NR)
In 95 games in 2022 across two levels of A & A+, Jeferson Quero displayed an above-average feel to hit at only 19 years old. He posted a line of .286/.342/.439 for a .781 OPS with 10 HRs. It will certainly be interesting to see how the skills translate at AA but there are many signs to justify a healthy level of optimism for Jeferson Quero. (Drew Spurling)
40. IVÁN HERRERA, ST. LOUIS CARDINALS, (AGE: 22, PREVIOUS RANK: 38)
A solid all-around catching prospect for the St. Louis Cardinals it would currently appear that Iván Herrera is relegated to a depth role after the signing of Willson Contreras. However, he is still someone to keep on your radar and definitely a guy to hold in deeper formats. I may suggest trading or cutting ties unfortunately in more shallow formats. (Drew Spurling)
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