Today we present the top ten catchers!

#1 – #10

This is a familiar group atop the dynasty catcher rankings. Eight of these 10 players were in last year’s top 10, and one of the “newcomers” is Salvador Pérez, who has spent plenty of time in the top tier over the years. A big reason for the stability is playing time, especially now with the universal designated hitter. The most valuable fantasy catchers are the ones that find a way to stay in the lineup even when they’re not behind the plate, at DH or maybe even first base. Eight catchers had at least 522 plate appearances last season, and they’re all here. The two that didn’t, Francisco Alvarez and Samuel Basallo, are young and ranked more on potential.

Catchers have similar offensive profiles for the most part, providing power and little else. Zero backstops reached double-digit stolen bases last year, and even in this top 10 there’s a lot of unhelpful on-base percentages. William Contreras is as close as it gets to a five-category contributor at the position right now, with his .365 OBP and nine steals last season to go along with all his big counting stats. He’s been consistently productive in his young career and at 27, could hold the top spot for a few more years.

Part of the reason Contreras has separated himself from the pack is that the two players ranked ahead of him last year, Adley Rutschman and Will Smith, both suffered unexpected drops in OBP. Rutschman fell all the way from .374 to .312, and while bad luck in the form of a .272 BABIP may be partly to blame, his plate discipline also let him down. He swung at 30.1% of pitches outside the zone, a significant increase from his 24.5% in 2023, and as a result, his BB-rate fell from 13.4% to 9.1%. I expect at least a partial bounceback, but even a full one might not be enough to overtake Contreras. Smith tumbled from .354 to .327 in OBP, with both his K-rate and BB-rate going the wrong direction. Entering his age-30 season, he can’t rely on volume to make up for any performance decline while Shohei Ohtani ties up the DH spot for the Dodgers, and both are under contract through 2033. Smith remains a solid option, but it seems likely that we’ve seen his best seasons.

Cal Raleigh, Shea Langeliers, and Logan O’Hoppe all fit the typical catcher archetype. Raleigh is the premium version, with his 34 home runs and 100 RBI last season more than offsetting his .312 OBP. The Mariners’ lineup isn’t the greatest, but that keeps him batting near the top and DHing when he isn’t catching. Langeliers was second among catchers in homers with 29 last season but had just a .288 OBP, which was actually an improvement over his first two years. His walk and strikeout rates are trending in the right direction, however, and he had a .321 OBP in the second half. He also caught 131 games, and the Athletics seem to have settled on using Tyler Soderstrom at first base, leaving little competition behind the plate. O’Hoppe had five solid months last season, but a miserable August where he hit .099/.163/.176 with a 44.9% K-rate weighed down his overall numbers. Still, a 20-homer season at age 24 isn’t all bad, and the slump may have just been a speed bump in O’Hoppe’s ascent up the rankings.

Yainer Diaz homered 23 times in just 377 PA in 2023 while Francisco Alvarez went deep 25 times in 423 PA. That’s about a 35-homer pace for a full season, but neither guy came close to maintaining it in 2024. Diaz hit 15 homers despite playing a full season, and Alvarez ended with 11 HR in 100 games after missing nearly two months with a thumb injury. Both had the same issues – their groundball rates rose to over 50 percent, and their unsustainable HR/FB percentages came back down to earth. Diaz is best in leagues that use batting average rather than OBP, as he has one of the league’s highest chase rates and consequently, one of its worst walk rates. He’ll need an adjustment to reach his ceiling, but his floor is high and he’s only 26. Alvarez is even younger at 23, and with his prospect pedigree and success in 2023, I’m still a believer. My main concern is that the Mets are loaded with DH options, so he may not be a lock for 500 PA.

Samuel Basallo is clearly a talented hitter, reaching Triple-A Norfolk two weeks after his 20^th birthday, but it’s not clear if he’s going to be a catcher. He split time between catcher, first base, and designated hitter last season, and the Orioles already have Rutschman behind the plate. There are a lot of possible scenarios for Basallo, and even if he ends up as a first baseman he’s still an exciting prospect, but it would be wise not to plan on him as your catcher of the future just yet.

Salvador Pérez is also a bit of a mystery at the other end of the age spectrum. He played 158 games last year at age 34, including 49 at first base, and finally learned to take some walks. His 6.7% BB rate was easily the best of his career, leading to a tolerable .330 OBP. The plate discipline gains seem more likely to stick than the playing time, but at his age, it could all fall apart quickly. If he’s on your dynasty roster and you’re not confident in your title chances this season, it’s probably a good idea to deal him to a contender while you can.

(Ben Sanders)