Here at the TDG Headquarters, we’ve been busy looking for “The Next Big Thing.”  Just like you, we want to know who’s going to be the prospect that will become the core of our fantasy team, or be the trade piece that lands us the players who put us over the top. With that in mind, we’ve put together a team of prospect prognosticators and developed a set of tiered rankings for each position. And once they’re all posted, we’ll wrap up with our Top 200 Overall Prospects, putting it all together.

Be sure to listen to the Join the Ranks podcast for more discussion about these prospects.

Today, we bring you the catcher prospect tiers 1 and 2, which include prospects #1-14.

Tier 1

The man, the myth the legend, Samuel Basallo, is our lone catcher at the top of our consensus catcher ranks. Sporting a frame that would make Paul Bunyon blush, the only knock is that he’s so big and strong he may not last long behind the plate defensively. That frame gives him light tower power that will score them all in any ballpark. The hit tool is solid, especially given his size. He takes a decent amount of walks for a kid his age, but they’ve decreased as he’s moved up the development ladder. Yeah, I’m mentioning some negatives, but that’s just me trying to stay grounded. Basallo is a future Home Run Derby champ and it could come with catcher eligibility. We can’t wait for him to cement the legend. (Chris Knock)

Nothing to add here about Samuel Basallo other than to point out that Adley Rutschman had more games at DH than any other catcher in the league. This opens the door for the very distinct possibility that Basallo will maintain catcher eligibility for the foreseeable future. (Drew Klein)

Tier 2

If Basallo is Paul Bunyan, then Moises Ballesteros is Frodo. I mean it with all due respect. It may not have been pretty, but Frodo did exactly as he was asked. He saved the universe and all the while was completely underestimated and underappreciated, except for the wise, grey-haired, know-it-all wizard. Yes, I’m comparing myself to Gandolf in this blurb. Enough with fantasy literature, let’s talk fantasy baseball! Like Frodo, Mo Baller is a future offensive force that will never be fully appreciated. He made solid contact north of 80%, despite being years younger than his competition at Double-A Knoxville and Triple-A Iowa last year. His 44 extra-base hits show he’s got juice in that bat as well. He won’t lead the league in walks, but he did draw 45 of them last year as a 20-year-old in the advanced minors. I love watching him at bat because he’s up there to hit each time and he approaches each pitch very well. However, when you watch his video, you immediately know the real question about Mo Baller. He’s generously listed at 5’8” and 195 pounds and you can guess how accurate that is. Some scouts view his defense essentially as ‘possibly passable’ which is how I hope the Cubs view it too. If Ballesteros can stick, he’ll be Alejandro Kirk with impact beyond AVG and OBP. Not the fantasy legend we want, but the kind we need. Just like Frodo.

While I can’t come up with a literary equivalent, Drake Baldwin is another name I can’t keep mentioning enough. Once a sneaky deep, he’s hit his way into fantasy relevancy over the last season. Proximity and a strong hit tool are a great combination for a young backstop, and Baldwin checks both boxes. Proximity-wise, while he’s not on the Brave’s 40-man roster, Sean Murphey and Chadwick Tromp are all that stand in his way in the pecking order. Murphy is a top-level catcher in redrafts, but health hasn’t been his strong suit the last few seasons. It’s likely a matter of time before Baldwin gets his shot in Atlanta. And I haven’t even touched on the kid’s bat yet! After a strong start in Double-A Columbus last year, the Braves challenged him in the second half of the season. Baldwin responded with a .298/.407/.484 line as a 23-year-old in Triple-A Gwinett. More numbers at the highest minor league level to convince you he’s ready: 12 homers and 13 doubles show the game power is average at worst. 52 walks and 54 strikeouts show he knows the strike zone. And while his 80% contact rate is supported by a 9% Swinging Strike rate, both underscore that Baldwin’s bat is ready for the show. He’s an outstanding person off the field and I can’t implore enough of you that he’s ready to be a catching stalwart going forward. Check out our latest Join the Ranks, where I outline a reasonable approach to trading for Baldwin too. He’s otherwise going to be pricey to acquire at this stage in the prospect value curve. (Chris “Gandalf” Knock)

Everyone knows the story, Thayron Liranzo was traded from the Dodgers to the Tigers as the key part of the package for Jack Flaherty and now they’re in the same organization again. They may be in the same organization but don’t look to see them in the same battery any time soon. Liranzo has excellent raw tools, especially a power stroke that is continuing to develop. In 2024 he played very well in Single-A Rancho Cucamonga but faltered after his promotion to High-A Great Lakes. After the trade, he got hot again playing for High-A West Michigan. He will be working on his catching skills and projects to at least a full year in Double-A, so fantasy managers may fall prey to prospect fatigue, but resist that. He’ll be worth the wait.

It’s interesting, and for fantasy managers, possibly frustrating, to see org-mates Edgar Quero and Kyle Teel together in this tier, just as they are together in the White Sox organization. In addition to similar circumstances, they had eerily similar offensive output last year. Quero posted a 280/.366/.463 slash line with a 139 wRC+, and Teel hit .288/.386/.433 and 134 wRC+. For the fantasy manager, the difference is going to be that Teel’s superior defensive skills mean he’ll be more likely to maintain catcher eligibility.  If Quero moves to another position he won’t be as valuable as a fantasy asset. (Drew Klein)