We aren’t playing around anymore, it’s time for the big dogs to come out and play! The Dynasty Guru’s top tiers of consensus catcher prospects are loaded with star power that like to flex their muscles. Behold the stars of tomorrow along with comments and thoughts from Brian and Daniel Labude.

Tier 3 #8 – 17

This third tier of catcher prospects has a few players that have grown on me this off-season. Gabriel Davalillo is one of the bigger under-the-radar catching prospects in my opinion. He played in the Dominican Summer League (DSL) last year and not only held his own as a 17-year-old, but performed almost to the level of other elite prospects in his J15 class. Listed at 5-foot-10 and 210 pounds, he is already rather filled out, which could account for his performance, but it was really good for the level and age. He slashed .302/.408/.510, hit seven home runs, added seven doubles, and even had excellent plate discipline. He walked 13.6% of the time, while striking out even less at 12.4%. His strikeout rate put him in the 88th percentile among DSL hitters with more than 50 at-bats. He could have a big jump in our rankings and even across the industry with a breakout in 2026, one which could rival fellow tier one catching prospect Rainiel Rodriguez. Marco Dinges is another catcher I have moved up my personal rankings this off-season. He started 2025 at Single-A Carolina and torched the level to the tune of .353/.500/.576 and had 12 extra-base hits in 26 games. He was older than you’d like to see, 21-years-old, but when you crush a level you are old for it’s never a bad thing. He moved up to High-A Wisconsin and kept on hitting, the only thing that slowed him down was when he missed a month due to injury. He hit .273/.371/.483 and tallied 14 extra-base hits, including 10 home runs in just 51 games. On the season he had a 15.5% walk rate, a 19.2% strikeout rate, and a 71.8% contact rate. I expect him to either start at Double-A or make it there early in the season, then the real test begins. He’s following fellow Florida State catching products Cal Raleigh and Buster Posey, so maybe his breakout comes in 2026. Ethan Salas is a major avoid for me. He only played 10 games in 2025 due to injury. Even before last year, his prior seasons were very concerning. He is a high contact hitter, but his batting average fell to .206 at High-A in 2024 as an 18-year-old. I’m going to have to see him put together a substantial season before I come back around on him. (Brian Labude)

This tier is a fun one and could house the next Samuel Basallo and Carter Jensen. Those two names with the high-end potential would be Marco Dinges and Nathan Flewelling. Dinges has elite bat speed and showed it off in hitting 13 home runs over 77 games in his first full minor league season. His slash line between Single-A Wilson and Double-A Biloxi was .300/.416/.514, for a 161 wRC+. He had injuries hold him back on a complete season, but if you are looking for the next big breakout catcher, he is your man. Nathan Flewelling has been challenged immensely at Single-A Charleston and High-A Bowling Green given he was only 18-years-old in 2025. He had a 98th percentile walk rate of 20.4%. Check out my prospect spotlight later today for a more in-depth look at the potential he has. He could rival Rainiel Rodriguez in the coming years, well maybe. (Daniel Labude)

Tier 4 #18 – 41

The catching position is very shallow when it comes to prospects, but there are a few shot-in-the-dark types even in Tier 4. One of my personal favorites falls in this tier, Axiel Plaz. He repeated Single-A Bradenton in 2025 and in 55 games crushed the baseball, but the results were not as good as his statcast numbers would have predicted. He hit .262/.348/.450 and hit nine home runs. While at Single-A, his average exit velocity sat at 92 mph, he had a hard hit rate of 52.7%, and a barrel rate of 12.8%, all really good numbers. His 8.6° launch angle is probably where his issues lie and you can also tell that is the case from his groundball rate for the season being 49.7% (18th percentile). He’s still really young, just 20-years-old, and with a few swing corrections he could be pounding the baseball into submission and flying up rankings. This tier also has two other prospects that I think could really rise in value and a lot, if they hit the ground running in 2026. Both played in the DSL last year and had some good traits, which could signal better things are to come for them. Anderson Araujo is the first one and as a 17-year-old in the DSL, he hit seven home runs and added 11 more doubles on his way to a slash line of .290/.377/.528. What I loved to see was his 18.4% flyballs per home run rate. He even flashed some speed on the basepaths with 11 stolen bases. I’ll be watching him closely if he makes his stateside debut at Rookie-ball this year and you should too. Manuel Almeida is the second name and he has more of a worrisome profile, striking out 27.2% of the time and only walking at a 9.5% clip. He did have the 100th percentile flyballs per home run rate in the DSL (24.4%) on his way to hitting eight home runs. I think he could use a little more seasoning in the DSL this year, but the Seattle Mariners might have other thoughts. Either way, the power is intriguing with him, especially if he can reel in the swing and miss issues. (Brian Labude)

A sneaky name this deep is Edward Duran. The 21-year-old hit .296/.378/.439, with five home runs, and a 131 wRC+ at Single-A Dunedin. Maybe most notably, it came with a 22-game hit streak. It is not something you see often from a catcher, having the consistent ability to get base hits. His numbers took a bit of a dip at High-A Vancouver, but the Northwest League was a pitcher’s paradise last year. If he can improve in his second crack at High-A, Duran should move up these rankings a lot in 2026. (Daniel Labude)