The Top 10 Catchers in 2024
For the first time in quite a while, catcher is one of the deepest positions in fantasy baseball. In most drafts, serviceable catchers will be available in the later rounds. It might seem like a good idea to prioritize other positions, but you can’t go wrong with one of the best. Listed below are the ten best players with catcher eligibility this season (in my opinion). There are three tiers: premier, elite, and great.
Tier One – The Premier
1. Adley Rutschman, Baltimore Orioles
Since getting called up in May of 2022, Adley Rutschman has been one of the best-hitting catchers in baseball. His slash line last season was .277/.374/.435. Among qualifying catchers, he had the most games played, plate appearances, hits, walks, and RBI. Among all qualifying hitters, he was in the top 10% for xwOBA, expected batting average, whiff rate, strikeout rate, and walk rate, and the top 25% for expected slugging percentage, sweet-spot rate, and chase rate. Rutschman has proven that he is the safest, most reliable, and most consistent backstop in fantasy, which is why his current ADP is around pick thirty-eight.
2. William Contreras, Milwaukee Brewers
In his first full season, William Contreras won the National League Silver Slugger Award and finished eleventh in National League MVP voting. Among qualifying catchers, he finished first in doubles, batting average, slugging percentage, and OPS. He also lowered his strikeout rate from 27.7% in 2022 to 20.6% in 2023. His combined .346 BAbip over the last two seasons suggests that he has been getting pretty lucky when he has made contact, but that’s likely because of how hard he hits the ball. Expect him to continue producing at a top-notch level in 2024, currently being drafted in the seventh round of most twelve-team leagues.
Tier Two – The Elite
3. Will Smith, Los Angeles Dodgers
Will Smith has been one of the best offensive catchers in baseball since he debuted in 2019. He has a career .261/.357/.483 slash line, consistently averaging around 20 home runs per season. The fact that he play for the Dodgers will certainly result in a plethora of run-scoring opportunities, but it will also hurt his playing time. Unlike Rutschman and Contreras, Smith isn’t expected to play every game. Over the last three seasons, he has averaged around 130 games played. That’s a solid amount of playing time for a catcher, but not enough to crack the top tier. Plus, with Shohei Ohtani now wearing Dodger blue, Smith won’t have many opportunities to DH when he isn’t behind the plate. He is currently being drafted around pick seventy.
4. Sean Murphy, Atlanta Braves
There are three things to really like about Sean Murphy going into 2024. First, he was incredible in the first half, slashing .306/.400/.599 with 17 doubles, 17 home runs, 42 runs, and 55 RBI in 67 games. Second, his Baseball Savant page is full of red. Third, he plays for one of the best offenses in baseball. Murphy was bothered by a hamstring injury for most of the second half, resulting in decreased playing time and an .844 OPS for the season. However, there aren’t many reasons to doubt his value for the upcoming season. If he can play in 135 games for the Braves, he will almost definitely a top fantasy baseball catcher. Drafting Murphy around the 140th pick is a steal.
5. J.T. Realmuto, Philadelphia Phillies
At thirty-two years old, J.T. Realmuto had an average season for his standards, hitting 20 home runs, stealing 16 bases, and playing 135 games for the Phillies. His run production was lower than usual; he hit just .205/.289/323 with runners in scoring position. It’s hard to imagine that he performs that poorly with ducks on the pond again in 2024, so you can expect around 80 RBI. Until Realmuto shows legitimate signs of decline, he will be one of the safest catchers to draft. Realmuto’s current ADP is around seventy-five.
6. Willson Contreras, St. Louis Cardinals
Willson Contreras struggled in his two months as a Cardinal. After that, he slashed .305/.404/.559 with 15 doubles, 15 home runs, and 42 RBI in 72 games. He finished 2023 with an .826 OPS, his highest since 2019. He also finished in the top 20% for xwOBA, expected batting average, expected slugging, average exit velocity, and hard-hit rate. This one one of the most consistent and reliable offensive catchers out there. Now that he’s gotten more comfortable in St. Louis, Contreras should continue hitting the ball hard and producing a lot of runs. His current ADP is around 150.
Tier Three – The Great
7. Cal Raleigh, Seattle Mariners
In 145 games last season, Cal Raleigh led all qualified catchers in home runs. He was second in games played and slugging percentage. He is already one of the best power-hitting backstops in the game, and there are signs of improvement, considering how he’s lowered his strikeout rate while maintaining a steady walk and hard-hit rate. Like Realmuto, Raleigh oddly struggled with runners in scoring position, to the point where it’s hard to imagine it won’t improve 2024 (he slashed .186/.263/.400 with RISP in 2023). Going into his age twenty-seven season, Raleigh is poised to have his best season yet. His current ADP is around 136.
8. Salvador Pérez, Kansas City Royals
Salvador Pérez is one of the most predictable hitters in baseball. He will step into the batter’s box, swing at everything he sees, and drive in a lot of runs. Even though he is in the bottom 1% for chase rate and walk rate, he still capable of 20+ home runs and 80+ RBI. In a league that prioritizes OBP over batting average, he may not be as valuable, but he should be productive in most formats. Right now, Pérez is being drafted around pick 135.
9. Yainer Díaz, Houston Astros
Yainer Díaz has drawn comparisons to Salvador Pérez, given their strikingly similar plate discipline (or lack thereof, really). Like Pérez, Díaz ranks in the bottom 1% for chase rate and walk rate. However, his relative lack of experience puts him slightly below Pérez on this list. Nevertheless, Díaz showed impressive offensive prowess during his rookie year, ranking in the top 10% for expected batting average and expected slugging percentage, and in the top 25% for xwOBA, barrel rate, and sweet-spot rate. Despite these promising metrics, there are concerns of the notorious “sophomore slump” looming, given his tendency to swing and miss. However, if Díaz can address some of the holes in his swing/approach, or just continue to produce despite a lack of plate discipline, he has the potential to lead all catchers in multiple offensive categories. With an ADP around 110, drafting Díaz is clearly a high-risk, high-reward move.
10. Logan O’Hoppe, Los Angeles Angels
Before suffering a labrum tear in late April, Logan O’Hoppe was having an incredible start to 2023. In just sixteen games, he had a .283/.339/.547 slash line with 15 hits, 4 home runs, and 13 RBI. After initially struggling upon his return from the injured list in mid August, he readjusted to MLB pitching and slashed .270/.325/.622 with 20 hits, 8 homers, 14 runs, and 14 RBI over his final 20 games. Overall, he had a 90.5 mph average exit velocity, a 15.6% barrel rate, and a 46.7% hard-hit rate in his rookie year. Like Díaz, there is a chance O’Hoppe has a sophomore slump, but the fact that his ADP is currently 207 makes him far less risky.
Honorable Mentions
There were a few guys in consideration for the last spot on this list, but I chose to take a slight risk with O’Hoppe. Like I said at the beginning, catcher is pretty deep. There are multiple players who could have realistically made this list. I would rather not ignore them completely, so here are my honorable mentions and my reasoning for their omission.
Gabriel Moreno, Arizona Diamondbacks
Throughout the 2023 postseason, Gabriel Moreno was a star for the D-Backs. He also had an incredible second half, slashing .313/.383/.512 in 43 games. He is certainly a good catcher in terms of fantasy baseball, but I find him far less multidimensional than those I put on the list. Outside of contact/batting average, I don’t think he has a very high ceiling for power/run production. With an ADP around 154, I recommend passing on him this year.
Francisco Álvarez, New York Mets
Francisco Álvarez and Gabriel Moreno couldn’t be more different as hitters. Where Moreno hits for contact, Álvarez swings for the fences. Where Moreno had a great second half, Álvarez was much better in the first. Despite their differences, these two catchers are being drafted extremely close together. If you are going to take one of them, I think there is more upside with Álvarez. It seems more likely to me that he will improve his on-base skills before Moreno improves his power. Either way, I’m not too keen on drafting either of them.
Jonah Heim, Texas Rangers
In 2023, Jonah Heim had high highs and low lows. His OPS by month was .979, .631, .849, .850, .434, and .675. On top of that, he dealt with a variety of injuries and was moved around in the Rangers’ batting order a lot. To me, his fantasy value is hard to predict. That being said, I don’t see much of an issue with drafting him around his current ADP, 186.
Mitch Garver, Seattle Mariners
If you prefer punting on catchers until the later rounds, Mitch Garver is a great option. He won’t actually spend much of 2024 at catcher, considering how the Mariners have Cal Raleigh. Garver is likely to spend a majority of his time at DH. With consistent at bats, Garver could be one of the most productive catchers in fantasy baseball this year. In 2023, he was in the top 15% for xwOBA, expected slugging percentage, chase rate, and walk rate. He also hit 19 home runs in just 87 games. With an ADP right around 250, it’s hard to go wrong with Garver in your catcher spot this year.
