Hello everyone! We’re at the midpoint of the MLB offseason and less than two months from spring training. There’s still plenty of action left before the new season, but I’ve had the fantasy itch for a while and am already diving into it. Today, I’m gonna talk about the catcher position. Who I like and dislike for 2025, who I think can break out, and who I’m personally targeting. All image credits go to Baseball Savant.
Top Catchers for 2025 Fantasy Baseball
Honorable Mention
Will Smith, Los Angeles Dodgers
2024 Stats: .248/.327/.433 20 HR, 75 RBI
As a Yankee fan, it’s going to be a major displeasure talking about the many great Dodgers players as I go through every position. All that plays in my mind is Freeman’s Game 1 slam. It’s safe to say any resemblance of my childhood innocence died that day. In all seriousness, however, Will Smith is a great catcher. Despite actually regressing as a hitter since his sophomore season in 2020, Smith has been a safe, top option for the catcher position. He was a top 3 catcher in points per game, and his counting stats would match up if he played a full season.
Smith’s advanced metrics are also good; his savant page shows he was above average at almost everything aside from a slightly below-average xBA(and an atrocious bat speed). While I don’t think he’s going to lead catchers in any major stats next year, he’s gonna continue to provide reliable points day in and day out.
5. Yainer Diaz, Houston Astros
2024 Stats: .299/.325/.441 16 HR, 84 RBI
With so much hype surrounding other young catchers like Adley Rutschman and Francisco Alvarez, it’s been a surprise watching Yainer Diaz do so well and seemingly fly under the radar. After a solid rookie season in 2023, Diaz had a mixed bag in 2024. While his slugging and OPS went down, his average and on-base percentage went up. He had seven fewer home runs in 44 more games but had 75 more hits.
On top of that, his percentile rankings showed he should’ve been a better power hitter than he was. His xSLG was .458, which is in the 80th percentile. He’s also in the 85th percentile for hard hit %.
Even in a “down” year, he was the 4th best catcher in scoring. I’m expecting Diaz to get some of that power back next year and hit at least 20 over a full season. He’s also going to be relied on more with the loss of Kyle Tucker, which will open up more opportunities for RBIs.
4. Cal Raleigh, Seattle Mariners:
2024 Stars: .220/.312/.436 34 HR, 100 RBI
After three full seasons of Cal Raleigh, everyone knows what to expect from him. A piss poor average, 30 home runs, and plenty of RBIs and walks(he was 2nd for catchers in both). His savant page reflects this perfectly. He chases often and struggles to consistently hit the ball, but whenever he hits it, the ball goes far.
My biggest concern regarding Raleigh is his lack of consistency during the season. He is extremely streaky. He had more home runs in July(9) than he had in May and June combined(8). His OPS varies by around .250 during these streaks. Interestingly enough, Raleigh was actually a significantly better hitter on the road than at home(.665 in home games vs .823 in away games).
With all that in mind, at the end of the season the streakiness evens out to a top five finish. As the Mariners hope to bounce back this year, they’re going to have to rely on another solid season by Raleigh.
3. Salvador Perez, Kansas City Royals
2024 Stats: .271/.330/.456 27 HR, 104 RBI
If I told you heading into the 2024 season that Salvador Perez would finish the year with the most RBIs for catchers, as well as a top 5 fantasy finish, a lot of people would’ve said heck no. Perez had just put up one of if not the worst seasons of his career. However, he did just that. A staple in the heart of the Royals’ lineup, Perez smashing baseballs helped the Royals go from the worst team in baseball to almost making the playoffs.
The best part? He underperformed his expected stats. With an expected slash line of .275/.360/.522, there’s plenty to show last year was more than a fluke.
Perez produced a C3 finish in some leagues and top 5 in most others(depending on league scoring). While age is bound to catch up with him sooner rather than later, I think he will continue his great career with a productive 2025.
2. Adley Rutschman, Baltimore Orioles
2024 Stats: .250/.318/.391 19 HR 79 RBI
Adley Rutschman stole the show when he broke out as a rookie in 2022, and he had a solid sophomore season that continued to highlight everything people loved about him as a prospect. Baseball fans were excited to see what Rutschman was gonna do last year. He was looking the part in the first half, posting a .780 OPS and providing everything that fantasy owners needed. Then, the 2nd half happened. Rutschman fell off, posting a slash line of .207/.282/.303 after the all-star break.
Was there an injury? Did he get a case of the yips? Did he just wanna be like 2019 Chris Davis? Nobody really knows. Even with his atrocious 2nd half last year, he still finished top seven and was close to being top five for his position. I think Rutschman will bounce back in 2025. He still had a lot of positives from last season, including his great plate discipline(led catchers in SO%). A full season of Rutschman playing like himself should lead to a top 3 finish.
1. William Contreras, Milwaukee Brewers
2024 Stats: .281/.365/.466 23 HR, 92 RBI
William Contreras was the best catcher in the MLB last year. He led all catchers in OPS, SLG, and doubles and was in the top 3-5 in basically every offensive category. On top of that, he’s just great at hitting the ball.
For the number one spot, Contreras sits comfortably on the throne, with a solid gap between him and everyone else.
Potential Breakouts
Francisco Alvarez, New York Mets
Another season, another year of hoping Francisco Alvarez breaks out. He had a fairly disappointing season last year, hitting .237/.307/.403 for a 101 OPS+. A ridiculously streaky player, Alvarez was either unstartable or unbenchable, depending on whether he was hot or cold(reminds me of Yankees Gary Sanchez). He’s only 23 and had a strong finish last year(.900 OPS in September).
His calling is his offense, he has a career OPS of .907 in the minors. He shows off elite bat-to-ball skills and plate discipline. If he can find more consistency at the plate and develop the skills that got him to the majors, he has the potential to be a top 5 catcher this year.
Austin Wells, New York Yankees
Austin Wells, an offensive-minded catcher, has always been a bat-first guy. Posting a career SLG of .476 in college, along with a .846 OPS. In his first full year in the majors, Wells had shown flashes of his potential. Posting an OPS over .900 in July and August. While he struggled mightily in some stretches as well(.411 OPS and .111 AVG in September), he’s got the tools to improve.
The Yankees also dealt Jose Trevino, who was Wells’ main competition for starts. Even some slight improvements can move him towards the top 10 range.
Ivan Herrera, St. Louis Cardinals
With the news of Wilson Contreras switching positions coming out this offseason, it’s kinda surprising people haven’t started looking at Ivan Herrera for the 2025 season. In 72 games last year, Herrera slashed .301/.372/.800 for a 124 OPS+. His expected stats were also great, even though he hasn’t had enough plate appearances to get ranked as percentiles.
With seemingly no competition so far, Herrera should have a great chance to take the starting job.
Adrian Del Castillo, Arizona Diamondbacks
Adrian Del Castillo is a 25-year-old who finally got his first taste of the majors last season. He’s been a top prospect for the Diamondbacks for good reason. He hits for power, with a .603 slugging during his time in AAA. He’s also got a solid 11.6% walk rate and a great 16.9% strikeout rate. Del Castillo got the call in early August when Gabriel Moreno went down with an injury, and he did pretty well. Slashing .313/.368/.525 with four home runs over 25 games.
While his 28 strikeouts are alarming, I think he’ll settle in with more playing time. Del Castillo’s biggest problem is going to be his path to playing time. However, if he can take his talents and prove it at the MLB level, he’s gonna be a good fantasy player. He’s a good stash for you if you need depth or decide to hold off on catchers until late.
Catchers to Avoid
Keibert Ruiz, Washington Nationals
With 3 seasons under his belt, I think it’s pretty safe to say Keibert Ruiz isn’t going to become the reliable catcher we thought he could be. After two disappointing seasons, he really stunk it up in year 3. Posting a 74 OPS+ along with a paltry .260 OBP. I mean, just look at his savant page.
While he really doesn’t strike out a lot, that’s the only compliment he can get. For fantasy, we want to draft because of potential, and for his ADP range, I’d prefer guys who can bring anything to the table(Moreno, Wells, Murphy, Stephenson).
FTR "My Guys"
If I was doing a draft today, here are the catchers I’d personally be targeting. I’m generally avoiding the top 5 guys because they're pretty obvious players for everyone to target.
Sean Murphy, Atlanta Braves
Sean Murphy sucked last year. Plain and simple. However, he was dealing with injuries and he was unusually bad. I mean, look at his savant page for 2023.
That year, he hit .251/.365/.478 with 21 HR and 68 RBI in 108 games. If you take out last year, Murphy has a career OPS+ of 118. He’s got the talent and I think he’s worth the risk considering he’s currently ranked outside the top 10 in most draft rankings. His biggest knock is his availability; he only has 1 season in which he played more than 120 games. Compared to other players in their ADP range, Murphy has the highest fantasy upside.
Ivan Herrera, St. Louis Cardinals
I already spoke about Herrera in my potential breakouts section, so I’ll keep this short. He should be a pretty cheap add and can provide plenty of value.
Yanier Diaz, Houston Astros
Again, I spoke highly about Diaz earlier in my article, so I’ll keep this short. For some reason, Diaz is ranked very low compared to other fantasy websites (at least from what I can see). I think he’s a great addition at C7 or 141 overall.
Synopsis
Overall, I think it’s pretty safe to say catcher is easily the weakest hitter position in fantasy baseball. The absolute best finish was William Contreras, who was ranked 17th on Fantrax. It’s also pretty slim pickings once you get out of the top 10-15 range, so good luck if your starter gets hurt. I’ve usually gone with a strategy of drafting a catcher later than most others, and I think this year is a good year to continue that strategy.
Willson Contreras, a guy who’s not a consensus top 5 catcher, put up reliable numbers in the limited games he played. While most guys outside the top 5-7 range aren’t gonna be league winners, there are plenty of reliable guys to hold down the catcher position for your fantasy team.
I’ll end it with some questions for you, the reader. Who do you think finishes this year as the C1? Who do you predict will break out this year? Will Adley Rutschman return to his normal self, or will his cold streak continue into this year? Let me know!