We are three weeks into the Dynasty Keepers for 2025 and today we turn our attention to catchers. This is a position that is mind-numbingly weak as there is not a lot of quality depth.
Few catchers will help you across the board. You may get a catcher who has power but kills your average and on-base percentage. Or you may get a catcher who hits well and gets on base but has no power at all. The average major league hitter this season posted a slash line of .240/.309/.394. Of the 53 catchers I looked at, their average slash line was .238/.300/.381. Basically, this is a position that is below the average player across the board.
Only six catchers hit 20 or more homers and only one reached 30. Only three catchers drove in more than 90 runs. The ones who can do it all are worth their weight in gold as they will give you a huge advantage at that position against opponents if you are lucky enough to land one of these unicorns.
Anyway, let’s get to the rankings.
Those Who Missed the Cut
I don’t think any of the following players are going to make you upset that they aren’t listed in Tier 4.
Nick Fortes appeared in 107 games for Miami, but he slashed .229/.259/.323 with four homers and 29 RBI. Christian Vazquez played in 91 games for the Twins, but he had a .226/.251/.333 slash line with seven homers and 27 RBI and he is no spring chicken.
Henry Davis was supposed to be the next up-and-coming catcher, but the Pirates backstop basically spent the whole season on the IL and when he did play, he slashed .144/.242/.212 and in 99 career MLB games he has a .191/.283/.307 slash line – though with eight home runs.
David Fry is a player who certainly is a great dynasty keeper. While he qualifies as a catcher, I see his future more in the field so I did not put him into my Top 40. But if you need a catcher for next season, Fry can certainly be a force for you at that position.
If you need a catcher who isn’t ranked, then just throw names of free agent catchers into a hat and take whoever you pull out.
Because dynasty leagues vary in their rules regarding prospects, I do not list them in my position rankings and Itch does a great job when it comes to the prospects. But for leagues that mix prospects and major league players into the same pool of players, there are some solid catching prospects who you should watch. I won’t go into details, but below are my favorite catching prospects:
- Ethan Salas, San Diego Padres
- Kyle Teel, Boston Red Sox
- Samuel Basallo, Baltimore Orioles
- Harry Ford, Seattle Mariners
- Dalton Rushing, Los Angeles Dodgers
- Jeferson Quero, Milwaukee Brewers
Tier 4
*Age as of April 1, 2025
| RANK | PLAYER | 2024 TEAM | AGE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 40 | James McCann | BAL | 34 |
| 39 | Danny Jansen | BOS | 29 |
| 38 | Carson Kelly | TEX | 30 |
| 37 | Hunter Goodman | COL | 25 |
| 36 | Mitch Garver | SEA | 34 |
| 35 | Elias Diaz | SD | 34 |
| 34 | Jake Rogers | DET | 29 |
| 33 | Korey Lee | CWS | 26 |
| 32 | Ivan Herrera | STL | 24 |
| 31 | Freddy Fermin | KC | 29 |
This entire tier of players should only be on your team because you need to carry two catchers or you are having to replace an injured catcher. Otherwise, it is mostly a collection of players who can be replaced by just about anyone with a pulse.
At Least He’s Young
Hunter Goodman did one thing well for the Rockies this past season, and that was hit home runs. In 70 games he hit 13 homers and drove in 36 runs with a .417 SLG. But Goodman also hit only .190 with a .228 OBP, 28.6% strikeout rate and a measly 3.6% walk rate. But if you like catchers with 5.8% home run rates and are under the age of 30, Goodman is your man.
A Pair of Vets
Mitch Garver and Elias Diaz will both be 34 on Opening Day. That is really the only thing you really need to know about them. Garver does have power as he hit 14 homers this year and has hit 10 or more dingers in each of the last four seasons. If you don’t care about his age and just want a catcher who can slug, then Garver can be a solid catcher to have as he does have a career slugging percentage of .454. But he is coming off one of his worst seasons at the plate when it comes to his slash line and he is not getting younger.
Diaz was actually an All-Star for Colorado in 2023, but when Diaz is not playing in Denver, his production takes a tumble. In five seasons with the Rockies he had a .403 slugging percentage while in five seasons with the Pirates his SLG was .355. After being traded to the Padres, he appeared in only 12 games and struggled with a .190/.292/.429 slash line.
The Best of Tier 4
Ivan Herrera is a solid backup catcher who won’t kill you when he is in the lineup. In 72 games this past season he slashed .301/.372/.428 and in 96 career games his slash line sits at .289/.365/.398. He does not hit for a lot of power, but that’s why he is a Tier 4 catcher.
Freddy Fermin is one of the best “backup” catchers out there. He has to play second fiddle to Salvador Perez in Kansas City, but he appears in more games than the average backup thanks to Perez often playing at first base or DH. Fermin has decent power as he had six homers this year and nine last year in 70 games. But in 184 career games he has a .272/.316/.398 slash line and his 162-game average is 13 homers and 60 RBI.
Tier 3
| RANK | PLAYER | 2024 TEAM | AGE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 | Travis D’Arnaud | ATL | 36 |
| 29 | Jacob Stallings | COL | 35 |
| 28 | Kyle Higashioka | SD | 34 |
| 27 | Alejandro Kirk | TOR | 26 |
| 26 | Adrian Del Castillo | ARI | 25 |
| 25 | Gabriel Moreno | ARI | 25 |
| 24 | Miguel Amaya | CHC | 26 |
| 23 | Victor Caratini | HOU | 31 |
| 22 | Jonah Heim | TEX | 29 |
| 21 | Patrick Bailey | SF | 25 |
The Old Folks
Travis D’Arnaud did a great job filling in for Sean Murphy this year as he hit 15 homers, the fifth straight season he has reached double digits in homers (not including 2020). He’s an average catcher when it comes to the average and OBP and he is above average in slugging. A healthy Murphy will depress D’Arnaud’s at-bats next season, but I still like him more than those Tier 4 catchers.
Jacob Stallings is a likely candidate to be a backup catcher next season as he will be 35 and has a career .239/.319/.353 slash line. Goodman may be the starter next year as Stallings has a mutual option with the Rockies for 2025. But he has a decent enough bat that he can be a decent backup on someone’s roster next year.
Kyle Higashioka produced 17 homers and 45 RBI for the Padres this past season, a career high, after hitting exactly 10 home runs in each of the previous seasons. But the Padres have tons of catchers and being a free agent this offseason, who knows where Higashioka will end up and what his role will be. But even if he is a backup, he produces when he plays and can be solid No. 2 catcher on your roster.
What Will Arizona Do?
The Diamondbacks have a decent problem in they have two catchers who they can turn to and likely be happy with. But for dynasty owners, that is not a great situation.
Gabriel Moreno has always been a solid hitter at the plate. He has a career slash line of .280/.347/.393 – numbers way above the average catcher. But Moreno does not hit for power. In 233 career games, he has 13 homers and a 1.4% home run rate. Meanwhile, the Diamondbacks also have Adrian Del Castillo waiting in the wings. As a catcher, Del Castillo has a lot of room to improve.
But as a hitter, he is dangerous. He has above average power as he hit 26 homers in 105 games at Triple A this season and added another four in 25 games with Arizona. The power is nothing new for Del Castillo. During his three years at the University of Miami he had a career slugging percentage of .499 and in the minors it is .474.
Sneaky Good
Victor Caratini is the backup catcher for the Astros, but thanks to his ability to also play first base, he appeared in 87 games this past season despite spending time on the IL with a hip injury. Over the past two seasons, Caratini has a .265/.332/.397 slash line with 15 homers and 55 RBI in 149 games. Because he can play first base and is a switch hitter, he will likely get more playing time than your typical backup catcher.
Tier 2
| RANK | PLAYER | 2024 TEAM | AGE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | J.T. Realmuto | PHI | 34 |
| 19 | Sean Murphy | ATL | 30 |
| 18 | Bo Naylor | CLE | 25 |
| 17 | Keibert Ruiz | WAS | 26 |
| 16 | Luis Campusano | SD | 26 |
| 15 | Francisco Alvarez | NYM | 23 |
| 14 | Austin Wells | NYY | 25 |
| 13 | Joey Bart | PIT | 28 |
| 12 | Connor Wong | BOS | 28 |
| 11 | Ryan Jeffers | MIN | 27 |
What Happened?
That is a question many are asking when it comes to Luis Campusano and Francisco Alvarez this past season. Both catchers were expected to have strong seasons. Instead, we barely got average seasons from them.
Campusano was handed the starting job this season after producing a .319/.356/.491 slash line with seven homers in 49 games in 2023. But 2024 was not kind to Campusano and by September he was in the minors. For the year he had a .227/.281/.361 slash line with eight home runs in 91 games. The Padres are not going to give up on him, but with Ethan Salas knocking on the door, Campusano’s future is not a known commodity.
Big things were also expected from Alvarez as well. However, he delivered a .237/.307/.403 season with 11 homers in 308 at-bats. Alvarez was just too inconsistent in 2024. He slashed .375/.456/.667 with three homers and 12 RBI in 16 June games, but in July those numbers were .200/.263/.314-1-6 and .171/.213/.237-1-4. But Alvarez, who will only be 23 next season, ended the year on a high note by smashing five homers and driving in 17 runs in September with a .254/.357/.542 slash line.
Those are numbers that can make this ranking look silly by this time next year.
Future Stars (at least when compared to other catchers)?
Austin Wells can easily be ranked as a Tier 1 catcher by the end of next season. While he didn’t have a great slash line this past season (.229/.322.395), he did slug 13 homers to go with 55 RBI in 115 games. In 134 major league games, he has 17 homers and 68 RBI and his 162-game average is 21 homers and 82 RBI. In the minors he had a career .260/.370/.476 slash line, so his history suggests that his slash line will improve in the majors.
When Joey Bart was traded by the Giants to the Pirates on April 2, it was the best thing that could have happened for him. Bart struggled to ever find his footing in San Francisco, but once in Pittsburgh, his talent finally started to come through. In 80 games this year he slashed .265/.337/.462 with 13 homers and 45 RBI. Bart will likely have to split duties with Davis, but he should get the majority of starts behind home plate as he has been the better hitter in the majors.
Connor Wong is one of those catchers who can actually help when it comes to the slash line, producing a .282/.337/.428 line this season in 124 games with 13 homers and 52 RBI, a nice jump from 2023 (.235/.288/.385-9-36). He also lowered his strikeout rate from 33.3% in 2023 to 23.4% this year while also slightly increasing his walk rate and home run rate.
Ryan Jeffers has shown the ability to produce a nice average and OBP (.276/.369 in 2023), but his career slash line is .231/.310/.427. What Jeffers has been able to do well is hit the ball over the fence and in the gaps. He slugged .432 this year in 122 games thanks to 21 homers and 22 doubles. His career SLG is .427 with a HR% of 4.2%, above the MLB average of 3.1%
Tier 1
| RANK | PLAYER | 2024 TEAM | AGE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | Logan O’Hoppe | LAA | 25 |
| 9 | Tyler Stephenson | CIN | 28 |
| 8 | Willson Conteras | STL | 32 |
| 7 | Will Smith | LAD | 30 |
| 6 | Shea Langeliers | OAK | 27 |
| 5 | Adley Rutschman | BAL | 27 |
| 4 | Salvador Perez | KC | 34 |
| 3 | Cal Raleigh | SEA | 28 |
| 2 | Yainer Diaz | HOU | 26 |
| 1 | William Conteras | MIL | 27 |
Solid and Steady
Logan O’Hoppe came onto the scene for the Angles in 2023 when he appeared in 51 games and hit 14 home runs and slugged .500. As an encore in 2024, he hit 20 homers, drove in 56 and slugged .409 in 136 games. He isn’t going to produce a high batting average and OBP, but if I get 20 or more home runs from my catcher, I’m a happy man.
When Tyler Stephenson plays a full season, he is good for double-digit homers and an above average slash line at the catcher position. Stephenson is coming off his best year as he hit 19 homers and drove in 66 for the Reds while slashing .258/.338/.444. His career slash line is .267/.343/.427 and his 162-game average is 17 homers and 72 RBI. That is great production from a catcher.
Age Is a Factor
Willson Conteras is an outstanding catcher. His 162-game average is 26 homers and 80 RBI and in only 84 games this season he hit 15 homers while driving in 36 with a .262/.380/.468 slash line. The only real reason why he is ranked 8th and not a little higher is due to the fact that he is 32. But if you are looking more short term when it comes to the catching position, then grab Conteras early and be happy.
Will Smith was an All-Star this season as well as in 2023 and produced 20 homers and 75 RBI, basically the same production he has posted since 2021. But there is a trend with Smith that I am not liking – a decrease in slugging percentage year to year to year. In 2020 he slugged .579. In the four seasons since, his SLG has been .495, .465, .438 and .433. His OBP has also slipped from a high of .401 in 2020 to a career low .327 this year.
Smith still hits homers and drives in runs, but those other numbers prevent me from ranking any higher than 7th.
A Very Good Trio
I’m sure the fact that Shea Langeliers plays for the A’s is the reason for this, but it seems no one talks about him. All he does is play nearly every day, appearing in 135 games in 2023 and 137 games this year. And when he is plays, he hits for a lot of power with 22 homers and 63 RBI in 2023 and then 29 homers and 80 this season. Like a lot of the catchers we have talked about, Langeliers is not great in the slash line department, but I’ll take his power every day of the week.
Adley Rutschman didn’t have a bad season, but he hasn’t really lived up to expectations yet. Don’t get me wrong, I will gladly take a catcher with a .261/.321/.421 career slash line and 52 homers in 415 career games (and a 162-game average of 20 homers and 78 RBI). But the players I have ranked ahead of him either have more power, are better hitters, or both at this time.
I am not going to punish Salvador Perez for being old. Despite the fact he will be 34 next season, he has shown no signs of slowing down. Of the 158 games he appeared in, 91 were at catcher, with the other games split between first base and DH. Since his 48 homer, 121 RBI season in 2021, Perez has still managed to hit 23, 23 and 27 home runs with 76, 80 and 104 RBI. Since his debut season in 2011, Perez has never slugged below .400. He is the Energizer Bunny…he just keeps going and going and going.
The Banger, The Hitter, The All-Around Dude
There is one thing Cal Raleigh does well, and that is hit home runs and, by extension, drive in runs. After leading all catchers in home runs in 2023 and ranking sixth in RBI with 75, he again led all catchers in homers this past season with 31 while his 96 RBI ranked second. The downside to Raleigh is his poor batting average and OBP (.218 and .312). And those low totals are the norm when it comes to Raleigh has his career average is .218 and his OBP is .296. If you don’t care about average and OBP from your catcher, then Raleigh is the man for you.
While Raleigh is all power at the plate, Yainer Diaz is a true hitter. His slash line was .299/.324/.442 this past season, ranking first among catchers in batting average. He also hit 16 homers and drove in 84 runs (fourth among catchers). Diaz, who also qualifies as a first baseman, has excellent raw power. In 2023 hit 23 homers in 377 at-bats thanks to a 6.1 HR% and 29.6 FB%. His home run rate fell to 2.6% in 2024 and his GB% jumped from 44.3% to 51.2% this past season. If Diaz gets closer to his 2023 rates, he can easily reach 30 homers and 100 RBI.
If you combine Raleigh and Diaz together, you get William Contreras of Milwaukee. The Brewers catcher hit 23 homers, drove in 92 runs and slashed .281/.364/.468. His 92 RBI ranked third among catchers, and what he did this season is not a one-time event. He slashed .289/.367/.457 last year with 17 homes and 76 RBI and his career slash line is .277/.358/.465. Finding catchers who can produce his slash line while also hitting for power is very rare, and it is why Contreras tops my rankings.
Thanks for reading and come back next week when I unveil my rankings for first basemen.
Previous Rankings
Top 50 Dynasty Keepers for 2025 – Relievers
Top 100 Dynasty Keepers for 2025 – Starting Pitchers
