This will be the start of a new series ranking the Top 10 players at each position for the 2024 season. We kick things off with MLB catchers.
Given that this is a forward-thinking projection, please remember: if a younger player is on the rise, I will project them to be better. If an older player is on the decline, I will project them to be worse. If a player had a freak awful 2023 season after being on the rise, I will project them to be better as long as there are no off-the-field issues.
Let’s dive in and explore Chris’ top 10 catchers for the 2024 MLB season. Click here for an archive of other positions.
Honorable Mentions
Bo Naylor, Alejandro Kirk, Gabriel Moreno
10. Patrick Bailey
This will be Bailey’s sophomore season in the big leagues. Bailey had a pretty tough 2023 campaign at the plate as he slashed .233/.285/.359 with a 78 WRC+. However, he was arguably the best defensive catcher in the league. He led the league in Framing Runs and was second in Defensive Runs Saved (DRS). I imagine that his batting numbers will only get better with more reps at the plate.
9. Willson Contreras
Contreras is one of the best-hitting catchers in the league. Last year, he slashed .277/.374/.435 with a 124 WRC+. However, he was pretty brutal behind the plate. He finished with -1.7 Framing Runs and -8.0 DRS. Put all together, FanGraphs ranked him 10th in Wins Above Replacement (WAR). He has always been far better at the plate than behind the plate, and I imagine we will see a lot of the same this upcoming season.
8. Francisco Alvarez
Alvarez had a unique rookie season. He was tremendous at the beginning of the season but fell off a little towards the end. The young backstop ultimately hit 25 home runs while slashing .209/.284/.437 with a WRC+ of 97. Hitting that many home runs is awesome, but he is going to need to improve his plate discipline and get on base more. With this being said, he was terrific behind the plate. He was third in Frame Runs and had 7.9 DRS. All this put together allowed Alvarez to finish ninth in WAR amongst catchers. Alvarez is just getting started, so I’d expect him to progress upward for the next couple of years.
7. Jonah Heim
Heim is one of the more underrated catchers in the league. He was not ranked in MLB Network’s top 10, which I think is ridiculous. He played 124 games behind the plate last season, which is pretty uncommon in today’s game. At the plate, he slashed .258/.317/.438 and had a 103 WRC+. Behind the dish, Heim was seventh in Frame Runs and had 6.0 DRS. His 4.1 WAR ranked sixth amongst catchers. Heim will turn 29 in June, so he is just getting started and very well might have a top-five case by the end of the season.
Patrick Bailey misses MLB Network’s top 16 catchers list — even more surprising, Jonah Heim was left off the top 10. #SFGiants https://t.co/GWTp0KnM9K
— Steven Rissotto (@StevenRissotto) January 11, 2024
6. Cal Raleigh
Raleigh had an awesome season last year. At the plate, he hit 30 home runs, had a slash line of .232/.306/.456, and finished with a WRC+ of 111. He was also ninth in Frame Runs. Put together, he had 4.7 WAR, which was third amongst catchers. The Mariners have a bright future and Raleigh is one of the main reasons for that.
5. J.T. Realmuto
Realmuto has debatably been the best catcher in baseball for the past five years. From 2021 to 2022, he slashed .269/.342/.459 and had a 119 WRC+. Realmuto led all catchers in WAR with 11.1 over that span, which was 2.6 more wins than the catcher in second. With this being said, he took a big step back last year. Realmuto slashed .252/.310/.452, had a WRC+ of 102, and was 21st amongst catchers in WAR. He turns 33 in March, so we might be seeing the end of his prime. Nevertheless, his previous greatness has dearned him the benefit of the doubt that he can bounce back.
4. William Contreras
For years, Contreras was known as Willson’s brother and was the worse of the sibling pair. However, he was arguably the best catcher in the league last season. He hit 17 home runs, had a triple slash line of .289/.367/.457, and finished with a 124 WRC+. He was also fourth in Frame Runs and first in WAR at 5.4. Contreras just turned 26, so this is likely the beginning of a great career. With that said, I’m expecting the three guys ahead of him to be slightly better because they have been more consistent.
3. Will Smith
All of the players in the top three have a case to be No. 1. Smith has been solid for years now. Last year, he slashed .261/.359/.438 with a 119 WRC+. He added 12 DRS behind the plate. All of this is super encouraging, especially when you consider that it was his worst season in three years and he is only 26. Smith will be even more protected this year with Shohei Ohtani added to the lineup, so I would expect an even better year from him.
2. Sean Murphy
Murphy was traded from the Athletics to the Braves last offseason, and he did not disappoint his new team. He is probably the best-hitting catcher in the league. Last year, Murphy hit 21 homers, slashed .251/.365/.478, and recorded a 129 WRC+. He was also above average behind the plate, ranking 14th in Frame Runs. Even though he has not been great in the playoffs, I’ll take him in a big spot over just about any catcher in the league.
1. Adley Rutschman
Is anyone surprised? Rutschman was a rookie in 2022 and played phenomenal baseball. He followed that up with another great campaign in 2023. Rutschman slashed .277/.374/.435 and had a 127 WRC+. He was also 13th in Frame Runs. The best part about Rustchman is that he just turned 26 and is already contributing to a winning team. Once Baltimore gets even better players around him, the sky will be the limit.
Adley Rutschman turns 26 today, the best catcher in baseball should have a MONSTER season. pic.twitter.com/Pm29wsfXbv
— Barstool Baseball (@StoolBaseball) February 6, 2024
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