This series ranks the top 10 players at each position for the 2025 season. Today, we’ll look at the top 10 MLB catchers.
These are projections for the upcoming season. If a younger player is on the rise, I could project them to be better than ever before. If an older player is declining, I could project they will be even worse this season. If there is a player who had a freak awful 2024 season after being on the rise, I would project them to be better as long as there are no off-the-field issues.
Honorable Mentions
Salvador Perez, Willson Contreras
These are two elite offensive players who will likely regress due to age and not showing much value behind the plate.
10. Austin Wells
The Yankees’ catcher will be entering his second full season. Last year, he finished with a .229/.322/.395 slash line and had a 105 wRC+. Behind the plate, he was fourth in framing. All of this put together led Wells to finish fourth in WAR. He was also second in Rookie of the Year voting.
The Yankees are in an interesting spot this year. With their second-best player walking out the door, they are going to begin relying on their role players a lot more. Wells will be one of the many players lower in the lineup who will make or break the Yankees’ season.
Austin Wells homers on his first swing of the year at Yankees Spring Training pic.twitter.com/NZs2hnyVDV
— Talkin’ Yanks (@TalkinYanks) February 20, 2025
9. Francisco Alvarez
Up next, we have the other catcher from New York. After being a power-first bat during his rookie season, Alvarez somewhat reversed that trend during his sophomore year. Unfortunately for him, he only batted .237 last year. As a whole, his wRC+ jumped from 97 to 102.
I expected Alvarez to take a bigger jump last year, but his injuries held him back. Even still, he was great defensively. Alvarez finished 10th in baseball in framing. He has a ton of potential, and I expect him to leap this year with a deeper lineup.
8. Alejandro Kirk
Up next, we have another interesting player. In 2022, Kirk was debatably a top-three catcher in the league, posting a 129 wRC+ while being solid behind the plate. However, since then, he dropped in both games played and wRC+ each season.
Kirk has still been super behind the plate and is only 26. As long as he stays healthy, I expect Kirk to have his best season since 2022, solidifying himself as a top-10 catcher in the league.
7. Patrick Bailey
Up next, we have one of the best defensive catchers in the league. Last year, Bailey led MLB in framing and was the best catcher in terms of defensive impact. According to FanGraphs, the gap between the first- and second-best catcher in defensive impact was bigger than the gap between the second and sixth.
With that said, Bailey needs to improve his numbers at the plate if he wants to make it into the top five. He finished with a wRC+ of 81 last year. Being an elite defensive catcher will get you far in MLB, so while the bar of being a good hitting catcher is low, I think you need to be above average to rank among the top five.
Patrick Bailey is too smooth 😮💨 #SFGiants pic.twitter.com/IORqmaL6dQ
— Kick Dirt Baseball (@KickDirtBB) February 18, 2025
6. Will Smith
Smith is one of the better-known catchers in baseball, but it is tough to tell how good he will be this year. He has been on the decline for the past couple of years. Both his wRC+ and WAR have gone down since 2021.
With this being said, I expect Smith to turn it around this year. Coming off a championship run, the Dodgers will be more confident than ever, and it will open a lot of opportunities for Smith to be one of the better hitters in the league.
5. Sean Murphy
Sean Murphy missed the first two months of the season last year. He suffered injuries in his oblique and his elbow, causing him to only play in 72 games. With all of these injuries, he only batted .192 and had a 76 OPS+.
It seemed as though Murphy was not 100 percent healthy for the limited time he was on the field last year. Before 2024, Murphy was consistently a top-three catcher in the league. I am very confident he will be closer to that kind of production than the catcher he was last year.
4. Yainer Diaz
Despite being slightly more disappointing in 2024 compared to 2023, Diaz still had a great season. He slashed .299/.325/.441 and amassed a 117 WRC+.
Even though his framing numbers were below league average, he was still a net positive behind the plate. Given that Diaz is only 26, he could be on the precipice of an elite career.
3. Cal Raleigh
Now, we enter the elite of the elite. Raleigh has been debatably the best catcher in baseball for the past two seasons. Last year, he hit 34 home runs, slashed .220/.312/.436, and had a 117 wRC+. In addition, Raleigh ranked third in framing.
When you have a guy who is one of the best catchers behind the plate and a solid hitter, you do everything you can to hold onto him. Raleigh is one of the most valuable players in the league.
Cal Raleigh • 07/22/2023 pic.twitter.com/FtmhcEKkM5
— Random Dingers (@randomdingers) February 18, 2025
2. William Contreras
Contreras hits better than every other catcher in MLB. Over the last three seasons, he amassed a 130 wRC+. In addition to being elite at the plate, he has improved defensively since his rookie year.
After being a net negative defensively since his rookie year, Contreras’ last two seasons have put him within the top 50 percent of the league’s catchers. Contreras is only 27; his story is just beginning.
1. Adley Rutschman
To put it bluntly, Rutschman was extremely disappointing last year. After having wRC+ seasons of 135 and 127 in his first two campaigns, he finished with just 105 last year. It was also his worst defensive season.
With this being said, since so much went wrong last year, Rutschman may have simply been in his head all season long. With a full offseason to adjust, I think Rutchsman will come back better than ever. This is especially true since he just turned 27. If Rutschman bounces back, the Orioles will be one scary team.
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