Leandre: Top 30 catchers entering 2024, 10-1
Wrapping up a loaded class of catching talent, we bring you the top 10 catchers entering the 2024 MLB season.
The catching position is truly in a tremendous spot as the MLB season draws near.
How we felt about the shortstop position a few years back is how I now feel about the catching position, which used to be super top-heavy.
Not only is the talent pool deeper, but it’s also younger. Many of the game’s best catchers are young and primed for long careers at the position.
Before we rank the top 10, let’s recap the middle third of this top 30.
20. Gabriel Moreno, Arizona Diamondbacks
19. Travis d’Arnaud, Atlanta Braves
18. Luis Campusano, San Diego Padres
17. Bo Naylor, Cleveland Guardians
16. Yainer Diaz, Houston Astros
15. Willson Contreras, St. Louis Cardinals
14. Gary Sánchez, Milwaukee Brewers
13. Danny Jansen, Toronto Blue Jays
12. Ryan Jeffers, Minnesota Twins
11. Francisco Alvarez, New York Mets
No more beating around the bush, here are the 10 best catchers entering the 2024 season.
10. Jake Rogers — Detroit Tigers
Rogers was solid as the Tigers’ backup in 2021, then missed 2022 before coming back and truly breaking out a season ago.
He wasn’t a game-changer on offense but posted a 97 wRC+ whilst underperforming a .326 xwOBA.
He was a very good framer last season while also being an elite pitch-blocker (90th percentile). That, coupled with his power potential, makes him an incredibly valuable backstop for the Tigers.
His 2.2 fWAR a season ago ranked 11th among catchers with at least 250 plate appearances.
9. Alejandro Kirk — Toronto Blue Jays
The power escaped Kirk in 2023, and has been on a steady decline since 2021, but the Blue Jays’ primary backstop still cracks the top 10 entering 2024.
He doesn’t have to be an elite power bat to be effective, but considering he’s one of the worst baserunners in the sport — -10.3 base runs and -6 baserunning run value in 2023 — hitting for more power can’t hurt. What’s remained consistent during his career is his potency for drawing Ball 4 and avoiding Strike 3.
Defensively, he’s also a stalwart back there. He’s not the best at controlling the running game, but he was a 99th-percentile blocker and 79th-percentile framer. In 2022, he was an even more elite framer.
If he can get back into the .430 range with his slugging, he’s got the potential to jump a few spots by season’s end.
8. J.T. Realmuto — Philadelphia Phillies
The longtime consensus top catcher or two in the league ranks at No. 8 on this list entering 2024.
It was a tough call to knock Realmuto down after one down year, but I couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow at him being a slightly above-average hitter, bottom-tier defender and net-negative baserunner.
If he weren’t turning 33 in March, I’d be more willing to chalk it up as an outlier season. It very well still might be, but given the talent of the seven ahead of Realmuto, going out on a limb wasn’t enough to keep him in the top five.
7. Patrick Bailey — San Francisco Giants
I wonder what good would come out of Bailey abandoning hitting left-handed.
He’s arguably the best defensive backstop, at least as a framer and running game controller, and had a 128 wRC+ in 113 plate appearances as a righty in 2023.
Overall, he still posted nearly three wins above replacement on FanGraphs on account of his elite defense.
I think he has the potential to be a perennial All-Star for the Giants, especially if he improves against righties or abandons hitting left-handed.
There’s precedent for players abandoning switch-hitting and seeing a jolt in offensive production. Recently, Baltimore Orioles outfielder Cedric Mullins permanently switched to left-handed and went from a 95 wRC+ to 136.
6. Will Smith — Los Angeles Dodgers
Smith is almost the perfect balance of quality offense and defense at the catching position.
The 2023 season was his third consecutive year posting at least 3.9 fWAR and second eclipsing 4.4. In 2020, he was also on a 5.3-win pace over 150 games.
His power has been on a steady decline since he debuted in 2019, but he’s still hit at least 19 homers each of the past three seasons.
The benefit of being a catcher is that there can be fluctuations in offensive production, but defense can help maintain value. Smith isn’t the caliber defender of someone like Bailey, but he’s still good enough that he remains among the most valuable backstops in baseball.
5. Jonah Heim — Texas Rangers
Heim breaking out and being an All-Star in 2023 made me feel like a proud papa.
He’s improved each year since he debuted with Oakland in 2020. While his 2023 offensive output was just a 103 wRC+, he posted 9.3 frame runs (97th percentile) and was in the 89th percentile for caught stealing above average.
Should the soon-to-be 29-year-old continue his offensive ascension, he’s going to cement himself in the top five, maybe even higher, for years to come.
4. Cal Raleigh — Seattle Mariners
The 27-year-old Mariners backstop brings elite defense, durability and power in a ballpark susceptible to killing power bats.
Last year, he was in the 83rd percentile for barrel rate while leading the catcher position in home runs.
Defensively, he’s an elite framer and elite at handling the running game — at least in the 85th percentile for both in 2023. While his offense is more boom-or-bust than consistent production, he still produces at a comfortably above-average rate.
He also has 8.8 fWAR the past two seasons, which ranks third among catchers.
3. William Contreras — Milwaukee Brewers
Contreras is a stud and, in 2023, he was one on both ends.
Offensively, he posted a 126 wRC+ with a .357 wOBA. Defensively, he posted 14.4 framing runs to couple his 85th percentile ranking for blocks above average.
It’s still kind of crazy to me that the Atlanta Braves moved on from him after the elite age-24 season he had in 2022. But considering who they got to replace him, it certainly softens the blow.
2. Sean Murphy — Atlanta Braves
Enter Murphy, Sean.
The former Oakland Athletics backstop had a career year in his first season for the Braves. While it was a tale of two halves for Murphy, he still posted a career-best 129 wRC+ and .366 wOBA in 108 games. On a per-150 basis, he also had his best season in fWAR (5.8).
Defensively, he was a 100th percentile blocker, 92nd percentile framer and was above the 80th percentile in pop time and caught stealing above average.
He’s the best of both worlds, and it took a lot for me to not rank him No. 1.
1. Adley Rutschman — Baltimore Orioles
Speaking of the best of both worlds, Rutschman is a menace on both sides of the ball.
I thought the switch-hitter would improve more at the dish in 2023. While he posted a .373 xwOBA, which tied for 15th among all qualified hitters regardless of position, his wRC+ dropped from 135 to 127.
He’s still a top-flight defensive backstop with the potential to be a perennial 130 or better wRC+ bat, however. He’s going to torment opposing teams for a long time.
How did Noah Song do in his first spring training appearance?
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