Fantasy baseball catcher preview: Rankings, tiers, targets, top prospects and more

We’re almost there, everybody: After a long, cold, frustratingly slow offseason, MLB’s regular season begins on Wednesday, March 20, with the Dodgers and Padres squaring off in Seoul (the 28 other teams will get things started on Thursday, March 28). With precious little time to go until Opening Day, now is the time to start cranking up your fantasy baseball drafts — and we’re here to be your one-stop shop for all things draft prep. We just recently unveiled our top 300 overall for redraft leagues in 2024, as well as top prospects to know; now it’s time to start breaking things down position by position, giving you the lay of the land along with positional rankings, tiers, sleepers, busts and breakouts.

Next up? The catcher spot, where we’ve got something of a changing of the guard: For the first time in a while, there’s a No. 1 who isn’t J.T. Realmuto or Salvador Perez. Between Adley Rutschman, William Contreras, Yainer Diaz, Francisco Alvarez, Gabriel Moreno and even Logan O’Hoppe and Bo Naylor, there are a ton of relative newcomers who offer unusual depth at the position. That depth gives you even more compelling reason to wait on this position come draft time; the statistical ceiling here is such that there’s simply not enough difference between the “elite” options and guys you can get 100-150 picks later, so be sure to keep that in mind when you read the following.

Catcher tiers

Tier 1: Will Smith, Adley Rutschman, Yainer Diaz, J.T. Realmuto, William Contreras
Tier 2: Salvador Perez, Logan O’Hoppe, Keibert Ruiz, Jonah Heim, Willson Contreras, Cal Raleigh, Francisco Alvarez, Bo Naylor, Sean Murphy
Tier 3: Gabriel Moreno, MJ Melendez, Mitch Garver, Luis Campusano, Tyler Stephenson, Elias Diaz
Tier 4: Alejandro Kirk, Ryan Jeffers, Shea Langeliers, Austin Wells, Danny Jansen
Tier 5: Patrick Bailey, Jake Rogers, Gary Sanchez, Connor Wong, Nick Fortes, Yan Gomes, Freddy Fermin, Travis d’Arnaud

Catcher sleeper

Henry Davis, Pittsburgh Pirates

This is technically cheating, given that Davis doesn’t yet have catcher eligibility for the upcoming season — he spent all of two innings behind the plate in his MLB debut last year. But he’ll check that box almost immediately in 2024, especially given Endy Rodriguez’s elbow injury over the winter, and once he does he belongs on your radar as a bargain-basement option with legitimate top-10 upside at the position. Yes, Davis struggled in his first taste of the Majors, hitting .213/.302/.351. But this guy was taken No. 1 overall for a reason, and he hit 16 homers with 13 steals in 86 games between Double-A and Triple-A over the past two years. He’ll get tons of opportunity, and he could contribute across four categories if things click.

Catcher breakout

Francisco Alvarez, New York Mets

We know that Alvarez has the tools: He posted a 114.1 mph max exit velo to back up his 25 homers last year. The question is whether he can take steps to become a more well-rounded hitter in 2024, when he hit .209 and struck out 110 times in 123 games. I think he can. Alvarez’s chase and contact rates weren’t actually all that terrible; the skills, in other words, are here, and he’s a top prospect entering his second big-league season at 22 years old. He already showed signs of making adjustments down the stretch last season, and if he takes another step forward the upside is absolutely immense — with a reasonably high floor to boot.

Catcher bust

Gabriel Moreno, Arizona Diamondbacks

Much of Moreno’s ADP inflation seems the result of his star turn in Arizona’s run to the World Series last October. But if you draft him expecting that player, you’re likely to be disappointed — especially in the power category, where he hit just seven homers last year. Yes, six of those came in the second half, but his SLG was actually lower than it was in the first half; given that he doesn’t hit the ball especially hard or in the air all that often, that seems more like a fluke of fly-ball luck than anything. He’s unlikely to make much of a dent in either homers or steals, and that puts a lot of pressure on his batting average — if he hits .284 again, he’ll be a starting-caliber catcher, but the floor here is far lower than that without the kind of upside to make it worth your while.

Top catcher prospects

Samuel Basallo, Orioles
Age: 19
Minor League stats: .313 BA (419 AB), 20 HR, 12 SB, .953 OPS, 61 BB, 94 K
ETA: Late-season callup

Obviously Rutschman is blocking him behind the plate, but Basallo’s bat could force playing time at first base or DH. If he keeps on mashing, it’s not out of the question he could be getting regular time for the O’s down the stretch at some position or another.

Harry Ford, Mariners
Age: 21
Minor League stats: .257 BA (444 AB), 15 HR, 24 SB, .841 OPS, 103 BB, 109 K
ETA: Late-season callup

Yes, 24 steals. Ford’s athleticism behind the plate is truly unique, and he’s shown an advanced approach at the plate despite also having some swing and miss in his game. Given Mitch Garver’s well-documented health issues, Ford could force his way to Seattle some time this summer.

Kyle Teel, C, Red Sox
Age: 22
Minor League stats: 363 BA (91 AB), 2 HR, 3 SB, .977 OPS, 21 BB, 22 K
ETA: Midsummer

The 14th pick in last year’s draft, Teel brings the sort of sweet lefty swing not typically associated with the position. Defensive, though, he’s a lock to stick behind the plate, and he’s already made it to Double-A after starring in college at UVA. The upside here isn’t immense — he’s hit over power, for sure — but Boston doesn’t have much keeping him down if he starts the season strong.