Oh, catcher. The tight end of fantasy baseball — although no one makes you play in “two tight end” leagues during the NFL season, so I honestly think catcher could be in a nightmarish zone all its own.
Catcher might be the most important position in real-life baseball, but it tends to be a bit of an annoyance in fantasy, with very few in possession of an above-average offensive profile, let alone the ability to be in the lineup for more than 130 games.
Still, you’ll need to draft at least one and I’m here to help. Here are my Top 30 backstops for the 2025 season.
2025 MLB Rankings: C | 1B | 2B | 3B | SS | OF | SP | RP | Top 250
2025 Fantasy Baseball C Rankings
| Name | Team | NFBC ADP | |
| 1. | William Contreras | Brewers | 24.9 |
| 2. | Yainer Diaz | Astros | 55.2 |
| 3. | Willson Contreras | Cardinals | 78.0 |
| 4. | Cal Raleigh | Mariners | 79.3 |
| 5. | Adley Rutschman | Orioles | 62.5 |
| 6. | Sal Perez | Royals | 69.8 |
| 7. | Will Smith | Dodgers | 91.8 |
| 8. | Shea Langeliers | Athletics | 115.9 |
| 9. | J.T. Realmuto | Phillies | 130.1 |
| 10. | Logan O’Hoppe | Angels | 118.7 |
| 11. | Tyler Stephenson | Reds | 138.7 |
| 12. | Ivan Herrera | Cardinals | 237.8 |
| 13. | Austin Wells | Yankees | 192.8 |
| 14. | Ryan Jeffers | Twins | 231.7 |
| 15. | Francisco Alvarez | Mets | 146.7 |
| 16. | Gabriel Moreno | Diamondbacks | 188.6 |
| 17. | Sean Murphy | Braves | 215.6 |
| 18. | Alejandro Kirk | Blue Jays | 269.2 |
| 19. | Joey Bart | Pirates | 261.9 |
| 20. | Hunter Goodman | Rockies | 341.1 |
| 21. | Danny Jansen | Rays | 361.9 |
| 22. | Connor Wong | Red Sox | 224.4 |
| 23. | Keibert Ruiz | Nationals | 202.1 |
| 24. | Patrick Bailey | Giants | 322.8 |
| 25. | Bo Naylor | Guardians | 295.0 |
| 26. | Jonah Heim | Rangers | 310.5 |
| 27. | Miguel Ayama | Cubs | 444.0 |
| 28. | Luis Campusano | Padres | 449.3 |
| 29. | David Fry | Guardians | 540.5 |
| 30. | Freddy Fermin | Royals | 430.9 |
3. Willson Contreras, Cardinals
There might be nothing that excites me more in season-long fantasy baseball than a catcher who isn’t really a catcher. Allow me to explain. Contreras did catch 431.2 innings in 2024, but with a surplus of backstop depth at the MLB level and Paul Goldschmidt in New York, the 32-year-old will now serve as the Cardinals’ primary first baseman. I’d assume there’s a number of DH at-bats in Contreras’ future, as well. Considering how often catching led to IL stints for Contreras, this is exceedingly good news. Suddenly, it appears like there’s a path to 600 plate appearances for the veteran. This won’t be empty volume, either. Since the beginning of 2022, Contreras owns a 133 wRC+. That’s the 19th-best mark in baseball within that span among players with at least 1,000 PAs. It’s the same mark as Matt Olson. It’s better than Rafael Devers. Again, Contreras can really swing the bat.
12. Ivan Herrera, Cardinals
I mentioned that St. Louis has a surplus of MLB catching depth. Well, this is that depth. Herrera didn’t have a full rookie campaign with the Cardinals in 2024, but the little we did see of the 24-year-old was quite promising. In 72 games and 257 plate appearances, Herrera slashed .301/.372/.428 with a 127 wRC+. His advanced statistical profile might’ve been even more enticing, with Herrera’s .366 expected wOBA and .293 expected batting average good enough to rank above the 90th percentile had he enough at-bats to qualify. Herrera didn’t flash a lot of power last season, with just five long balls and a .127 ISO, yet his barrel rate (9.0) and maximum exit velocity (112.4) suggest there’s potential for growth in that area if he improves a modest fly ball rate (29.8%). Either way, Herrera has the chance to contribute in multiple categories in 2025 and be a Top 10 catcher in fantasy.
14. Ryan Jeffers, Twins
Jeffers and Herrera are both going off the board just after pick 230 in NFBC drafts and I think the duo make for a pretty good reason to wait on catcher in standard 12-team leagues. It’s almost sort of goofy how quickly the public seems to have soured on the Twins’ backstop. Jeffers was incredible in a 335 plate appearance sample in 2023, slashing .276/.369/.490 with a 137 wRC+. I think he was almost as good in 2024, he simply got a little unlucky. Well, maybe a lot unlucky. While Jeffers did manage to hit 21 home runs in 465 PAs, he saw his batting average fall to a putrid .226 mark. The biggest reason? Jeffers went from a .359 BABIP to a .238 BABIP — the fourth-lowest mark among the 169 players with at least 450 PAs last season. His true talent is likely somewhere closer to a .240 hitter, which is what most projection systems peg him at in 2025. The RHB clearly has power and his past barrel rates and maximum exit velocities are tantalizing. I’m willing to bet on a bounce-back performance.
18. Alejandro Kirk, Blue Jays
Though it feels like it happened a decade ago, Alejandro Kirk is just two years removed from winning a Silver Slugger for slashing .285/.372/.415 with a 129 wRC+ across 541 plate appearances. While that version of Kirk may never be coming back, it’s not as if the 26-year-old suddenly fell of the face of the Earth. Kirk was an above-average hitter in 2024 according to his 58th percentile expected wOBA (.324) and his 66th percentile expected batting average (.257). Is he a perfect player? No. Is he overly athletic? No. Does his defensive acumen translate in fantasy points? No. Still, Kirk’s microscopic strikeout rate and whiff rate give him a very sturdy floor. Kirk is also looking at an increased workload in 2025 with longtime teammate Danny Jansen now in Tampa Bay. He’s a great target in two-catcher formats and, if he gets back to even 75% of his production from 2023, he’ll be a starter in 12-team leagues, as well.
