Is it just me, or is there a feeling of electricity in the air? Baseball games are happening across the country. Opening Day is just around the corner. Fantasy drafts will happen soon, if they haven’t started already. Without question, all us fantasy managers must be prepared for what’s to come. To help make that a reality, I have been writing fantasy baseball articles since the new year began. In this edition, I submit my fantasy baseball catcher tiers.

Here you will find the best players, catcher values, those to be cautious of and catchers you don’t want on the roster. Like all of my articles, which can be found on the Belly Up Fantasy Website, debate and discussion are strongly encouraged. Whether you agree or disagree isn’t important. Let’s talk about it! Now, without wasting another minute, let’s get down to business.

Tier One

Adley Rutschman, Baltimore Orioles, age 25, 154 games, .277-20-80, 163 hits, 84 runs, 101K, 92BB, 49 .374/.435/.809, 128 OPS+, .303 BAbip, .158 ISO, 14.7 SO%, 13.4 BB%, 11 3B, FantasyPros: 1, ESPN: 1.

Comment: Just like my second base and third base tier rankings, there is one player at the top at this position. Frankly, it isn’t close as Rutschman is clearly the best catcher in the game. He’s young, his SO% and BB% are incredible for a player with his experience. He can hit the long ball and score runs. Best of all, he plays nearly every day.

In fantasy, having Rutschman gives a manager the luxury of carrying just one catcher on the roster if desired. Ideally, that provides the ability to have more complete players on the team. The reason is because catchers don’t play every day and most don’t have a great bat.

However, just be warned: if you want Rutschman, you’ll have to use a third round pick to get him. Only you can decide if that high a pick is worth a catcher, even one as good as he is.

Tier Two

Will Smith, Los Angeles Dodgers, age 28, 126 games, .261-19-76, 121 hits, 80 runs, 89K, 63BB, .359/.438/.797, 114 OPS+, .277 BAbip, .177 ISO, 16.1 SO%, 11.4 BB%, FantasyPros: 3, ESPN: 2.

J.T. Realmuto, Philadelphia Phillies, age 32, 135 games, .253-20-63, 123 hits, 70 runs, 138K, 35BB, .351/.500/.851, 126 OPS+, .307 BAbip, .229 ISO, 25.6 SO%, 6.5 BB%, FantasyPros: 2, ESPN: 5.

Salvador Perez, Kansas City Royals, age 33, 140 games, .255-23-80, 137 hits, 59 runs, 135K, 19BB, .292/.422/.714, 94 OPS+, .167 ISO, 23.3 SO%, 3.3 BB%, FantasyPros: 8, ESPN: 9.

Comment: Both Realmuto and Perez have been quality backstops, especially at the plate, for quite some time. Even as that is the case, however, Smith has passed them both. He is entering his prime and will only get better. Best of all, he is hitting in arguably the best lineup in baseball. If it wasn’t for Rutschman, in my opinion, Smith would be at the top of the pyramid.

As for Realmuto, he has been steady, with 134 or more games played the past three seasons. Like Smith, he is hitting in a very good lineup. He has hit 20 or more homers in four of his last five full seasons. Additionally, he provides steals like no other catcher with 13, 21 and 16 the last three years. The decline may begin with him soon, but he still has a quality season left in him.

Regarding Perez, I realize that I have him ranked higher on this Fantasy Baseball Catcher Tiers edition than anyone could have thought possible. Don’t think that I am insane, I have good reasons for doing so. Perez has hit 20 or more homers in his last seven full seasons. The Royals will play him at first or DH on occasion, which will keep his bat in the lineup more than many other catchers.

Certainly, he is a long way from the player that hit 48 homers in 2021, no question. Even so, expect him to hit his usual 23-25 long balls and drive in over 80 runs. Kansas City should be a much better team in 2024, giving Perez added RBI opportunities. The cliff is coming swiftly for Perez, just not this season.

Tier Three

William Contreras, Milwaukee Brewers, age 26, 141 games, .289-17-78, 156 hits, 86 runs, 126K, 63BB, .367/.457/.824, 125 OPS+, .348 BAbip, .169 ISO, 20.6 SO%, 10.3 BB%, FantasyPros: 4, ESPN: 3.

Yanier Diaz, Houston Astros, age 25, 104 games, .282-23-60, 100 hits, 51 runs, 74K, 11BB, .308/.538/.846, 128 OPS+, .292 BAbip, .256 ISO, 19.6 SO%, 2.9 BB%, FantasyPros: 5, ESPN: 10.

Keibert Ruiz, Washington Nationals, age 25, 136 games, .260-18-67, 136 hits, 55 runs, 58K, 31BB, .308/.409/.717, 97 OPS+ .263 BAbip, .140 ISO, 10.3 SO%, 5.5 BB%, FantasyPros: 14, ESPN: 4.

Gabriel Moreno, Arizona Diamondbacks, age 22, 111 games, .284-7-50, 97 hits, 33 runs, 75K, 29BB, .339/.408/.747, 104 OPS+ .338 BAbip, .123 ISO, 19.7 SO%, 7.6 BB%, FantasyPros: 11, ESPN: 7.

Comment: For openers, let’s just call this portion of the Fantasy Baseball Catcher Tiers edition the young man’s section. Of these back stops, only Ruiz has put together two seasons of at least 100 games played. Obviously, youth is served here. Of course, just being young means nothing, but all three have solid offensive games to fall back on as well.

Contreras has torn up the league the past two years, hitting 37 homers in 238 games. His power should only increase. Contreras is the player that would most likely surpass Realmuto and Perez if either falter. Meanwhile, Diaz came out of nowhere last season and helped Houston to the A.L. West Championship. He hit 23 homers in just 104 games. If he kicks the game total to 130 to 140, he could hit 30 in 2024.

As for Ruiz, he improved his stats almost across the board from his previous season. Managers like to see growth and improvement in their players, and Ruiz certainly has shown that. He should easily top 20 home runs in 2024. The only negative? Unfortunately, Washington, being such a lousy team, will hold down his other stats.

Last, but not least in this tier, is Moreno. The Diamondbacks couldn’t be happier they traded for him before last season. Just 22, Moreno is growing into his power. His K rate is remarkably low for such a young player. Playing for the defending N.L. champions, expect all of his hitting stats to spike in 2024.

Tier Four

Cal Raleigh, Seattle Mariners, age 27, 145 games, .232-30-75, 119 hits, 78 runs, 158K, 54BB, .306/.456/.762, 112 OPS+, .273 BAbip, .224 ISO, 27.8 SO%, 9.5 BB%, FantasyPros: 6, ESPN: 6

Sean Murphy, Atlanta Braves, age 29, 108 games, .251-21-68, 93 hits, 65 runs, 98K, 49BB, .365/.478/.843, 125 OPS+, .286 BAbip, .227 ISO, 22.4 SO%, 11.2 BB%, FantasyPros 7, ESPN 11.

Wilson Contreras, St. Louis Cardinals, age 31, 125 games, .264-20-67, 113 hits, 55 runs, 111K, 51BB, .358/.467,/825, 124 OPS+, .311 BAbip, 124 OPS+, .203 ISO, 22.4 SO%, 10.3 BB%, FantasyPros: 9, ESPN: 8.

Comment: If the above can be called youngsters, those in this tier can rightfully be called veterans. All of the three can give you some power, especially Raleigh. Each of the three will be in the lineup on a regular basis. Don’t be alarmed by Murphy’s games played total last season. In 2022, he appeared in 148 games.

Even though he didn’t play as often, Murphy hit more homers and drove in more runs last year than he did the previous season. Further, he is hitting in one of the best lineups in Atlanta. This fantasy baseball catchers tiers edition says: look for him to have his best professional season in 2024.

When it comes to Raleigh, obviously he hits home runs. Matter of fact, he led all catchers in that category. Frankly, the main factor in him not being in a higher tier is that strikeout rate. However, he’s in the lineup more than a lot of catchers and he is great at crossing the plate. He was fourth among catchers in runs in 2023. In the end, that number six ranking means he isn’t a value play. Take that into account on draft day.

Last season, just like the Cardinals as a whole, the other Contreras had a down year, especially in the field. Even so, he hit more than 20 homers in his fourth straight full season. Additionally, he drove in his most runs since 2017. Certainly, His OPS+ rates him as an excellent player. Expect Contreras to have one of his typical seasons in 2024.

Catcher Values

Francisco Alvarez, New York Mets, age 22, 123 games, .209-25-63, 80 hits, 51 runs, 110K, 34BB, .284/.437/.721, 95 OPS+, .222 BAbip, .228 ISO, 26.0 SO%, 8.0 BB%, FantasyPros: 10, ESPN: 12

Logan O’Hoppe, Los Angeles Angels, age 23, 51 games, .236-14-29, 43 hits, 29 runs, 48K, 14BB, .296/.500/.796, 111 OPS+, .240 BAbip, .264 ISO, 24.1 SO%, 7.0 BB%, FantasyPros: 15, ESPN: 16

Bo Naylor, Cleveland Guardians, age 24, 67 games, .237-11-32, 47 hits, 33 runs, 53K, 30BB, .339/.470/.809, 124 OPS+, .267 BAbip, .232 ISO, 23.0 SO%, 13.0 BB%, FantasyPros: 13, ESPN: 17

Comment: Like most observers, I recognize that catcher is the weak link in the entire fantasy baseball operation. Because that’s true, those listed here might have particular interest. All are young and all have shown they have pop in their bats. All are ranked tenth or lower.

O’Hoppe and Naylor especially have value where they can be taken on draft day. Of course, both have a small sample size to work with. Even so, combining his minor and major league stats, Naylor has hit 21 or more homers in each of the last two years. As for O’Hoppe, he hit 26 minor league homers in 2022. Both will play 130 or more games and easily hit 21 or more homers in 2024.

Even though he played in the most games, Alvarez is the youngest of the three. You would like him to cut his SO% and raise his BB%, but baseball is what it is these days. Certainly, you can’t argue with the 25 home runs. As has been pointed out in previous tiers editions, the Mets can’t be the Mess like they were last year. Alvarez will have more opportunities to generate runs in 2024. Ranked tenth, Alvarez clearly has plenty of fantasy upside and value.

Catcher to be Cautious of

Jonah Heim, Texas Rangers, age 28, 131 games, .258-18-95, 118 hits, 61 runs, 96K, 40BB, .317/.438/.755, 103 OPS+, .289 BAbip, .179 ISO, 19.2 SO%, 8.0 BB%, FantasyPros: 12, ESPN: 13

Comment: Like my other tier articles, I am not saying don’t draft Heim, my nomination for catcher to be cautious of on this Fantasy Baseball Catcher Tiers edition. Go into the draft with your eyes open. That’s all I am saying. His stats from last season were well over what he had accomplished his previous two years.

If he regresses some, any value that has over other catchers would vanish. The fact that he is outside the top ten would cushion any fall a bit. However, it is interesting, after the season that Heim had, that both FantasyPros and ESPN ranks him where they do. I wanted to put this out there for anyone thinking of taking Heim a little early on draft day. Bottom line: know what you are getting yourself into.

Catcher Fallers

Tyler Stephenson, Cincinnati Reds, age 27, 142 games, .243-13-56, 113 hits, 59 runs, 135K, 47BB, .317/.378/.696, 87 OPS+, .314 BAbip, .135 ISO, 26.1 SO%, 9.1 BB%, FantasyPros: 18, ESPN 20

Alejandro Kirk, Toronto Blue Jays, age 25, 123 games, .250-8-43, 93 hits, 34 runs, 45K, 42BB, .334/.358/.692, 93 OPS+, .265 BAbip, .108 ISO, 10.7 SO%, 10.0 BB%, FantasyPros: 19, ESPN 14

Comment: Last season, many in the fantasy community were looking for a breakout from Stephenson. Truly, he missed the mark in every phase. Despite playing in a career high 142 games, he didn’t deliver at the plate. The homers and RBIs were career highs as well, demonstrating his limits with the bat.

Even if waiting on a catcher until late in the draft, the value plays above are much better targets. Perhaps you find his eligibility at first as well as behind the plate intriguing. Let it pass. Stephenson won’t find much playing time there with all the extra infielders the Reds have. Leave him on the wire. He might get hot during the season. That is when to pick him up.

Finally, we come to Kirk. The catching situation in Toronto is messy to say the least. The only aspect that Kirk is above average is that he doesn’t strike out much. He doesn’t show much power (he’s hit eight homers in two of the last three seasons). His counterpart, Danny Jansen, hit 17 in just 86 games. At this point, identifying Toronto’s starter behind the plate is guess work. With that in mind, pay no attention to either Blue Jay catcher and select a better option.

The Final Word

Thank you for joining me for this Fantasy Baseball Catcher Tiers edition! Debate and discussion are always encouraged when it comes to my fantasy articles. Do you agree or disagree? Have another first baseman or two in mind? Let’s talk about it.

The Sports Stove Fantasy Baseball Show will be live every Sunday at 8 pm Eastern from here to the end of the fantasy season, at the least. Don’t miss out! In our last episode, we discussed our catchers tiers, risers and players to be cautious of.

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