Catcher Dynasty Rankings, Prospect Rankings, Buys, and Sells for Fantasy Baseball

June 27, 2024

Eric Cross provides his prospect and dynasty rankings for the catcher position and discusses players to buy or sell at the position entering the second half of the season.

The halfway mark of the 2024 season is upon us, and what a first half it's been. We've seen so many value changes happen this season, both positive and negative, that dynasty and prospect rankings look plenty different than they did just three months ago when the season started.

Fortunately, the catcher position has been one of the least crazy positions so far this season. The studs at the top have been studly, and we've had a few surprising breakouts that have given fantasy teams a boost. However, we had to endure a long layoff for Francisco Alvarez and IL stints for veterans like Willson Contreras and Sean Murphy.

Below, you'll find my Top-20 dynasty catcher rankings, Top-15 catcher prospect rankings, and tiers for each of those rankings, along with four catchers to either buy or sell in dynasty leagues right now.

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Catcher Dynasty Rankings

Tier 1: William Contreras, Adley Rutschman, Will Smith

Tier 2: Yainer Diaz, Francisco Alvarez, Samuel Basallo, Logan O'Hoppe

Tier 3: Ryan Jeffers, J.T. Realmuto, Salvador Perez, Sean Murphy, Harry Ford

Tier 4: Willson Contreras, Patrick Bailey, Ben Rice, Agustin Ramirez, Connor Wong

Tier 5: Gabriel Moreno, Luis Campusano, and others

Catcher Prospect Rankings

Tier 1: Samuel Basallo, Agustin Ramirez, Harry Ford, Ben Rice

Tier 2: Kyle Teel, Moises Ballesteros, Ethan Salas

Tier 3: Dalton Rushing, Ramon Ramirez, Alfredo Duno, Jeferson Quero, Edgar Quero

Tier 4: Thayron Liranzo, Josue Briceno, Adrian Del Castillo, and others 

Names to Buy/Sell

MLB Buy: Yainer Diaz, Houston Astros

On the surface, while it hasn't been a bad season for Yainer Diaz, he's fallen short of pre-season expectations so far. In 275 plate appearances, Diaz has slashed .271/.298/.415, but with only seven home runs after hitting 23 in 377 plate appearances last season. However, I'm actually encouraged by some of the improvements Diaz has made this season that don't show up in a box score.

Yainer Diaz is back baby!!!! Home run!!! pic.twitter.com/v9Qo1LVN2o

— Michael Schwab (@michaelschwab13) June 5, 2024

While Diaz's barrel rate has dropped from 12.2% to 6.7%, his AVG EV and hard-hit rate have actually improved this season. But even more importantly, Diaz has dropped his walk rate to 13.8% while improving his zone contact rate from 82.8% to 90% and his overall contact rate from 72.4% to 79.2%. Overall, Diaz's metrics can be considered better than last year's, and I'm banking on a bigger second half from him.

MLB Sell: Connor Wong, Boston Red Sox

As a Red Sox fan, I really hate to do this, but I'd be looking to sell Connor Wong in dynasty leagues right now if I had any shares. After putting up nine home runs and eight steals in 403 plate appearances last season, Wong has enjoyed a bit of a breakout here in 2024, slashing .330/.390/.480 with seven home runs and three steals in 223 plate appearances so far. For hitters with at least 200 plate appearances, he would rank 2nd in AVG behind Steven Kwan. I'm not expecting this to last, though.

Among qualified hitters, Wong has the biggest BA-xBA gap and the 10th biggest SLG-xSLG gap. But you don't need me to tell you that Wong's .330 AVG isn't sustainable. And even with that said, Wong could still be a serviceable fantasy backstop as a .270/15 guy. However, Kyle Teel is breathing down his neck and should take over behind the plate by this time next season at the absolute latest. What will that mean for Wong? Returning to a backup role?

Prospect Buy: Agustin Ramirez, New York Yankees

I'm usually not one to invest too heavily in catching prospects unless it's a prospect that I'm incredibly high on. Well, Agustin Ramirez is someone I'm incredibly high on. In 261 plate appearances for Double-A Somerset before his promotion to Triple-A last week, Ramirez slashed an impressive .290/.372/.570 with 14 doubles, 16 home runs, and even 13 steals just for kicks and giggles. Ramirez also displayed a solid approach at the plate, recording a 10.7% walk rate and a 16.5% strikeout rate.

AGUSTIN RAMIREZ ARE YOU KIDDING!??!?

The #Yankees No. 20 prospect scorches his Eastern League leading 16th homer of the season to put us on the board in the 3rd💪 pic.twitter.com/lrIvMDbeJ8

— Somerset Patriots (@SOMPatriots) June 15, 2024

Yes, Ramirez has only recorded one hit in his first five Triple-A games, but he'll get it going soon enough. This is a plus or better raw power bat with around-average contact skills and a decent approach at the plate. And like Ben Rice, Ramirez can also play first base which should help keep his bat in the lineup a bit more than most catchers. Ramirez's performance this season is legit (well, not the steals) and he still feels a bit undervalued to me.

Prospect Sell: Ethan Salas, San Diego Padres

In the fantasy baseball world, perceived value is king. This is especially true in the dynasty world, where prospects factor into the equation, some of which are years away from reaching the Major Leagues. And when it comes to Ethan Salas, his perceived value is still incredibly high and higher than it should be in my eyes.

"But Eric, Salas reached Double-A as a 17-year-old last season!"

Honestly, I don't care about that. Yes, age to level has importance, but context is needed. Just because Salas reached Double-A at 17 doesn't mean that it was necessarily the right move. He's back down at High-A this season and currently slashing .205/.312/.286 in 260 plate appearances with just one home run.

This is not me saying that I don't think Salas will be a good Major Leaguer, but I still see him talked about as a Top 25 fantasy prospect which is just bonkers to me. This is a potential above-average hit/power catcher down the road, but he's struggling mightily right now. With that said, he's still only 18, with a potentially bright future. I'm not out on him by any means, but he's more of a back-end Top 100 overall prospect for me that might be outside my Top 100 once the 2024 draft class gets added in July.

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