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As we enter the 2024 season, we're firmly in the middle of a revolution at the catcher position. We're already see the likes of Adley Rutschman and Will Smith rise to elite ranks at this position previously, and others like Yainer Diaz and Gabriel Moreno rose to top 10 status in 2023.
Guess what? This revolution isn't going to stop any time soon either as we have plenty of intriguing catcher prospects below and many are probably going to debut in 2024 or 2025.
For my entire Top 50 and additional writeups, check out my Patreon. And make sure to continue checking RotoBaller as I'm going to be going through all positions in the coming weeks!
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Catcher Prospect Rankings for Fantasy Baseball
You can also see our 2024 redraft fantasy baseball prospects rankings for all positions. Age and highest level in parentheses.
1. Samuel Basallo, BAL (19/AA)
You can make a strong case that Basallo has the best blend of hit and power in the minors for catching prospects and we saw that in 2023 when he slashed .313/.402/.551 with 26 doubles, 20 home runs, and 12 steals. He also demonstrated a strong plate approach, walking 12.6% of the time while keeping his strikeout rate under 20% at 19.5%. All of this happened as an 18 year old that didn't turn 19 until mid-August.
While he might move to first base long-term, Basallo has a potential high-impact bat capable of .260+/25+ over a full season while adding a handful of steals as well. He's a no-doubt top 25 overall fantasy prospect in my eyes and one you likely won't have to shell out a top 25 price tag to acquire in dynasty leagues.
2. Harry Ford, SEA (20/A+)
It feels like Ford has become a bit underrated at this point as he hasn't put up gaudy offensive numbers. Over the last two years, Ford has posted back to back seasons with at least 20 doubles, double-digit home runs, 20 steals, and a 17% walk rate. Ford's solid contact skills and elite walk rate have helped him post an OBP north of .400 in all three seasons so far.
Even without the sexy offensive numbers, Ford's elite on-base skills and ability to add speed along with some power projection makes him one of the top catcher prospects for fantasy purposes. He's a no-doubt top-3 catching prospect as it stands now, and if he does add more power, watch out.
3. Ethan Salas, SDP (17/AA)
Let's pump the breaks here. There's little question that Ethan Salas has a bright future, but he's become one of the biggest sell-high candidates in dynasty leagues right now. The potential is there for an above-average hit/power blend, but Salas is still very raw overall and people are treating him as a top-25 overall prospect right now for fantasy purposes. That's simply way too high.
Would he be considered a Top 25 fantasy prospect if the Padres had kept him in Lo-A instead of pushing him to Double-A as a 17 year old? That aggressive assignment seems to be driving the hype here to some degree. Again, Salas does have all-star upside, but given how ridiculous the hype is right now, it's worth at least entertaining offers in your dynasty leagues to see what offers you get.
4. Ben Rice, NYY (24/AA)
If you were fortunate enough to roster Ben Rice before 2023, then you should definitely give yourself a pat on the back. After being relatively off the fantasy radar entering the season, Rice flew up rankings in 2023 after his dominant .324/.434/.615 slash line in 73 games with 20 home runs and 11 steals. Later in the season, I was able to see him a few times live and he was arguably the best hitter in the Double-A Eastern League for several weeks after his promotion to the level.
The performance wasn't entirely fluky either as Rice possesses average to above-average contact skills and above average power to pair with a solid approach at the plate. Like with Basallo, first base is a possibility down the road for Rice, but he should remain catcher eligible for now and his offensive upside makes him very intriguing for fantasy purposes.
5. Austin Wells, NYY (24/MLB)
The shine seems to have dulled a bit here, but Wells is still an intriguing player for fantasy purposes as a lefty with decent power in Yankee Stadium. In his 75 PA with the Yankees down the stretch, Wells recorded a 14% barrel rate and 42.1% hard-hit rate with a 13.6° launch angle. This after hitting 24 doubles and 17 home runs in 96 minor league games before his promotion and averaging 27 home runs per 650 plate appearances during his minor league career.
If given 500+ PA, Wells could easily go .250/20 with some steals added in as well. He's a nice buy-low target in dynasty leagues right now.
6. Dalton Rushing, LAD (22/A+)
While his 2023 performance was a step back from his massive 2022 debut, Rushing still posted a .403 OBP in 89 games with 18 doubles and 15 home runs. And if a player posting a .404 OBP and .224 ISO is a "down year" or a "step back" that speaks volumes to the talent level and long-term projection.
Rushing is a potential 25-homer backstop and plays up exponentially in OBP formats given his massive 18.9% walk rate. If you're able to acquire him at a discount in your dynasty leagues due to the AVG dipping in 2023, I'd highly recommend capitalizing on that. There's a better chance that his value and price tag go up than down in 2024.
7. Tyler Soderstrom, OAK (22/MLB)
Soderstrom was a strong sell candidate for me last offseason and one I've always been lower on than most. However, his inclusion here in my top-10 still signals that I believe that he can be a serviceable bat for fantasy with plenty of power upside.
I've always questioned if the AVG was going to be more than .230 or so though, and obviously, the pitcher-friendly park and subpar lineup around Soderstrom limits his upside a bit. But as long as he can keep the AVG in the .230-.250 range while adding around 25 home runs, there's still value to be had here. He'll have to improve on his 68.2% contact rate and 15.8% SwStr rate though.
8. Moises Ballesteros, CHC (20/AA)
Ballesteros is an interesting prospect right now and a hard one for me to rank. The bat is intriguing with more power upside to unlock moving forward, but one must question how the frame will hold up moving forward. Hopefully, he can retain catcher eligibility moving forward, because Ballesteros brings plenty of offensive upside. In 117 games across three levels last season, Ballesteros slashed .285/.375/.446 with 27 doubles, 14 home runs and a 63/78 BB/K ratio.
9. Jeferson Quero, MIL (21/AA)
After a productive 2022 season in Single-A and some time in the Arizona Fall League, Quero spent the entire 2023 season in Double-A Biloxi, slashing .262/.339/.441 with 16 home runs in 90 games. While he doesn't stand out anywhere offensively, Quero has shown around average contact skills and power, and his elite defensive abilities will keep him behind the plate for a long time. You could argue that he has the highest floor of anyone in this top 10.
10. Ramon Ramirez, KCR (18/DSL)
Out of all the big DSL breakouts in 2023, Ramon Ramirez's performance didn't receive as much buzz as it should have after he slashed .344/.440/.615 with nine doubles and eight home runs in 150 plate appearances. On top of that, Ramirez had more walks (21) than strikeouts (18). You have to love what we saw from Ramirez in 2023, but how many times have we seen a hitter like this excel one year in the DSL and then fizzle out after that in higher levels? I'm not saying that's going to happen here, but it's just something to keep in mind.
If he impresses in 2024 when he comes stateside, Ramirez will be a universal top-100 prospect and top-5 catching prospect.
If you enjoyed these rankings and want to see additional rankings, analysis, and more, check out Eric's Toolshed Fantasy Patreon.
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