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Eric's top 10 catcher prospects for fantasy baseball and how they project long-term along with some names to buy or sell at this position in dynasty leagues.
When it comes to the positions on a baseball diamond, the catcher position usually gets the least amount of love. It's understandable as catchers usually don't put up big fantasy numbers and rarely play more than 140 games in a season.
At the same time, the catcher position has been on the rise over the last few years, and it appears that trend will continue given the talent rising through the minor leagues currently. Of the 10 catchers below, seven are currently in my Top 100 overall and all 10 are in my Top 150 overall.
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Catcher Prospect Rankings for Fantasy Baseball
Age and highest level in parenthesis
1. Samuel Basallo, BAL (20.4/AAA)
While I'm still uncertain if he'll retain catcher eligibility long-term, Samuel Basallo is going to be an offense force regardless of position and certainly has enough thump with the lumber to be an impact fantasy first baseman as well. In 532 plate appearances between Double-A and Triple-A, Basallo slashed .278/.341/.449 with 25 doubles, 19 home runs, and even 10 steals for good measure.
His name is Samuel Basallo. 💣 pic.twitter.com/meia76UTtJ
— Chesapeake Baysox (@BaysoxOfficial) July 26, 2024
Basallo is an above-average hitter with a solid approach at the plate and plus or better raw power. He's a lefty hitter too, so he won't be impacted as much by the deeper left-field dimensions at Camden Yards. A realistic outcome, and one I'm hoping for, is Basallo primarily playing first base while also backing up Adley Rutschman enough to retain catcher eligibility across all platforms.
The long-term upside is a hitter capable of an average in the .270-.280 range and more than 20 home runs annually.
2. Dalton Rushing, LAD (23.9/AAA)
As was the case with Basallo above, there's no guarantee that Dalton Rushing will retain catcher eligibility long-term. The Dodgers started giving him starts in the outfield late in 2024, but he was still receiving starts behind the plate as well. A situation similar to the one I mentioned above would be ideal for Rushing with him playing primarily out from behind the plate.
Rushing was able to make that transition to the outfield without disrupting his offensive impact at the plate, slashing .283/.400/.588 in 50 games after his first start in left field. Overall, Rushing slashed .271/.385/.512 with 21 doubles, 26 home runs, and a 12.7% walk rate in 114 games this past season.
In his Triple-A tenure, Rushing posted a 76.3% contact rate, 90.8 mph AVG EV, 40.6% hard-hit rate, and a 10.4% barrel rate.
Rushing projects to hit for a decent AVG, post a high OBP, and has the power to exceed 25 home runs annually. If this comes with catcher eligibility, great! If not, he would still be an above-average offensive corner outfielder. However, with the signing of Michael Conforto and resigning of Teoscar Hernandez, Smith's 2025 playing time situation isn't exactly clear at the moment.
3. Agustin Ramirez, MIA (23.3/AAA)
After beginning his breakout in 2023, Agustin Ramirez fully broke out in 2024. In 126 games between the Yankees and Marlins organizations, Ramirez racked up 25 home runs, 22 steals, and a .267/.358/.487 slash line. Most of that damage was in Double-A, but Ramirez was still showcasing above-average power in Triple-A with a 42% hard-hit rate while posting a 76% contact rate.
When you factor in the contact skills and approach, I'd project Ramirez to be an average to above-average contributor in the AVG and OBP departments with 25-homer potential as well. And hey, maybe we get close to double-digit steals along the way. The upside here is a Top 10 catcher for fantasy purposes and we should see Ramirez log plenty of at-bats with Miami in 2025.
4. Moises Ballesteros, CHC (21.1/AAA)
As a 20-year-old, Moises Ballesteros reached Triple-A for the final few months of the season and slashed .281/.340/.454 at the level and .289/.354/.471 overall in 124 games with 24 doubles and 19 home runs. With Triple-A Iowa, Ballesteros registered a 74.6% contact rate, 88.7 mph AVG EV, 37.8% hard-hit rate, and a 9%-barrel rate.
I'm not quite as high as most on him, but Ballesteros is advanced for his age and has the upside of an above-average hit/power backstop. We should see him in Chicago at some point during the 2025 season as well, likely in the first few months.
Moises Ballesteros singles to center.#YouHaveToSeeIt pic.twitter.com/ceWfphWRUZ
— Eric Cross (@EricCrossMLB) October 31, 2024
5. Drake Baldwin, ATL (23.8/AAA)
The award for the most underrated catching prospect in the game has to go to Drake Baldwin. Was the 2024 line sexy? No. Is the profile flashy? Also no. But Baldwin is an above-average hitter with above-average power and is coming off a solid 2024 where he slashed .276/.370/.423 with 19 doubles and 16 home runs in 124 games between Double-A and Triple-A.
In Triple-A, Baldwin posted a 78.1% contact rate, 92.8 mph AVG EV, 53.1% hard-hit rate, and a 10.6%-barrel rate. He's one of the biggest dynasty buys around right now, and not just at the catcher position.
6. Kyle Teel, CHW (22,9/AAA)
The future behind the plate for the White Sox looks bright with Kyle Teel now in the system following the Garrett Crochet trade. Teel had an impressive season in Double-A for the Red Sox, slashing .299/.390/.462 with 20 doubles and 11 home runs in 84 games before his promotion to Triple-A. And while the numbers weren't quite as impressive in Triple-A, Teel still but up a .374 OBP in 28 games.
You could make an argument that Teel has a lower offensive ceiling than most top 10 catching prospects, but he also has one of the highest floors. Teel is a stone-cold lock to remain behind the plate for a very long time given his defensive prowess and could wind up as a .260+/15+ type at the plate with a good OBP to go along with it. We should see Teel up with the Whtie Sox during the first half of the 2025 season.
7. Harry Ford, SEA (21.9/AA)
I'm still high on him, but Harry Ford has become increasingly difficult to rank. In 2022 and 2023, Ford got on base at a clip north of .400 with over 20 doubles, 10 home runs, and 20 steals in each season as well. The last piece of the puzzle that we were waiting on was more power which he had hinted at in various parts of his professional career, including in the 2023 Arizona Fall League where Ford hit three home runs in seven games.
However, Ford took a step back in 2024, slashing .249/.377/.367 with only seven home runs in 116 games. He still had 26 doubles, 35 steals, and a 14.1% walk rate, so it wasn't all bad, but this certainly was disappointing for Ford truthers such as me.
One thing to keep in mind though is that Arkansas is one of the most pitcher-friendly ballparks in all of baseball, so I'm taking Ford's power output with a grain of salt. The long-term power questions still remain, but I'd look to buy low on Ford this offseason.
8. Eduardo Tait, PHI (18.4/A)
While playing the entire season at age 17 at the Complex Level and Lo-A, Eduardo Tait more than held his own. In 79 games, Tait swatted 18 doubles and 11 home runs with a .302/.356/.486 slash line. While he can be a bit aggressive, Tait doesn't strike out much and is already showing above-average or better raw power including a 43.8% hard-hit rate in Lo-A.
This is definitely a name on the rise to target. We could be looking at a Top-3 catcher prospect by the end of 2025.
9. Edgar Quero, CHW (21.8/AAA)
It seems like every season we see a different version of Edgar Quero. After breaking out in 2022, Quero's power vanished in 2023, but he still posted a .380 OBP with nearly as many walks (72) as strikeouts (76). But that decrease in power really did a number on his perceived value and Quero slid down many prospect rankings, including mine.
Fast forward to 2024 and Quero cranked 16 home runs in 98 games with a .280/.366/.463 slash line, but the walk rate dropped as he became more aggressive. There's no doubting that Quero is a talented catcher, I'm just not entirely sure what the profile is going to settle on when the dust clears. Personally, I like the more aggressive Quero.
10. Ethan Salas, SDP (18.6/AA)
Honestly, I almost bumped Ethan Salas out of this Top 10. At this time last year, I was screaming to sell high on Salas as his perceived value rose way too high for fantasy purposes. If you didn't cash out last offseason, you missed your chance as Salas is coming off a rough season at the plate where he slashed .206/.288/.311 with four home runs in 111 games.
Ethan Salas just missed this one. F9 to the track.#LetsGoPadres pic.twitter.com/bPdie4ZjzM
— Eric Cross (@EricCrossMLB) November 2, 2024
I've never once said he's not a talented young player or that he wouldn't play in the Majors one day, but he's not a Top 100 prospect for fantasy. I'm not even sure he's a Top 150 option right now. If the price tag has sunk to near Top 200 levels, I'd be fine buying low. But that's probably not going to be the case in many leagues.
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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