Eric Cross' Top 10 Catcher (C) Dynasty Fantasy Baseball Rankings for 2025

Eric Cross' top catcher (C) dynasty fantasy baseball rankings heading into 2025. He discusses his top catcher targets for fantasy baseball dynasty leagues.

After going through all of my positional prospect rankings last month here on RotoBaller, it's time we shift to the dynasty side with my top-10 positional dynasty rankings entering 2025.

As always, we begin the dynasty fantasy baseball rankings series with the catcher position, which is actually in a good spot right now. Many of the top options at this position are under 30 years old and we have a good crop of exciting prospects on the way in the next year or two as well.

For my additional dynasty fantasy baseball rankings and write-ups, check out my Patreon, where you can find my full Top 60 dynasty catcher rankings. 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 Dynasty Rankings for Fantasy Baseball

1. William Contreras, MIL (Age 26)

There's a new sheriff in Catcher Town, and his name is William Contreras. After what Contreras has done for the last three seasons, he's the only player who deserves to be ranked as the top dog in this position.

William Contreras with an opposite-field blast for his 21st HR of the season. 💥 pic.twitter.com/y4hgs8lUpb

— MLB (@MLB) September 7, 2024

In 2024, Contreras posted career-best marks in runs, home runs, and RBI while continuing to record elite QoC metrics with a 10% barrel rate, 92.8 mph AVG EV, and a 49.5% hard-hit rate. Contreras has posted a walk rate better than the league average for four straight seasons and a strikeout rate better than the league average for the last two seasons as well.

No other catcher has the same level of ceiling and floor as Contreras possesses. He should be the unquestioned C1 at this point and could hold that spot for the next several seasons.

2. Yainer Diaz, HOU (Age 26)

While he didn't hit as many home runs in 2024 as he did in 2023, it was still a second good season in a row from Yainer Diaz. In 619 plate appearances, Diaz slashed .299/.325/.441 with 70 runs, 16 home runs, and 84 RBI.

The drop in home runs is largely due to a lower barrel rate and higher groundball rate. Diaz actually increased his hard-hit rate from 43.9% to 47.5% but saw his barrel rate drop from 12.2% to 7.6% and his groundball rate rise from 44.3% to 51.2%. Diaz also increased his zone and overall contact rates by 3.6%.

If Diaz can get back to 2023 levels with his barrel and groundball rates, he could be in store for his best season yet in 2025. At this point, Diaz has cemented himself as a Tier-1 backstop in dynasty leagues.

3. Adley Rutschman, BAL (Age 27)

While he certainly hasn't been bad, it's fair to say Rutschman has underwhelmed when compared to expectations. That was especially true in 2024 when the former No. 1 overall pick slashed just .250/.318/.391 and saw his OPS drop a full 100 points from the previous season.

It was actually really only a bad second half as Rutschman slashed .275/.339/.441 before the all-star break and .207/.282/.303 with just three home runs in 234 plate appearances after the all-star break.

Part of me wonders if Rutschman wore down a bit late in 2024, as he's caught more games than any other catcher over the last two seasons.

Rutschman still showed a high-level blend of contact and approach with a 9.1% walk rate, 16.1% strikeout rate, 88% zone contact rate, and an 83% overall contact rate. However, Rutschman's bat speed was just in the 13th percentile last season, and his middle-of-the-road power dipped a bit.

I'm fully expecting the average to rebound in 2025, and Rutschman is still a Tier-1 catcher for fantasy. He's just not the head honcho anymore. It also wouldn't surprise me to see Baltimore scale his workload back slightly in 2025.

4. Will Smith, LAD (Age 29)

For some reason, the perceived value of Will Smith seems to have dipped to some degree over the last 12 months or so. Sure, Smith did have the lowest AVG, OBP, and SLG of his career, but the Fresh Prince smacked 20 home runs for his 4th straight season with at least 19 dingers. There are no glaring red flags in Smith's profile either.

Smith posted a 10.8% barrel rate, 89.4 mph AVG EV, and 42% hard-hit rate, which was all in line with his career marks, and he continued to record better than league average marks in the zone contact, overall contact, chase, walk, and strikeout rate departments. At age 29, there's no reason to think he won't continue to be a Top-5 option for the next few seasons while hitting in the middle of the Dodgers loaded lineup.

5. Cal Raleigh, SEA (Age 28)

It's time to throw some respect on Cal Raleigh's name. And yes, I'm talking to myself with that statement as well, as I'm guilty of under-ranking "Big Dumper" in the past. But not anymore. Over the last three seasons, Raleigh's 91 home runs led all catchers by a sizeable margin, and he's been over 30 in each of the last two seasons.

For the 3rd time in his career ... and 2nd time in his last 3 games

Cal Raleigh has homered from both sides of the plate 🤯 pic.twitter.com/eAB54ADBlt

— MLB (@MLB) July 12, 2024

In 2024, Raleigh smacked a career-high 34 home runs with 73 runs, 100 RBI, six steals, and a .220/.312/.436 slash line. Overall, Raleigh ranked first in home runs, second in RBI, third in runs scored, and second in ISO last season for catchers.

Yes, the AVG will likely always be on the lower end, but Raleigh makes up for it in the home run and RBI departments. At this point, he's firmly in the second tier of catchers moving forward in dynasty leagues.

6. Samuel Basallo, BAL (Age 20)

The top catching prospect in the game cracks the Top-6 here due to his blend of offensive upside and proximity to the Majors. In 532 plate appearances last season between Double-A Bowie and Triple-A Norfolk, Samuel Basallo racked up 25 doubles, 19 home runs, 10 steals, and a .278/.341/.449 slash line.

Basallo is easily a plus power bat and recorded a 48.1% hard-hit rate and 91.3 mph AVG EV in Triple-A last season. However, the contact rate dipped from 73% in Double-A to 65% in Triple-A, which is a slight concern moving forward.

But in the long term, Basallo has the upside to be a .260/25 type of bat while also adding a handful of steals annually. He might have to move over to first base, but this should be an impact bat regardless of position.

7. Logan O'Hoppe, LAA (Age 24)

A terrible August really put a damper on Logan O'Hoppe's numbers last season but he was able to rebound a bit in September. Overall, O'Hoppe slashed .244/.303/.409 with 20 home runs, 56 RBI, and 64 runs scored in 522 plate appearances.

Over the last two seasons, O'Hoppe ranks ninth in SLG, eighth in ISO, fourth in HR/FB rate, third in hard-hit rate, and fourth in barrel rate among the 23 catchers with at least 700 plate appearances.

While he hasn't shown as good of an approach or had the same contact skills as he did in the minors, O'Hoppe has turned into one of the better power bats at this catcher position, and an increase to the mid-20s for home runs shouldn't surprise anyone.

But until he improves on his 77% zone contact rate, 66.4% overall contact rate, and 29.7% strikeout rate, O'Hoppe's average will likely remain on the lower side and limit him to being in the back half of this top 10.

8. Francisco Alvarez, NYM (Age 23)

At this point, Francisco Alvarez has become difficult to rank. I had my doubts about his ability to hit for average and thought he was becoming a bit overrated around the time he debuted, but even I didn't expect his AVG to be this bad through his first two seasons. After hitting .209 in 2023, Alvarez was a bit better in 2024 with a .237 AVG, but his home run total dropped from 25 to 11.

FRANCISCO ALVAREZ LAUNCHES A WALK-OFF HOME RUN!!!!!!!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/HzYW69WNSp

— SNY (@SNYtv) August 20, 2024

While his contact rates are below average, they're not terrible at 79.4% in zone and 70.4% overall. However, Alvarez's quality of contact metrics regressed in 2o024 and his groundball rate rose to over 50%. I'm very much doubting we ever see him be more than a back-end Top-10 catcher for fantasy.

With that said, I do have him as more of a buy than a sell right now, as I still believe there's more upside than what he's shown, and he finished the season strong in 2024, slashing .254/.357/.542 with five home runs in 70 September plate appearances.

9. Austin Wells, NYY (Age 25)

In Austin Wells' six months during the season, he was good in two, okay in one, and downright unstartable in three. One of those three months was, unfortunately, September, when he slashed .111/.217/.194. Overall, Wells finished with a .229/.322/.395 slash line and 13 home runs in 414 plate appearances. However, there's plenty of intrigue in Wells' profile.

When you pop the hood on Wells' profile, you'll find above-average quality of contact and approach metrics. Wells had a 9.1% barrel rate and 39% hard-hit rate, along with an 11.4% barrel rate and 21% strikeout rate last season. All four of those marks are better than the league average, and Wells was also just a tick below the league average in zone and overall contact.

While I don't envision Wells ever jumping up into the top five at this position, the skills are here to stick as a back-end Top-10 option moving forward.

10. J.T. Realmuto, PHI (Age 33)

Don't write off good ol' JTR just yet, folks. Realmuto is coming off his worst season since 2016 and only stole two bags on four attempts during a year where everyone seemed to be running more. It didn't help that Realmuto was limited to only 99 games due to knee issues either.

Was this the beginning of the decline for JTR? Probably, but I don't think it's going to be a steep decline yet. Many of Realmuto's quality of contact and expected metrics were still in the top 30% range of hitters, so it's not like he can't still provide solid offensive value for a contending dynasty team in the short term. But alas, his ranking will likely continue to go down from here.

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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