Following four 5th-place American League East finishes from 2017 to 2021, the Baltimore Orioles have had a top prospect since the 2022 season. In 2024, one of those players leads the top 10 catchers list.
26-year-old Adley Rutschman is the best catcher in baseball. The former Oregon State No. 1 pick is one of a few reasons the Baltimore Orioles went from posting 52 wins in 2021, to having the best record in the American League in 2023. Rutschman burst onto the scene in 2022, placing second in the AL Rookie of the Year voting behind Julio Rodriguez by hitting 35 doubles and torching 13 home runs in 113 games. Rutschman’s play earned him 12th in MVP voting in only his age-24 season. His defensive prowess was in full effect his rookie season, as he accumulated 18 FanGraphs Defensive Runs Saved — seventh-highest in baseball and second among all catchers.
While some of his defensive metrics dipped in 2023, his offensive numbers continued to rise. Rutschman earned his first-career All-Star appearance and Silver Slugger Award last season, when he hit 20 home runs and nearly walked as much as he struck out.
The Orioles will try to replicate last season’s success, and the third-year Rutschman is ultra-impactful.
2. Will Smith
Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith is No. 2 on baseball’s top 10 catchers. The soon-to-be 29-year-old is arguably the best offensive catcher in the league today. Smith’s first two seasons, albeit only 91 games between the 2019 and 2020 seasons, showcased Smith’s ability to crush the ball. He posted a .574 slugging percentage during that span, while hitting 23 home runs and 18 doubles. He earned his first-career All-Star appearance in 2023 after posting 4.1 Baseball Reference Wins Above Replacement and 19 home runs in 126 games. The Dodgers offense only got better for the 2024 season after adding Shohei Ohtani, and Smith will likely benefit from his bat in the lineup.
3. Cal Raleigh
Overall, Cal Raleigh is the position’s top pounder of the baseball. Since 2022, he has torched 57 home runs, which is by far the most in the position since that mark. In addition to those numbers, Raleigh has totaled 43 doubles in the past two seasons, too. Raleigh has improved his batting average by at least 20 points in season two and three, but his .232 mark is still a question mark. Much of his offensive downfall comes with the strikeout. Raleigh struck out 158 times in 2023 — nearly three times as many walks. If he can limit strikeouts and continue to crush 25+ home runs a season, Raleigh will continue to rise on the list for the Seattle Mariners.
The younger of the two Contreras brothers, William Contreras continues to rise on baseball’s top 10 catchers list. Contreras played well in his first season with the Milwaukee Brewers, following a three-team offseason trade with the Atlanta Braves and Oakland Athletics. In 2023, Contreras hit 17 home runs and drove in 78 runs, which earned him his first Silver Slugger Award. His play earned him 11th in NL MVP voting — the highest finish for all catchers last season. In a trade that saw multiple top-end catchers traded, the Brewers have gotten the better end of the stick.
J.T. Realmuto’s five-season run as baseball’s best catcher is over, but he’s still a top-five player at the position. From 2018-22, Realmuto earned three All-Stars and Silver Slugger Awards, while winning two Gold Glove Awards. This run contains two top-15 MVP finishes, including seventh in 2022 — a season when he won the Gold Glove and Silver Slugger Awards. In 2023, Realmuto took a step back, but it’s unsurprising. He’s entering his age-33 season, and 2024 will be his 11th season behind the dish in MLB. If he can continue to provide above-average offensive production in 2024, Philadelphia will be in a strong spot to make its third straight postseason appearance.
6. Sean Murphy
The other top-end catcher moved in last offseason’s three-team trade, the Atlanta Braves’ Sean Murphy is No. 6 on the top 10 catchers list. Murphy earned his first All-Star appearance in 2023, following a 21 home run, 21 double season for Atlanta. Additionally, Murphy is a strong defender behind the plate. He won the AL Gold Glove Award with the Athletics after a 10 DRS season. In a loaded lineup like Atlanta, Murphy provides above-average production from both sides of the ball.
7. Jonah Heim
2023 World Series champion Jonah Heim comes in at No. 7 on top 10 catchers list for 2024. Heim earned his first All-Star appearance and Gold Glove in 2023. He posted six DRS in 2023 and was an excellent backstop for the Texas Rangers. Heim also blasted 18 home runs and 95 RBI in 2023 — the most among all catchers in baseball. He slots in the middle-bottom of the Rangers’ order, which should benefit his RBI numbers for 2024.
22-year-old New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez has only appeared in 128 games in his two-year career, but he has quickly emerged as a power-hitting force. Alvarez torched 25 home runs in only 123 games during his rookie season. There were some concerning trends in his first full season in the big leagues, including a .209 batting average and reaching base in only 28 % of his at-bats. He struck out (110) over three times as many times as he walked (34), too. Still, Alvarez will only be 22 when the Mets open their season against the Brewers on March. 28.
2023 Gold Glove-winning catcher Gabriel Moreno rises into this year’s top 10 rankings. Moreno was stellar behind the plate for the Diamondbacks, posting 20 DRS — first among all catchers and fourth in baseball. He was also around league-average offensively, including a promising .284 batting average. Moreno provided stellar production during Arizona’s miraculous run to the World Series. Moreno became only the fourth catcher to hit four home runs in a single postseason, and he’s the youngest to do so.
Lastly, St. Louis Cardinals’ Willson Contreras concludes the top 10 catchers list. The three-time NL All-Star struggled to begin his career in St. Louis, only slashing a .639 OPS through his first 63 games. However, a gear turned halfway through the season. From June 13 to the end of the season, Contreras pounded 13 home runs, batted over .300 and an OPS over 1.000. Still, similar to his previous seven seasons with the division rival Cubs, Contreras struggled defensively. It’s a stark difference from Yadier Molina, who totaled nine Gold Gloves for St. Louis during his 19-year career.
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