The Top 10 Catchers for 2025

Bailey is a guy I had to include on the list, because he is the best defensive catcher in the game, far and away. Framing, blocking, and throwing out runners, no one is better than Bailey. Now, his offense obviously has it's holes, he is a relatively big swing and miss guy with not much of an on base approach. He however does have excellent barrel rates, and I think he is still absolutely young enough to make small tweaks to his approach to maximize his power, and become a top 5 catcher in baseball.

Stephenson is a guy I am willing to take a chance on. His biggest issue is staying on the field. 2024 was his fullest season yet, and he posted relatively good numbers for the catcher position. The under the hood numbers are average, and the defense is average, but he is finding ways to produce. I think if he can get another fully healthy year in in 2025, then it is only natural for something to improve, given his age and tools. Most teams would take a 112 OPS+ out of the catcher position in a heartbeat, and with the Reds lineup expected to make some adjustments, he could see himself being the cleanup man.

This one might need some explaining. It is easy to look at the OPS+, call him top 5, and call it a day with Will Smith. However, his advanced metrics are slightly declining over the past 3 seasons, and he is maybe the worst framer in the league. He is excellent at throwing out runners, and you can count on hom for a healthy amount of RBI's, but don't let the Dodgers uniform fool you. He's good, but the flaws in his game have grown rather more noticeable in the past few seasons.

Diaz is one of the more fascinating young catchers in the sport. On one hand, it is easy to love everything he is doing. The power numbers are phenomenal from a 25 year old backstop, and the exit velo's are terrific. On top of that, he is a great blocker, and average at throwing out runners.

If you can't tell by now, framing is important, and Diaz was in the 4th percentile of framing runs in 2024. It's not great, nor is his patience in the box. Don't discredit the man's 2024 season, but his whiff rate and walk rate are very high. Now it's not alarming to me, considering he is 25, and has plenty of time to pick his pitches, and I still think a top 5 catcher is in here somewhere, but not just yet.

Take what I said about Diaz, and almost the exact opposite applies to Wells in terms of skill set. Wells is one of if not the best framer in baseball, and a great blocker. He is easily the favorite in my eyes to win a gold glove in 2025 in the AL. Wells also has a very good plate approach for a 24 year old, and has a good walk rate at 11.4%. His power is yet to translate to the big leagues, which is both a little concerning but also fine, but that is something that the Yankees will want to see a little more out of him with Soto out of the lineup. Regardless, a great defensive catcher with a great approach and is young, is going to spot you high on the list.

Moreno is one of, if not has a case to be the best all-around catcher in the league. The issue? He isn't really elite at anything, other than his terrific plate approach. And that's not a diss towards Moreno, he is above average at everything, power, contact, defense, you name it. He has a case to get his second gold glove before turning 26 years old, all while being one of the most consistent bats the D-Backs are going to have in their lineup.

No you're not seeing this wrong, and yes it is actually 2025, and Salvy is in the top 5 catchers. I don't believe it, but the numbers truly speak for themselves. His barrel rates and slugging capability has sky-rocketed in his mid-30's, but why? He hits a lot of flyballs, and he hits them very, very hard. There are obvious downsides to his game, as Salvy has never been the guy to post a ridiculous on base percentage, or have any speed whatsoever. But to me, the bat is simply that good, that he is going to provide offensive output for as long as he has strength. It truly is a fascinating case of this little late career resurgence for the Royals backstop.

Take what I said about Salvy, and make him 8 years younger, and you have Cal Raleigh. Not only does Raleigh have the most power potential out of any backstop in the league, he is an elite framer and has terrific defense. Sure there may be some concerns with his plate approach, a lot of strikeouts and a lot of whiffing, but when he connects, he connects, posting one of the leagues best barrel rates regardless of position. Doing this all while having a relatively weak lineup around him in a pitcher friendly park is nothing short of extraordinary.

I can't believe I'm saying this, but there is a chance Adley is playing for his job this season. Look, i'm a huge Adley guy, and I do think the discourse around him is a little too harsh. I think it's easy for fans to connect him as the face of the Orioles, and when the Orioles are dissapointing, they find him disappointing. His numbers, as far as other catchers are concerned, are still absolutely top 10, but everyone knows he has the upside to be THE best. I think he is a better defender than our one spot, but the bat was dissapointing this season. When I say he's playing for his job, I mean with the Orioles. They have the best catching prospect in the sport coming up potentially in 2025 or 2026, and the Orioles don't typically pay their players all that often. Insane as it might sound, but if this season is a stinker from Rutschman (which it won't be), he could lose out the starting job in Baltimore and find himself with a different team.

It's Contreras. You knew it was before clicking on this. Just absurd offensive numbers with an average glove. I don't need to explain this one, he quite literally has everything required to be the number 1 spot.