Ranking the Top 25 Catchers of the 2023 Season
It's time to put a bow on the 2023 MLB season with Bleacher Report's final positional rankings.
Throughout the year, we released monthly updates to our position-by-position player rankings, selecting the top 10 players at each spot. Now it's time to finalize those rankings while expanding the list to the 25 best at each position.
Just like the regular-season rankings, past production and future expectations played no part in deciding the order—this is simply a rundown of the best and brightest of 2023.
To qualify for inclusion, a player simply had to have at least 200 plate appearances. Each player was only included at the position where he played the most innings. That notably excluded Mitch Garver (more games at DH), Logan O'Hoppe (199 PA), Luis Campusano (174 PA) and Tom Murphy (159 PA).
Now let's dive into the top 25 backstops of the 2023 season.
Catch up on the Top 25 in 2023 series: First basemen
Nos. 25-21
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25. Connor Wong, Boston Red Sox
Stats: 126 G, 80 OPS+, .235/.288/.385, 36 XBH (9 HR), 36 RBI, 2.2 WAR
With just 33 big league games under his belt heading into the 2023 season, Wong emerged as a productive starting catcher for the Red Sox while splitting time with Reese McGuire. The athleticism that allowed him to also play some second base served him well defensively behind the dish.
24. Freddy Fermin, Kansas City Royals
Stats: 70 G, 112 OPS+, .281/.321/.461, 20 XBH (9 HR), 32 RBI, 1.7 WAR
Signed out of Venezuela back in 2015, Fermin finally broke through as a 28-year-old rookie and posted strong offensive numbers while making 54 starts behind the dish to help keep veteran Salvador Perez fresh. He also threw out 31 percent of base stealers and graded out as a below-average framer.
23. Elias Díaz, Colorado Rockies
Stats: 141 G, 86 OPS+, .267/.316/.409, 40 XBH (14 HR), 72 RBI, 1.4 WAR
Díaz hit .277/.328/.435 with nine home runs and 45 RBI during the first half of the season to earn an All-Star selection, and he ended up winning All-Star Game MVP honors with a game-winning two-run home run off Baltimore Orioles closer Félix Bautista. His production fell off after the break, and he logged a .674 OPS during the second half.
22. Yan Gomes, Chicago Cubs
Stats: 116 G, 93 OPS+, .267/.315/.408, 32 XBH (10 HR), 63 RBI, 1.7 WAR
The Cubs exercised a $6 million club option on Gomes earlier this week following his best offensive season in years. The 36-year-old was a Silver Slugger winner in 2014 and an All-Star in 2018, and he proved he still has something left in the tank while serving as the primary backstop for a contending team.
21. Gary Sánchez, San Diego Padres
Stats: 75 G, 113 OPS+, .217/.288/.492, 28 XBH (19 HR), 47 RBI, 2.4 WAR
After brief stints with the San Francisco Giants and New York Mets, Sánchez was claimed off waivers by the Padres on May 29, and he again showed the elite power that once made him a rising star with the New York Yankees. The 30-year-old should have a much easier time finding a new contract in free agency this time around.
Nos. 20-16
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20. Salvador Perez, Kansas City Royals
Stats: 140 G, 94 OPS+, .255/.292/.422, 44 XBH (23 HR), 80 RBI, 0.5 WAR
An All-Star for the eighth time in 2023 while posting the seventh 20-homer season of his career, Perez is no longer the Gold Glove defender he was in his prime, but he remains one of the best power hitters at the position. His 246 career home runs rank 13th all-time among primary catchers.
19. Keibert Ruiz, Washington Nationals
Stats: 136 G, 97 OPS+, .260/.308/.409, 42 XBH (18 HR), 67 RBI, 1.3 WAR
Acquired as part of the Max Scherzer/Trea Turner blockbuster deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Ruiz now looks like a core piece for the rebuilding Nationals after signing an eight-year, $50 million extension last spring. The 25-year-old hit .300/.342/.467 in 257 plate appearances after the All-Star break.
18. Shea Langeliers, Oakland Athletics
Stats: 135 G, 92 OPS+, .205/.268/.413, 45 XBH (22 HR), 63 RBI, 1.1 WAR
Langeliers was the prospect centerpiece of the deal that sent Matt Olson to the Atlanta Braves, and he finished second on the Oakland roster in home runs (22), RBI (63) and total bases (185) in his first full season in the big leagues. The 25-year-old was the No. 9 overall pick in the 2019 draft.
17. Jake Rogers, Detroit Tigers
Stats: 107 G, 96 OPS+, .221/.286/.444, 32 XBH (21 HR), 49 RBI, 0.7 WAR
The last player standing from the return package the Tigers received when they traded Justin Verlander to the Houston Astros, Rogers finally broke through as an MLB starter in his age-28 season. With club control through the 2026 season, he should bring some stability to what has been a revolving door at the position.
16. Alejandro Kirk, Toronto Blue Jays
Stats: 123 G, 93 OPS+, .250/.334/.358, 24 XBH (8 HR), 43 RBI, 1.9 WAR
Kirk posted a 127 OPS+ with 19 doubles, 14 home runs, 63 RBI and 3.9 WAR during a breakout 2022 season while earning an All-Star selection and winning Silver Slugger honors. The 25-year-old did not match those offensive numbers in 2023, but he still had a solid on-base percentage and was a Gold Glove finalist defensively.
Nos. 15-11
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15. Bo Naylor, Cleveland Guardians
Stats: 67 G, 124 OPS+, .237/.339/.470, 24 XBH (11 HR), 32 RBI, 1.5 WAR
The Guardians selected Naylor No. 29 overall in the 2018 draft on the strength of one of the best hit tools from that year's high school class. It took him time to develop offensively, but he hit .263/.392/.496 with 21 home runs and 68 RBI over 118 games in the upper levels of the minors in 2022, and he continued to impress in his first extended MLB action.
14. Danny Jansen, Toronto Blue Jays
Stats: 86 G, 115 OPS+, .228/.312/.474, 32 XBH (17 HR), 53 RBI, 1.6 WAR
Jansen was again extremely productive in a platoon role, launching 17 home runs in 301 plate appearances while splitting time with Alejandro Kirk. The 28-year-old is entering his final year of arbitration control before hitting the open market next offseason, and he could position himself for a lucrative multi-year deal with more of the same.
13. Francisco Álvarez, New York Mets
Stats: 123 G, 95 OPS+, .209/.284/.437, 37 XBH (25 HR), 63 RBI, 0.9 WAR
Only Mike Piazza (35 in 1993), Rudy York (35 in 1937), Earl Williams (33 in 1971), Matt Nokes (32 in 1987) and Wilin Rosario (28 in 2012) hit more home runs as rookie catchers than the 25 that Álvarez launched in 2023. The 21-year-old showed star potential in May (80 PA, 1.029 OPS, 7 HR) and July (77 PA, .974 OPS, 8 HR), but was extremely inconsistent.
12. Patrick Bailey, San Francisco Giants
Stats: 97 G, 77 OPS+, .233/.285/.359, 26 XBH (7 HR), 48 RBI, 0.8 WAR
The offensive numbers may not jump off the page, but Bailey was baseball's most valuable all-around defensive catcher, according to FanGraphs. The Giants' pitching staff had a 3.69 ERA in 765.2 innings with the 24-year-old behind the plate, compared to a 4.40 ERA over 669 innings with anyone else in the crouch.
11. Yainer Diaz, Houston Astros
Stats: 104 G, 128 OPS+, .282/.308/.538, 45 XBH (23 HR), 60 RBI, 3.2 WAR
Diaz spent time at catcher (42 starts), designated hitter (36 starts) and first base (7 starts) as a means of getting his potent bat into the lineup as a rookie. The Astros have already announced that they plan to hand the starting catcher job over to him in 2024 with veteran Martín Maldonado set to depart in free agency.
10. Ryan Jeffers, Minnesota Twins
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Stats: 96 G, 134 OPS+, .276/.369/.490, 31 XBH (14 HR), 43 RBI, 3.3 WAR
The Minnesota Twins shelled out $30 million over three years to sign Christian Vázquez in free agency last offseason, but he ended up in a backup role thanks to a breakout offensive season from Ryan Jeffers.
The 26-year-old raised his OPS by 184 points over the .674 career mark he had entering the year, and he is also a plus defender behind the plate. The Twins have the duo for one of the better platoons in baseball next year.
9. J.T. Realmuto, Philadelphia Phillies
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Stats: 135 G, 106 OPS+, .252/.310/.452, 53 XBH (20 HR), 63 RBI, 3.6 WAR
J.T. Realmuto has averaged 5.2 WAR per 162 games since breaking out during the 2016 season with the Miami Marlins, and he had, arguably, the best season of his career in 2022 when he posted a 130 OPS+ with 22 home runs, 21 steals and 6.5 WAR to finish seventh in NL MVP voting.
The 32-year-old fell short of those numbers this year, but he finished strong, posting a .269/.316/.462 line with eight home runs and 21 RBI in 42 games over the final two months of the season.
8. Willson Contreras, St. Louis Cardinals
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Stats: 125 G, 124 OPS+, .264/.358/.467, 47 XBH (20 HR), 67 RBI, 3.4 WAR
The St. Louis Cardinals signed Willson Contreras to a five-year, $87.5 million contract last offseason, and after seemingly trying to scapegoat him for the pitching staff's early struggles with a move out from behind the plate in May, he eventually settled in and had a strong season.
The 31-year-old hit .309/.402/.557 with 10 home runs and 31 RBI in 46 games after the All-Star break, and he will be an important piece of the puzzle in rebuilding the St. Louis starting rotation.
7. Gabriel Moreno, Arizona Diamondbacks
7 of 13
Stats: 111 G, 104 OPS+, .284/.339/.408, 27 XBH (7 HR), 50 RBI, 4.3 WAR
The Arizona Diamondbacks acquired Gabriel Moreno and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. from the Toronto Blue Jays last offseason in exchange for Daulton Varsho, and that trade helped propel them to an unexpected World Series appearance.
Moreno, 23, had played just 25 games at the MLB level heading into the year, but he took over as the team's starting backstop and went on to win NL Gold Glove honors. He also tallied four home runs and 12 RBI in 17 games during the playoffs.
6. Jonah Heim, Texas Rangers
8 of 13
Stats: 131 G, 103 OPS+, .258/.317/.438, 46 XBH (18 HR), 95 RBI, 2.9 WAR
Jonah Heim looked like a rising star during the first half of the 2022 season when he hit .262/.313/.467 with 12 home runs and 33 RBI in 69 games, but his production fell drastically during the second half when he hit .181 with a .589 OPS in 201 plate appearances.
The 28-year-old managed to put together a more complete all-around season in 2023, starting the All-Star Game and winning Gold Glove honors while leading all catchers with 95 RBI for the eventual World Series champions.
5. Cal Raleigh, Seattle Mariners
9 of 13
Stats: 145 G, 112 OPS+, .232/.306/.456, 54 XBH (30 HR), 75 RBI, 3.2 WAR
After leading all catchers with 27 home runs in 2022, Cal Raleigh again topped that leaderboard with a career-high 30 long balls while spending most of the year hitting No. 4 or No. 5 in the Seattle Mariners lineup.
The 26-year-old also posted elite pitch-framing metrics and ranked second in the majors with 1,038 innings behind the plate defensively, trailing only J.T. Realmuto (1,142 innings). It's not easy to find a workhorse like that who can still make a significant impact offensively.
4. Will Smith, Los Angeles Dodgers
10 of 13
Stats: 126 G, 114 OPS+, .261/.359/.438, 42 XBH (19 HR), 76 RBI, 4.1 WAR
After getting snubbed each of the past two seasons, Will Smith finally received his first All-Star selection in 2023 as he was again one of baseball's elite offensive catchers and a quality defender to boot.
The 28-year-old has a 126 OPS+ in five MLB seasons, and he has averaged 30 home runs and 102 RBI per 162 games while hitting in the middle of some stacked Los Angeles Dodgers lineups.
3. William Contreras, Milwaukee Brewers
11 of 13
Stats: 141 G, 126 OPS+, .291/.369/.459, 56 XBH (17 HR), 78 RBI, 3.7 WAR
After platooning with Travis d'Arnaud on the Atlanta Braves during the 2022 season, William Contreras was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers last offseason in the same three-team blockbuster deal that sent Sean Murphy from Oakland to Atlanta.
The 25-year-old was an offensive standout early in his career, and he posted similarly impressive numbers at the plate this year while taking a huge step forward defensively. He was a Gold Glove finalist and ranked fourth in overall defensive value while anchoring a terrific Milwaukee pitching staff.
2. Sean Murphy, Atlanta Braves
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Stats: 108 G, 125 OPS+, .251/.365/.478, 42 XBH (21 HR), 68 RBI, 3.9 WAR
Sean Murphy had a 122 OPS+ with 37 doubles, 18 home runs and 66 RBI in 148 games with the Oakland Athletics in 2022, so, naturally, the front office moved as quickly as possible to trade away a promising young player.
The Atlanta Braves acquired him in a three-team, nine-player deal and promptly signed him to a six-year, $73 million extension, and it already looks like another wise move.
The 29-year-old is a standout behind the plate and in the batter's box, and he still has multiple prime years remaining.
1. Adley Rutschman, Baltimore Orioles
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Stats: 154 G, 128 OPS+, .277/.374/.435, 52 XBH (20 HR), 80 RBI, 4.3 WAR
Adley Rutschman put together one of the best rookie seasons ever by a catcher for the Baltimore Orioles last year, tallying 5.2 WAR to finish 12th in AL MVP voting, and his arrival in the big leagues lined up with the franchise taking a major step forward.
The No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 draft has lived up to the hype as an all-around standout behind the plate and in the batter's box, and at 25 years old, he could be the best all-around backstop in the sport for the foreseeable future.
