Ranking the 10 Best Catchers in Baseball

They may not get the same love as other positions, but there is no denying how important a good backstop is to a team.

Drake Baldwin is one of the best young catchers in baseball and a huge part of the Braves' hot start. | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Catchers are vastly under-appreciated. Spending nine innings out in the baking summer sun. Taking foul tips to parts of their body left uncovered by bulky equipment. Throwing themselves in front of 100 mph fastballs in the dirt. Politely lobbying umpires for a more advantageous strike zone. It is oftentimes a thankless job.

Those skilled enough to make it to Major League Baseball are also not usually the recipients of the biggest contracts or the focal point of conversation around the game's greats. Yet no one who knows anything about baseball will ever deny how important they are to winning. An elite catcher can bolster their own lineup, taking aggressive baserunning off the table for the other team and serve as a coach on the field.

Because it's a such an all-encompassing job, it's not fair to go on offensive stats alone when trying to determine the best in the sport. So here's our level best to consider everything that makes a great backstop in a list of the 10 best currently playing.

10. Patrick Bailey, Giants

Patrick Bailey already has two Gold Gloves to his name. | Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images

It would be bad form to leave off a player who is seeking his third consecutive Gold Glove even if the Giants' backstop has encountered all sorts of trouble in the batter's box this season. Widely regarded as the best framing catcher in the game, Bailey is a pitcher's best friend. He led all MLB players in fielding run value with 31 in 2025, nine ahead of second place. The hitting stats aren't anything to write home about as he's put up OPS figures of .644, .637 and .602, but that's a lot easier to look past when you factor in the elite defense.

9. Adley Rutschman, Orioles

Baltimore Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman looks like he's back to his old self. | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

Is Adley Ruschman back? After two tough years that saw him regress significantly at the plate, the former No. 1 overall pick is looking like his old self this season. Through 22 games, he’s slashing .313/.368/.563 with four home runs, 20 RBIs and a wRC+ of 160. He has already produced 1.1 fWAR, after only totaling 1.2 for all of 2025. After a short stint on IL for ankle inflammation, Rutschman is back and looking like the top-level backstop he was when earning first team All-MLB honors in 2023. If the 28-year-old can keep this up all season, he'll rocket up this list.

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8. Gabriel Moreno, Diamondbacks

Moreno has improved in each of the last three seasons despite dealing with injuries. In 2025, he slashed .285/.353/.433 with nine home runs, 40 RBIs and career-best marks in wRC+ (117) and xwOBA (.346). The 26-year-old is healthy again but has started a bit slow this season, as he’s hitting .250 with a 93 wRC+ through his first 17 games. He’s an outstanding fielder and a good framer, and had an FRV of eight in 2025. He's a good all-around player at the position who helped lead the Diamondbacks to the World Series in 2023.

7. Shea Langeliers, Athletics

Shea Langeliers is a power-hitting threat any time he steps into the batter's box. | Dennis Lee-Imagn Images

Langeliers changed everyone’s perception of him in 2025. The Braves took him with the ninth pick in the 2019 draft, then traded him to the A’s in the Matt Olson deal. He was never a great defender, so the bat was going to have to carry him. The whole package was mostly underwhelming through three seasons, but he exploded in 2025. Langeliers set career highs in batting average (.277), on-base percentage (.325), slugging (.536), home runs (31), wRC+ (132) and fWAR (3.9) last season, and his hot hitting has carried into 2026. So far in 32 games, he’s slashing .336/.390/.627 with 10 homers, 18 RBIs and a wRC+ of 178. He’s a solid blocker but overall an average-at-best defender. Fortunately, his bat has caught up with expectations and the A’s are being rewarded for their patience.

6. Dillon Dingler, Tigers

Dillon Dingler has been driving in runs at an elevated pace in 2026. | Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

Dingler captured a Gold Glove in his very first MLB season and could very well rack up a bunch during his career. Though he has a relative dearth of experience, he’s still a leader on a team trying to make a third straight playoff trip. Dingler's value has also increased with the implementation of the ABS challenge system. Of all backstops with a meaningful sample size, he's the best with a success rate of 90.5% to this point of the season. At the dish Dingler put up a .278 batting average in .752 OPS in '25 and has shown more extra-base power this year en route to a top-10 spot om the American League RBI leaderboard. Even more will be on his shoulders as he tries to shepherd an injury-ridden staff through some dark times against high expectations.

5. Drake Baldwin, Braves

Braves catcher Drake Baldwin is the reigning National League Rookie of the Year | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

The reigning National League Rookie of the Year, Baldwin has picked up right where he left off last year. The 25-year-old is an average defensive catcher but more than makes up for that with his prowess in the batter’s box. He’s slashing .303/.379/.510 in 38 games and has hit nine home runs with 30 RBIs and a 140 wRC+. His 1.5 fWAR ranks third among Braves hitters, trailing only Matt Olson and Ozzie Albies. His hitting metrics are truly something to behold, as Baldwin is in the 80th percentile or higher in xwOBA, xBA, xSLG, average exit velocity, barrel percentage, hard-hit percentage and bat speed.

4. Alejandro Kirk, Blue Jays

Toronto Blue Jays catcher Alejandro Kirk is an elite defender who can hammer the ball. | Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images

Kirk is currently on the shelf after thumb surgery, but his track record behind the plate and with his bat lands him here. He had his best season in 2025, slashing .282/.348/.421 with 15 home runs, 76 RBIs, a 116 wRC+ and a career-best 4.7 fWAR in 130 games. He was at the heart of the Blue Jays’ run to the American League pennant. A two-time All-Star, Kirk is outstanding at blocking pitches in the dirt, framing and he calls a great game to boot. In 2025, he finished second among all MLB players in Fielding Run Value with 22, only behind Bailey. He’s still just 27 and is a cornerstone piece for Toronto. Without him, the Blue Jays have tumbled down the standings.

3. William Contreras, Brewers

Milwaukee Brewers catcher William Contreras has as much upside as any catcher in baseball. | Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

Contreras has as much potential as anyone on this list and has consistently delivered for the Brewers over the past five seasons. He’s slashing .286/.358/.406 so far this year with a wRC+ of 115. That's about where he winds up most seasons. His best year came in 2024, when he posted an .831 OPS with 23 home runs, 92 RBIs and a 132 wRC+. His 5.5 fWAR led all big league catchers, and he was named first team All-MLB. A two-time All-Star who won Silver Sluggers in 2023 and '24, Contreras won a World Series with the Braves in ’21. He's a solid defender with a good arm, but his bat is what separates him.

2. Will Smith, Dodgers

Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith was clutch during the team’s run to a 2025 World Series title. | John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

Just when it looked like Smith had hit his ceiling, he got even better with the bat. In 2025, he notched career highs in batting average (.296) and on-base percentage (.404) with full-season highs in wRC+ (153) and xwOBA (.378). He also hit the game-winning home run in the 11th inning of Game 7 during the 2025 World Series, more than earning his third ring in six seasons. A three-time All-Star, Smith isn’t an elite defender, but he’s the NL’s best-hitting catcher. The 31-year-old has started 2026 a bit slow by his standards, slashing .269/.336/.385 with a 104 wRC+, but it would be foolish to doubt he can rev things up as the season goes along.

1. Cal Raleigh, Mariners

Cal Raleigh hit 60 home runs in 2025. | Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

Raleigh produced the best single season for a catcher in MLB history in 2025 when he crushed 60 home runs and drove in 125 RBIs, all while playing elite defense behind the plate. It was a historic campaign for Raleigh, who finished as the runner-up for the AL MVP award. He’s gotten off to a slower start at the plate in ’26, with his strikeout rate way up and his hard-hit percentage down, but his defense remains sound and he has plenty of time to get back on track offensively. He’s a great blocker, going all of last season without a single passed ball, and is a solid pitch framer, which makes life much easier for his teammates on the mound.

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