The catching profession got dealt a serious setback two years ago. Prior to the 2023 season, Major League Baseball announced a spate of rules designed to make stealing bases easier — instituting penalties for pitchers who take too much time between pitches, and fail to pick off a runner within three attempts.
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The effect on catchers was predictable. Throwing out attempted base-stealers became much more difficult. Catchers who could control opponents' running games with their arm became more valuable. So did catchers who could frame pitches on the borders of the strike zone, potentially changing a free trip to first base into a strikeout.
As a result, a catcher's defensive ability is more valuable now than it's been since arguably the 1990s.
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Ranking the top 10 catchers in MLB must account for not only a player's hitting prowess and defensive ability, but their ability to communicate with pitchers, develop a game plan, and improvise when the plan doesn't work.
Newsweek Sports took all of these factors into consideration when ranking the Top 10 catchers in MLB:
10. Yainer Diaz
The 26-year-old followed his fifth-place finish in the 2023 American League Rookie of the Year voting by slashing .299/.325/.441 for the AL West champion Astros. An above-average thrower, per Statcast, he's the latest example of Houston's strong international pipeline that has allowed them to sustain success over the last decade.
9. Francisco Alvarez
Alvarez, 23, had a .710 OPS (101 OPS+) in 2024, and helped the Mets reach the National League Championship Series for the first time since 2015. A top-10 framer last season, per Statcast, Alvarez went 7 for 23 with a double and two RBIs in the Mets' six-game NLCS against the Dodgers.
8. Austin Wells
🧵: Austin Wells Glove Side Receiving
A lot to unpack here from slight variations of the angle of his body, glove load, plate positioning, depth, etc.
It all really boils down to knowing your pitcher, & having awareness of what your own strengths & weaknesses are. pic.twitter.com/nRogQ1BtS1
The New York Yankees reached the World Series with a rookie catcher — a rarity — and in October he became the first in franchise history to homer in the Fall Classic since Yogi Berra in 1947. Wells finished third in AL Rookie of the Year voting in 2024 and contributed the third-most framing runs in baseball, per Statcast.
7. Gabriel Moreno
The Venezuelan-born catcher, who turns 25 in February, already has a career 105 OPS+ and a Gold Glove award. In addition to a tremendous throwing arm, he was an above-average framer last year, per Statcast, as well. Moreno missed more than a month last season with an adductor injury, and a return to health will boost the D-backs' chances of contention in 2025.
6. Alejandro Kirk
The 26-year-old from Tijuana is two seasons removed from his only All-Star appearance, but remains one of the best all-around catchers in baseball. Last season he ranked third overall in caught stealing above average, per Statcast, and fourth in catcher framing runs. His career .735 OPS (107 OPS+) is buoyed by impeccable plate discipline for a hitter at any position.
5. Will Smith
The Dodgers' catcher has at least two things every other player on this list covets: two World Series rings and a contract through 2033. Although his arm (11 caught stealings above average) and bat (a career 124 OPS+) are perhaps worthy of a higher ranking, his annual second-half fades are cause for concern — and another reason for the Dodgers to give him more rest in 2025.
4. Adley Rutschman
The Baltimore Orioles' catcher has been the backbone of their resurgence. The first overall pick of the 2019 draft, who turns 27 in February, has been an All-Star the last two seasons. Rutschman, a switch-hitter, belted 19 homers and drove in 79 runs in a "down" 2024 season at the plate.
3. William Contreras
Contreras played an astounding 155 games (120 at catcher, 35 at DH) last year for the surprising Brewers. His .281/.365/.466 slash line earned him a second career National League All-Star selection, a second Silver Slugger Award as well as some MVP votes.
2. Patrick Bailey
Bailey, still just 25, won his first career Gold Glove Award last season and made major strides as a hitter. The San Francisco Giants' catcher improved his strikeout rate, walk rate, chase rate, and hard-hit rate; like the number-1 man on this list, his 2025 stats would likely reflect those of a no-worse-than average hitter in a less pitcher-friendly park. He's already the best defensive catcher in terms of framing and throwing out runners in either league.
1. Cal Raleigh
No catcher checks more boxes than the Seattle Mariners' 28-year-old backstop. He hit 34 home runs in 2024 at one of the most stifling ballparks for right-handed hitters; Raleigh's 23 homers away from T-Mobile Park suggest he's a better hitter than his raw stats indicate. Statcast credited Raleigh with the second-most framing runs in MLB last season; his pitchers often credited his work in a season that saw the Mariners post an MLB-best 3.49 ERA.
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