After we went over the top 10 for 2024 fantasy baseball and the top 20 for 2024 fantasy baseball in our (my) 2024 fantasy baseball rankings, it’s time for the meat and potatoes rankings. Something to stew about! Hop in the pressure cooker, crank it up to “Intense” and let’s rock with the top 20 catchers for 2024 fantasy baseball. Am I selling you on the top 20 catchers being exciting? No? Good, don’t want to give you the wrong impression. Here’s Steamer’s 2024 Fantasy Baseball Projections for Hitters and 2024 Fantasy Baseball Projections for Pitchers. The projections noted in this post are my own, and I mention where tiers start and stop. Subscriptions are up and running, and you can already get Rudy’s Draft War Room. Anyway, here’s the top 20 catchers for 2024 fantasy baseball:
NOTE I: All my rankings are currently available on Patreon for the price of a Starbucks coffee, if you get one of those extra grande frappuccino jobbers. Don’t wait for the rankings to come out over the next month, and get them all now.
NOTE II: Free agents are listed as just that and not yet projected. Once a guy signs, I will write out their blurb and add in projections, or remove them, if they sign in an unfavorable place. They are ranked currently where I think they might be if they sign on for a full-time job.
NOTE III: You can watch us discuss the catchers here:
1. Will Smith – This tier goes from here until William Contreras. I call this tier, “Fruit of the poisonous tree.” As I’ve said in past years, and will now say again, catchers are tainted as a position, so this tier is fruit of the poisonous tree. It is tainted because they are catchers. That’s according to Marcia Clark’s How Attorneys May Motion or Express References or as it’s known in the law community, MC HAMMER. In MC HAMMER, it clearly explains how if you grab a catcher after I tell you, ‘U Can’t Touch This,’ you will receive nothing but scorn and smack on the wrist as I slide-dance my feet over to you in very baggy pants.
Position scarcity doesn’t exist. It was made up by someone who had a clever name for something, and shoved their strategy into it. It’s a classic case of the tail wagging the dog. Two dozen years ago, someone who thought they were much smarter than they were said, “If I draft a top catcher, and everyone else has a weak catcher, I will do well. I will call this position scarcity. Wow, I am so clever I deserve a cupcake with ‘Clever’ written in frosting.” Then Mr. Clever perpetuated position scarcity for decades, and others heard about and thought it was too clever to ignore. Like it’s some kind of get out of jail free card. Speaking of which, “position scarcity” is similar to, “A cop has to tell you they are a cop.” According to movies, maybe, but cops don’t have to tell you shizz. Any hoo! At no point did anyone stop in the last 25 years and think, when people made this position scarcity strategy up, it was Mike Piazza hitting 40 homers and .360. Some catchers were great when they were plugging their butts with syringes filled with The Juice.
I would hope if the guy, who came up with position scarcity, were to see the top catchers now he would’ve never mentioned position scarcity. Will Smith, a strong bet for a 24-homer, .260 season, is drastically different from, say, Jonah Heim, who is free in every draft? Heim hit 18 homers and .258 last year, Will Smith hit 19 homers and .261. Oh, Smith had three steals and Heim only had two. So, you could draft Heim arond pick 200 or Will Smith around pick 75. Yes, this makes a lot of sense. (It doesn’t but we want others to think it does.) Last year’s top catcher was William Contreras, just as everyone assumed last March, because he was drafted around, what, pick 250? He was the 87th best player on the Player Rater last year, same as Isaac Paredes. It feels like a joke that I have to say the same shizz every year, but people are still drafting catchers in the top 100. Why? I have less of a clue than Colonel Mustard.
As for Will Smith, please stop telling us information about your marriage! Yes, that’s the other Will Smith, but someone needs to say it. The other day I read a quote about an affair Will was having and it’s an an all-timer. I won’t link to it here or quote it, but google Will Smith and “standing up killing him, murdering him,” and enjoy. Any hoo! What’s less funny but kinda funny about this Will Smith, the projections are always way above where he ends up. Without fail. 2024 Projections: 82/21/84/.262/2 in 484 ABs
2. Yainer Diaz – You absolutely should not draft a catcher in this tier. Wait until like 10 catchers are off the board and grab one. With that said (Grey’s turning the ship around to change his tune), if Yainer were to fall in a two-catcher league to around 150th overall (where I draft a catcher occasionally in a two-catcher league), then I’m all about Yainer. I’m intrigued, y’all! Projections come up short, methinks when metalks like a leprechaun and mesees a player who kinda came out of nowhere. No one was expecting last year from Yainer, but he did it and it appears real. Yet — again with some stank — YET! other people’s projections (Steamer) look like they don’t believe Yainer. He hit 23 homers last year — easily mind you, in 355 ABs — and the projections give him 23 homers in almost 100 more at-bats. Why? Methinks there’s no trust. His minor league numbers say you can trust. 2024 Projections: 64/27/78/.278/1 in 442 ABs
3. Adley Rutschman – People drafting Adley Rutschman in the top 100 overall are so thirsty. You put your nose to your draft window and you can smell the desperation. Desperate to make a splash. Last year he hit 20 homers and .277; projections say he’ll hit 19 homers and .271 this year, so, please tell me this: What are they expecting from him? 30/.300? Okay. That’s barely worth a top 100 pick. As I said in the opening, ignore position scarcity, so let’s just take the guy closest to Adley in drafts, Nolan Jones, he just went 20/20 and could go 30/30. Is that as good as 30/.300? I’m having a hard time figuring out the most basic of information. 30/30 seems just a tad better. Guy after Nolan and Adley is Jazz Chisholm Jr. Oh, yeah, a guy with a 30/40 upside. Again, seems a bit better than Adley. You put catcher eligibility after a guy’s name and people lose their minds. 2024 Projections: 77/20/74/.270/2 in 537 ABs
4. J.T. Realmuto – Catching is very demanding. Though, with that demanding position, Jerry Tomato has managed to maintain a solid floor on his stats. His ceiling is like “Daulton Varsho with a somewhat good average” so don’t lose yourself, Eminem. 2024 Projections: 73/21/67/.250/15 in 477 ABs
5. William Contreras – I could kiss the computer screen where William Contreras’s name is because he’s such a great example of what I say every year about catchers. Last year he was barely drafted, ended up the number one catcher for fantasy with a line of 17/6/.289. Yawnstipating? Ya think?! Obviously! He’s a 20/5/.270 hitter, if that comes in 500+ ABs with 80+ runs and 80 RBIs, then it’s the number one catcher. If it comes in 400 ABs and 60+ runs and RBIs, then it’s barely a top 12 catcher. Drafting William Contreras this year is basically saying you want to waste a pick and can’t see how Elias Diaz, 200 picks later, could be basically the same thing. Not to be harsh, but it’s ignorant. 2024 Projections: 78/18/71/.282/5 in 493 ABs
6. Salvador Perez – This is a new tier. This tier goes from here until Heim. I call this tier, “You ain’t a gangster.” The tier name refers to how you’re puffing out your chest after drafting one of these guys. Slow your roll, you ain’t a gangster. There’s nothing cool about drafting a catcher high. To give you an idea where we are overall, I’m gonna rank Perez around 150th overall. This is the 1st catcher in a two-catcher league to draft. You can draft a first catcher in a two-catcher league at any point from here until the end of the next tier. Then a 2nd catcher is anyone afterwards who has a job. I’ll specify more later in the rankings. Something that has become readily apparent, catchers are deeper than you think. Do I want one? Not particuarly, but the difference between the best catcher and, say, the 15th best catcher [squints, trying to find a difference], I don’t see one. 2024 Projections: 73/27/82/.251 in 529 ABs
7. Logan O’Hoppe – Depending on if Mike Trout is healthy by the time you read this, O’Hoppe might be my favorite Angel, hitter or pitcher. [makes a cringe face] Um, yikes? This might be over-ranking O’Hoppe a little, but out of all catchers, he’s the one I’m actually excited about, and he’s not a top three catcher yet, emphasis on yet. Last year, he was on pace for 30 homers, until his injury, which he’s already recovered from. He did hit .236, but he’s a 17% K% guy in the minors, and is a lot closer to a .260 hitter than .230. Would be more than O’Happy to draft him. 2024 Projections: 64/23/75/.258/1 in 451 ABs
8. Keibert Ruiz – What I’m realizing going through the catchers’ projections/rankings is you couldn’t throw a rock without hitting a 17 to 21 home run catcher who will hit between .235 and .265. Everyone is a 1980’s catcher. Call today’s catchers, Gary Carter. 2024 Projections: 61/18/72/.264/3 in 484 ABs
9. Jonah Heim – Absolutely drafting guys in this tier if they fall after 200th overall or it’s a 2-catcher league, and Jonah Heim looks like all the others, Superbad, but is ‘bad’ there being used ironically or no? Who’s to say? What I will say about catchers is Heim was available in my RCL last year off waivers, and prolly 98% of these guys will be available off waivers in most of your 12 team leagues and shallower, so that’s another point for O’Hoppe, i.e., going for upside isn’t a bad thing. Not a Superbad thing either. 2024 Projections: 58/19/74/.239/3 in 441 ABs
10. Willson Contreras – This is a new tier. This tier goes from here until Murphy. I call this tier, “Skosh.” This tier name is referring to the difference between this tier and the previous tier. There’s a skosh of a difference. Skosh is not a new energy soda. Going back to the Sal Perez blurb where I said catchers are surprisingly deep, would I be excited about Willson Contreras or a guy in this tier? Meh. Not really. Would I be shocked to see him be the top catcher this year and better than a catcher who was drafted a hundred spots earlier? Not in the least. 2024 Projections: 61/20/71/.248/5 in 412 ABs
11. MJ Melendez – As good a time as any to remind people I use Yahoo eligibility for my rankings, and Michael Jordan Melendez is not a catcher in most leagues. Royals rocking three catchers is like that moron in your league who is like, “I’m going to draft three catchers and watch everyone else scramble. Hahahahahahaha,” chokes on a prawn, falls over. Don’t be the Shellfish Guy. 2024 Projections: 83/18/61/.228/7 in 519 ABs
12. Cal Raleigh – Boy, check out those humps, those lovely Raleigh bumps. This post gonna be as fat as Cal Raleigh’s ass if I don’t get to the point on some of these, which is what I say as I don’t get to the point. I got more side quests than a necromancer. Raleigh is old school as in he hits bombs and nothing else, but that’s fine. 2024 Projections: 67/27/77/.229 in 472 ABs
13. Francisco Alvarez – As I keep going to in this post, catchers are deep and you could easily see a catcher like Fran-Al being more valuable than a catcher, like, say, J.T. Realmuto. All the more reason to punt. Catchers are similar to the top 10 for 2024 fantasy baseball in that after Acuña, everyone is the same. Only there’s no Acuña catcher. It’s basically one giant tier of turds. 2024 Projections: 61/32/66/.217/3 in 445 ABs
14. Bo Naylor – Bo Naylor? That’s gossip! I barely Bo Datedher! Bo Herfatherhatedmeandtaintedourrelationshipbeforeitstarted! So, careful with this Bo Naylor talk. Any hoo! O’Hoppe or Naylor? Much difference? Honestly, not really. I have a lot more faith in O’Hoppe, but I love Naylor and we eloped! Okay, enough nonsense. Naylor could be a 15/15/.250 catcher, which is vaguely a top five catcher depending on runs and RBIs. Yes, I’m telling you, there’s like one catcher tier for the first 14 catchers. 2024 Projections: 54/16/62/.242/10 in 419 ABs
15. Sean Murphy – This is the deepest I can remember catchers being. Usually catchers stop being interesting around the 12th catcher off the board. Fits perfectly with a 12-teamer. This year there’s 14 catchers in the 12-teamer range (don’t count MJ Melendez because he doesn’t have catcher eligibility in most leagues). It’s not normal to have that many viable catchers. You could even make the case the guys in the next tier aren’t that bad, and I’ll agree, but they’re starting the 2nd catcher in two-catcher leagues tier. The 15th (or 14th, excluding MJ) catcher shouldn’t even be in the top 300, if I’m doing my rankings correctly. The last player drafted in a 12 teamer should be the 12th catcher off the board. I might fudge it a little when I do my top 500 and sneak 14 catchers in the top 275. Shouldn’t be like that, but I couldn’t figure out a catcher or two to bump from this or the above tiers. Sean Murphy or Will Smith? Are they that different? 2024 Projections: 63/19/71/.250 in 405 ABs
16. Luis Campusano – This is a new tier. This tier goes from here until Elias. I call this tier, “Shrug while drafting.” These are your second catchers in a two-catcher league. Just draft one. 2nd catchers are this tier and next tier. This tier is slightly better. Hence, it being in a tier higher! Do you see how this works?! Sorry, I had too much coffee.
As for Campusano, his name is Spanish for semester. I’m a fount of misinformation. Campusano is like a poor man’s Arraez at catcher. Call him Asquatz. 2024 Projections: 49/12/53/.302 in 391 ABs
17. Gabriel Moreno – Yo Gabby Gabby is Yo Yawnstipating. Yeah, this tier is kinda boring, but you’re also deep now in the overall rankings (roughly 325th overall). 2024 Projections: 48/9/57/.288/8 in 419 ABs
18. Tyler Stephenson – Wasn’t that long ago that Stephenson looked like a 15-homer, .290 hitter. Sure, that’s just ‘Campusano-good’ now, but Great American Smallpark can get you to dream there’s more power here. 2024 Projections: 56/14/61/.258/1 in 448 ABs
19. Elias Diaz – Ya know what’s kinda funny that’s not funny? Each catcher has their own narrative — Campusano has upside, Stephenson was once touted, Elias is great in Coors, etc., but the reality is all of this tier’s catchers are basically 10-15 homers, .260 to .300. 2024 Projections: 52/15/59/.263/1 in 466 ABs
20. Mitch Garver – This is a new tier. This tier goes from here until Wells. I call this tier, “Shrug while holding nose.” This is it for 2nd catchers in two-catcher leagues. As for Mitch, here’s what I said when he signed with the Mariners, “I’d love for him to kill my vibe with a 45-homer, 450 ABs season as he prorates out to each year, but, just maybe, there’s a reason why he averages 250 ABs a season. Just taking a wild guess a 33-year-old isn’t suddenly going to play twice as many games as he usually does.” And that’s me quoting me! 2024 Projections: 41/18/48/.255 in 281 ABs
21. Alejandro Kirk – I keep saying things like, I forgive players who wrong me terribly. This is a new year. What players did last year doesn’t matter if they were unlucky! With that said, Alejandro Kirk still sucks. He can’t make it up to me. He will forever be on my shizz list. Him and Manoah should form a battery, then put it in a Phillies fan’s hand and throw it into a river. Captain Kirk, boldly go where no one has gone before, that’s into the Hudson River. (But I would take the flyer on him in a 2-catcher league as a 2nd catcher.) 2024 Projections: 47/10/51/.261 in 402 ABs
22. Shea Langeliers – You after drafting a guy in this tier, “Wow, I can’t believe I got (player’s name from this tier) as my 2nd catcher! This is amazing! Yeah, I’ll take a guy who could hit 20 homers as my 2nd catcher!” Then you in July, “Should I drop my 2nd catcher and just take zeroes vs. nonstop 0-for-4’s?” 2024 Projections: 41/18/49/.212/2 in 432 ABs
23. Ryan Jeffers – This tier is also: You in April, “Should I pick up (player from this tier) and drop (player from an above tier)?” 2024 Projections: 48/15/50/.226/3 in 319 ABs
24. Danny Jansen – This tier is also: Catcher who is good in part-time duty, but if they played full-time it would be a full-time doodie. UPDATE: Jays are saying he has a broken bone between his wrist and hand. Hey, I’m no doctor, but I’m currently looking at my hand and wrist and I don’t see a bone between the two. Am I missing a bone? Jays say he’ll miss two weeks. Holding them at their word, there’s no reason to move him in the rankings. 2024 Projections: 46/16/49/.228/1 in 312 ABs
25. Austin Wells – His last name spells out exactly my thoughts on him. Wells… What is there to say? Guess it’s better than if his name was Austin Stinks. 2024 Projections: 43/13/45/.233/2 in 311 ABs
26. Jake Rogers – This is a new tier. This tier goes from here until Yan Gomes. I call this tier, “Why didn’t you nap earlier in the day?” The tier name refers to you falling asleep in the middle of your draft and getting stuck with one of these guys. And just like that catchers suck. No longer are they interchangeable. They now are Mr. Suckystinkerstein. 2024 Projections: 41/15/44/.208/1 in 358 ABs
27. Connor Wong – Red Sox seem like they’re going with some combination of Wong and Reese McGuire, which is also how McGuire got arrested. Red Sox trying to get him locked up again? 2024 Projections: 51/11/41/.243/7 in 361 ABs
28. Patrick Bailey – Trying to think of nice things to say about Bailey. He seems like the everyday catcher. And…uh…he sounds like a character Jimmy Stewart would play. I have nothing else. 2024 Projections: 41/12/49/.223/2 in 377 ABs
29. Nick Fortes – Jeopardy answer, “If you have a knack for picking terrible catchers in fantasy, it is said you possess this.” Jeopardy question, “What is a Fortes?” 2024 Projections: 44/10/41/.231/5 in 367 ABs
30. Yan Gomes – “He has an everyday job as catcher for the Cubs.” That’s me listing reasons why the Cubs might be the problem and not David Ross. 2024 Projections: 39/9/51/.244/1 in 379 ABs
31. Freddy Fermin – This is a new tier. This is the last tier of the catchers. I call this tier, “So, a fly landed on your team’s catcher spot and you thought you filled it when you hadn’t.” The bad news is you just drafted Freddy Fermin. the good news is when you’re out with your drunk friend from your league, you can trade him Freddy Fermin and pretend you said Freddie Freeman. “The bar was real loud last night, but I’m confident you heard me say Freddy Fermin and not Freddie Freeman, and a deal is a deal.” 2024 Projections: 23/10/30/.273 in 231 ABs
32. Rene Pinto – One of Mr. Prorater’s favorites. “Pinto can hit 35 homers in 150 games, and if you saved a penny a day for the last 301,000 years, you would already be a millionaire.” Thanks, Mr. Prorater! 2024 Projections: 31/11/37/.220 in 291 ABs
33. Gary Sanchez – Signed with the Brewers. “I will slip and nay-nay when the crowd cheers yay yay.” That’s Bernie Brewer talking about going down the slide on Gary Sanchez homers. Solid landing spot for Sanchez, as he should have DH and backup catcher at-bats. 2024 Projections: 37/17/42/.212 in 281 ABs
34. Christian Vazquez – Could the most boringest catcher also be the most reliable? Yes, if reliability is measured in boringness. Don’t think about it, you’ll hurt yourself. 2024 Projections: 36/8/31/.232/3 in 335 ABs
35. Christian Bethancourt – His last name sounds like a Judge Judy type show where the judge is a Real Housewife of Atlanta. “My ex said he’d pay to groom my cocker spaniel and he left me with the bill.” Next up on Bethancourt! 2024 Projections: 34/11/36/.246/2 in 317 ABs
36. Travis d’Arnaud – Seems likely to get some at-bats in a lineup where Willie Mays would be productive. The current 92-year-old Willie Mays. 2024 Projections: 35/13/41/.222 in 268 ABs
37. Max Stassi – Here’s what I said this offseason, “Him and David Fletcher both went the other way to the Braves, then Stassi was flipped to the White Sox. What, the White Sox can’t talk to the Angels themselves?” And that’s me quoting me! 2024 Projections: 43/14/49/.221 in 347 ABs
38. Tyler Soderstrom – Only time anyone really likes this guy is when he’s hitting the occasional homer. Or in this example: [makes seltzer at home] This Soderstrom is awesome! 2024 Projections: 38/15/42/.202/1 in 327 ABs
39. Miguel Amaya – You know I had to end this sucker on a high upside note! *sees Amaya is capable of 8 homers* And that note is a sad trombone. 2024 Projections: 30/8/33/.209/2 in 254 ABs
40. Jason Delay – Endy Rodriguez will miss the entire 2024 season with a torn UCL. He suffered the injury while swinging a bat. Pirates should wear unis with a cartoon pirate and a thought bubble on top of his head saying, “Argh.” Would like to see them turn to Henry Davis in at least enough at-bats to get him catcher eligibility, but Pirates like to Delay the inevitable, so to speak. 2024 Projections: 45/5/51/.248/2 in 367 ABs
Omitted but considered: Endy Rodriguez, Blake Sabol, Yasmani Grandal, Ivan Herrera, Tom Murphy, Jose Trevino, Andrew Knizner, James McCann, Kyle Higashioka, Jeferson Quero, Harry Ford, Eric Haase, Sam Huff, Victor Caratini, Martin Maldonado, Omar Narvaez, Matt Thaiss, Ben Rice, Kyle Teel, Carson Kelly, Joey Bart, Drew Romo, Luke Maile, Ethan Salas, Francisco Mejia, Riley Adams, Logan Porter, Diego Cartaya, Carlos Perez, Reese McGuire, Garrett Stubbs, Liam Hicks, Drew Millas, David Fry, Jacob Stallings, Mike Zunino, Brian Serven, Hunter Feduccia, Korey Lee
