The Top 10 Catchers in Major League Baseball for 2026

In recent years, the quality of catching at the Major League Baseball level has ticked up a few notches.

Several years ago, it was a position of great weakness, or at least it was top-heavy. In 2019, there were six catchers to finish at or above 3.0 fWAR across 250 plate appearances. That number swelled to 11 in 2025, with three more above 2.6.

It’s a hard position to rank for many reasons. First and foremost, it’s arguably the only position where offense is considered gravy. Obviously, holding your own at the dish is helpful, but what you do behind it is more important.

But how much heavier is defense to be weighed? That’s what makes ranking catchers so tough. What isn’t difficult to see, however, is the steady increase in talent at the position.

Honorable Mentions:

Gabriel Moreno, Arizona Diamondbacks
Hunter Goodman, Colorado Rockies
Francisco Alvarez, New York Mets
Yanier Diaz, Houston Astros
Kyle Teel, Chicago White Sox

The biggest issue for Moreno as a big leaguer thus far has been staying on the field. Since 2023, he’s played in just 59.9% of possible regular season games.

He’s been awesome in his limited availability, especially on defense, and he’s blossomed as a hitter since getting to Arizona. Every year he’s been an established MLB catcher, he’s put up at least 2.3 fWAR and 9.7 Def. His power comes and goes, but it showed up in a big way during Arizona’s Cinderella run to a World Series berth in 2023.

He’s a true age-26 all of this upcoming season, so there’s even more room for him to grow. But ultimately, nothing will top simply more availability out of Moreno in 2026.

It speaks volumes to the increase in catching talent that the No. 7 man for fWAR in 2025, Goodman, only gets tabbed as an honorable mention heading into 2026.

He’s fast-emerging as a franchise face in Colorado. He hit 31 home runs a season ago, ranking in a tie for second among catchers with Shea Langeliers. He was also third in runs batted in, tied for fourth in average and third in slugging.

As for Alvarez, he also had an effective 2025 campaign. However, he only played 76 games. His power wasn’t up to snuff compared to his 2023 breakout, but he still popped 11 home runs. That total matched his 2024 in 24 fewer games.

His defense also took a big hit in 2025, with his framing dropping from the 84th percentile down to the 16th.

Diaz is an offensive-minded catcher, and his glove is why he couldn’t crack the top 10. He’s steady in controlling the running game, but his blocking and framing are holes in his game that are unfortunately too much to overcome with a career wRC+ of 109.

He’s still a valuable member of the Houston Astros lineup, but until his defense improves, he’s capped in the fringe top-10 conversation.

Lastly, Teel was awesome in his 78-game sample in 2025. Considered a headliner in the Garrett Crochet blockbuster, the big question mark in his game was how his offense would translate to the majors.

In 297 plate appearances, he slashed .273/.375/.411 with eight homers and 35 runs batted in. His 1.9 fWAR was 18th among catchers with 250 plate appearances, but he was only 40th in games played.

He’s certainly a vital piece of a pretty exciting young team forming in Chicago.

With all that settled, here are the top 10 catchers entering the 2026 season.

10. Austin Wells, New York Yankees

Average Ranking: 9.625
2025 Stats: 126 G, .219/.275/.436, 21 HR, 71 RBI, 94 wRC+, 11 FRV, 3.0 fWAR

Wells’ offense took a hit in 2025, but he maintained his excellent defense with an increase in volume from his rookie campaign.

Among catchers with at least 250 plate appearances, he was tied for 10th in fWAR with teammate Ben Rice, but ranked fourth in defensive value. His 21 home runs were also tied for sixth with former Yankees farmhand Agustín Ramírez, further emphasizing that the Yankees have one of, if not the best catching development staffs in baseball.

It’ll be curious to see what offense we get from Wells in 2026. If he’s in line with his 2024 self, he has the ability to climb these rankings going into 2027.

9. Patrick Bailey, San Francisco Giants

Average Ranking: 8.875
2025 Stats: 135 G, .222/.277/.325, 6 HR, 55 RBI, 70 wRC+, 30 FRV, 3.2 fWAR

If the Giants’ backstop could hit, the sky truly would be the limit.

Bailey has earned 4.3 fWAR per 150 games since making his debut in 2023. Since then, he’s fourth among qualifying catchers in that stat.

Twenty-three catchers qualify since 2023 (per FanGraphs), and he’s 23rd in wRC+ and slugging percentage. He’s also bottom five in average, on-base percentage, and isolated power. But he’s truly an all-time defender at the position.

Bailey ranks 55th in defensive value among catchers all-time; that’s out of 658 qualifying catchers. He’s only 1.6 Def away from entering the top 50. This is all while ranking 609th in games played.

So, yes, he’s a bottom-tier hitter in the game, especially for his position, but his defensive prowess is so great that it doesn’t matter; he’s comfortably a top 10 backstop in baseball.

8. Shea Langeliers, Athletics

Average Ranking: 8.25
2025 Stats: 123 G, .277/.325/.536, 31 HR, 72 RBI, 132 wRC+, -2 FRV, 3.9 fWAR

We always knew Langeliers had pop, but he added batted ball success to the power in 2025.

In 123 games, he had career-highs in wRC+, average, on-base, slugging, defensive value, and stolen bases. He finished with his second-most runs batted in, even though he saw a 27-PA reduction in opportunities with runners in scoring position.

Moving to Sacramento did wonders for his production, but so did simply making more contact. While his 6.9% walk rate was a regression from his career-high in 2024, he saw a 7.5% reduction in strikeout rate. More contact doesn’t always equate to more success, but it certainly did in 2025 for Langeliers.

7. Dillon Dingler, Detroit Tigers

Average Ranking: 7.875
2025 Stats: 126 G, .278/.327/.425, 13 HR, 57 RBI, 109 wRC+, 12 FRV, 4.1 fWAR

Dingler didn’t see much big league burn in 2024, but he exploded in an increased role this past season.

In 126 games, he slashed .278/.327/.425 and was in the 95th percentile for fielding run value.

He truly did it all in 2025, as he ranked in the 97th percentile for expected batting average and the 82nd percentile for expected wOBA, on top of being an elite defender. While he ranked higher than most in front of him on this list in fWAR, he’s lacking in volume as a top-flight catcher. All he has to do to soar these rankings, really, is continue playing at a high level.

6. Adley Rutschman, Baltimore Orioles

Average Ranking: 6
2025 Stats: 90 G, .220/.307/.366, 9 HR, 29 RBI, 91 wRC+, 2 FRV, 1.2 fWAR

The past two years for Rutschman have been lost to either injuries or struggles when on the field. Last year, especially, was a lost one; he had the worst season of his young career.

The switch-hitter is still a positive behind the dish. In 2025, he was in the 67th percentile for fielding run value and the 76th percentile for framing. While his offense sputtered, he remained one of the best bat-to-ball guys in the league. He was 94th percentile for whiff rate and 88th percentile for chase, while also being comfortably above average at avoiding strike three and accepting ball four.

He sustained his production against fastballs from 2024, but his performance against secondaries tanked. Against breaking pitches, he hit .213 with a .286 wOBA. Even worse, against offspeed, he hit .150 with a .212 wOBA.

Rutschman is only two years removed from a 126 wRC+ and 5.5 fWAR campaign. He followed that up with a .300/.351/.479 slash with 15 homers in his first 77 games in 2024. The talent is still in there; he’s just got to stay on the field to realize it.

5. Drake Baldwin, Atlanta Braves

Average Ranking: 5.875
2025 Stats: 124 G, .274/.341/.469, 19 HR, 80 RBI, 125 wRC+, 0 FRV, 3.1 fWAR

Baldwin burst onto the scene in 2025, taking home National League Rookie of the Year honors in the process.

The 24-year-old mashed his way through the minor leagues and, after posting a 106 wRC+ in April, he slashed .278/.343/.479 across his final 388 plate appearances. He and Sean Murphy make up one of the best catching duos in baseball, even if one may factor in more as a designated hitter in 2026.

Among catchers with at least 250 plate appearances, Baldwin was fifth in wRC+ and seventh in batting average. He was also fourth in runs batted in and top 10 in home runs.

Defensively, he’s got some work to do in controlling the running game, but he was in the 91st percentile for blocking in his debut campaign.

4. Will Smith, Los Angeles Dodgers

Average Ranking: 3.5
2025 Stats: 110 G, .296/.404/.497, 17 HR, 61 RBI, 153 wRC+, -8 FRV, 4.1 fWAR

Smith is one of the best “bang for your buck” catchers in the game, and has been since he debuted in 2019.

While his defense isn’t what it used to be, he’s still a top-flight offensive catcher. Last season, he ranked second among catchers with 250 plate appearances in wRC+ and first in on-base percentage. He also tied for third in fWAR despite being 25th in games played.

Lost in all the greatness on the Dodgers roster is Smith, who hit the game-winning homer in Game 7 of this past fall’s World Series.

3. Alejandro Kirk, Toronto Blue Jays

Average Ranking: 3.375
2025 Stats: 130 G, .282/.348/.421, 15 HR, 76 RBI, 116 wRC+, 22 FRV, 4.7 fWAR

There’s no mistaking it that Kirk is among the game’s best defensive backstops, but he did a lot to dispel the critics of his offense in 2025.

He’s not much of a power source, which makes his offensive profile a bit more volatile. From 2023-24, he hit a combined 13 home runs and ran a wRC+ under 100 both years. In 2025, he hit 15 home runs, and his wRC+ jumped to 116.

His glove essentially gives him a free two wins above replacement as a baseline, so long as his offense isn’t well below average. We saw that in 2023 and 2024. When he’s also an above-average hitter, he’s truly an upper-echelon catcher in baseball.

2. William Contreras, Milwaukee Brewers

Average Ranking: 2.125
2025 Stats: 150 G, .260/.355/.399, 17 HR, 76 RBI, 113 wRC+, 3 FRV, 3.6 fWAR

It goes to show how good Contreras is that his 2025 could be seen as disappointing. Last season, he saw career lows in slugging, average, and isolated power, but he still popped 17 homers and added 28 doubles.

He also controls the running game and remains steady as a blocker. He’s even an above-average framer, leading to his 73rd percentile finish in fielding run value last year.

Breaking pitches gave him trouble in 2025, as his average against them dropped 54 points, and his slugging against them suffered even more. But if he can find a happy balance between 2024 and 2025, Contreras should return to the standard he set in his previous two years with the Brewers.

1. Cal Raleigh, Seattle Mariners

Average Ranking: 1
2025 Stats: 159 G, .247/.359/.589, 60 HR, 125 RBI, 161 wRC+, 7 FRV, 9.1 fWAR

There’s not much explanation needed for Raleigh coming in at No. 1. Seldom does a catcher have it all: offense, defense, and durability. Even if they have all three, they don’t tend to play 159 games in a season the way Raleigh did in 2025.

In addition to hitting 60 home runs with a 161 wRC+, he was 93rd percentile for framing and 66th percentile for caught stealing above average.

Only Aaron Judge and his truly historic offensive production stood in the way of the Mariners’ backstop taking home American League MVP honors last season.

Raleigh will enter 2026 with the impossible task of following up on his career-defining season. However, he doesn’t have to do that to maintain the top spot of the catching pecking order.