Paul Sporer’s Top 50 Catchers
by Paul Sporer
March 19, 2021
Pardon the delay on these as they should’ve been up over a week ago, but I’ve updated the commentary and rankings since then so here’s the latest backstop ranks fresh off the press!
Other positions:
Here’s my list.
2021 C Rankings
| RK | PLAYER | TM | POS | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | J.T. Realmuto | PHI | C | Thumb inj. doesn’t cost him #1 at C, but should drop him overall |
| 2 | Yasmani Grandal | CWS | C | Best wRC+ at C (min. 500 PA) since 2018; 2nd in HR w/60 (G.Sanchez, 62) |
| 3 | Willson Contreras | CHC | C | Could be moved in-season, but doesn’t deter me from drafting him |
| 4 | Will Smith | LAD | C | 144 wRC+ is tops at C (min. 300 PA) since 2019 |
| 5 | Salvador Perez | KC | C | Excellent 2-mo. season is pushing him too high (15th in wRC+ since ’18) |
| 6 | Travis d’Arnaud | ATL | C | Has been great since ’19, can he stay healthy & remain a force? |
| 7 | Christian Vázquez | BOS | C | Backed up his ’19 w/a solid ’20; avg of 7 SB per 500 PA since ’17 |
| 8 | Sean Murphy | OAK | C | Huge fan of his bat, would be higher if not recovering from collapsed lung |
| 9 | Gary Sánchez | NYY | C | Premium pwr is enticing, but another sub-.200 AVG would be tough to eat |
| 10 | James McCann | NYM | C | Can he maintain his big BABIP to remain a huge AVG asset? |
| 11 | Austin Nola | SD | C | Unknown status of his finger makes him a tough draft at this point |
| 12 | Mitch Garver | MIN | C | PT not guaranteed, but he only needed 359 PA for his mega breakout in ’19 |
| 13 | Daulton Varsho | ARZ | C, OF | Calhoun inj. opens potential OF spot for the C-elig. prospect |
| 14 | Buster Posey | SF | C | Has the skills to bounce back from ugly ’19 |
| 15 | Wilson Ramos | DET | C | 2nd in AVG (.288) among C since ’18 (W.Astudillo, .294) |
| 16 | Yadier Molina | STL | C | Compiler who always seems to wind up doing just fine |
| 17 | Tom Murphy | SEA | C | No real tax for his 18 HR breakout so I might buy in |
| 18 | Omar Narváez | MLW | C | Forgotten after 40 ugly gms, but even w/that he’s 10th in wRC+ since ’18 (112) |
| 19 | Ryan Jeffers | MIN | C | Better glove than Garver w/a solid bat to boot; interesting sleeper |
| 20 | Danny Jansen | TOR | C | Has shown flashes, but career .208 AVG highlights the risk |
| 21 | Yan Gomes | WAS | C | He’s fine |
| 22 | Jorge Alfaro | MIA | C | Still feel like there’s some upside here, but I can’t get past the 34% K, 4% BB |
| 23 | Carson Kelly | ARZ | C | Was a favored sleeper coming into ’20 who’s star faded after a rough 2 mos. |
| 24 | Max Stassi | LAA | C | Think the power gains are real and make him a really intriguing C2… |
| 25 | Kurt Suzuki | LAA | C | …but Suzuki will eat into his PT if he remains a plus bat |
| 26 | Alejandro Kirk | TOR | C | Just not sure there is anywhere to play right now |
| 27 | Pedro Severino | BAL | C | 18 HR in his last 519 PA with a .249 AVG |
| 28 | Jason Castro | HOU | C | Ks too much, but the power is legit and makes a potential C2 |
| 29 | Jacob Stallings | PIT | C | Has the defense to be a 6-day-a-week backstop and compile some stats |
| 30 | Victor Caratini | SD | C | Will be the starter to open the season which makes him a worthy C2 |
| 31 | Tucker Barnhart | CIN | C | Losing his hold on the full-time role w/below avg bat & Stephenson looming |
| 32 | Tyler Stephenson | CIN | C | Be careful with rookie Cs, but keep an eye on his playing time |
| 33 | Austin Barnes | LAD | C | Defense and OBP will get him some PA and SBs give him unique value |
| 34 | Joey Bart | SF | C | Not starting with the club so he will be a waiver wire pickup |
| 35 | Mike Zunino | TB | C | While he doesn’t play a ton, a .161 AVG can still hurt |
| 36 | Roberto Pérez | CLE | C | Will get a ton of PT, but do you want it on your roster? |
| 37 | Francisco Mejía | TB | C | Maybe the Rays can unlock some of that prospect potential |
| 38 | Kyle Higashioka | NYY | C | Should get enough PT to be a reasonable AL-Only C2 |
| 39 | Jose Trevino | TEX | C | Has edge for starting role, but feels like a glove-first backstop |
| 40 | Elias Díaz | COL | C | Stop, you’re only drafting him because of Coors despite yrs of this strategy failing |
| 41 | Adley Rutschman | BAL | C | Sisco/Severino could be a solid platoon & leave Rutsch in the high minors |
| 42 | Alex Avila | WAS | C | OBP stud can be a sneaky C2 in NL-Only leagues |
| 43 | Sam Huff | TEX | C | Popped 28 HR in 2019 and then 3 in 33 PA in his MLB debut |
| 44 | Martín Maldonado | HOU | C | Could be relegated to a short-end platoon if Castro hits well |
| 45 | Chance Sisco | BAL | C | Should reach double-digit HRs… can we get ’em w/an AVG north of .220? |
| 46 | Andrew Knizner | STL | C | At least one more year behind the legend |
| 47 | Jonah Heim | TEX | C | Strong high minors (AA/AAA) in ’19 could bring opportunity in TEX |
| 48 | Kevin Plawecki | BOS | C | A .403 BABIP drove his nice 89 PA sample, but he’s a career 80 wRC+ |
| 49 | Luis Torrens | SEA | C | Murphy’s backup hasn’t done much to instill interest in his bat |
| 50 | Willians Astudillo | MIN | C | Just not seeing the PT for La Tortuga |
grandal’s got a little knee strain that might limit his playing time the first week or two. who’s behind him isn’t totally clear yet, but z. collins is having a very good spring, maybe enough to get some semi-regular PH/DH work from the left side in addition to being the 2nd C