Catchers play a significant role in the success of any fantasy baseball team. As such, now is as good a time as ever to look forward to the coming season. Below, you’ll find two important bits of information: (1) the Fangraphs Auction Calculator Tool’s catcher rankings for the 2026 season, assuming a typical 15-team mixed 5×5 roto league, and (2) my analysis on the top 15 catchers’ 2025 seasons and what 2026 could hold for each.
2026 Position Overview: Catchers
1. Cal Raleigh, Seattle Mariners ($43.3)
Cal Raleigh was outstanding for the Mariners in 2025, nearly becoming the first catcher to win an AL MVP since Joe Mauer in 2009. Raleigh is always going to strike out at a high clip; even in his once-in-a-lifetime season, he was set down via strikeout in nearly 27% of his plate appearances. But his power more than makes up for any strikeout concerns.
Raleigh knocked 29(!) more home runs than second-place catcher Shea Langeliers by pulling 38.4% of batted balls in the air (per Baseball Savant), nearly a 10% increase from the 2024 season. He’s the clear number one among MLB catchers heading into 2026.
2. William Contreras, Milwaukee Brewers ($34.7)
William Contreras took a significant step back in 2025 from his 2024 production. He whiffed less overall but still saw his batting average take a 21-point hit down to .281 from .260. That shift was due to a decreased average exit velocity and a relatively uncommon lack of barrels. However, his .326 wOBA still ranked 11th among 34 catchers with at least 300 plate appearances. Given his very good career numbers and solid production in a “down” year, Contreras is still a strong choice for fantasy managers at backstop.
3. Salvador Perez, Kansas City Royals ($32.4)
The Kansas City Royals clearly believe Salvador Perez has more production left in the tank, so who are we to say otherwise? The team awarded their longtime captain a two-year deal through 2027 last month, with good reason. Perez’s xSLG stayed high in 2025, indicating his quality of contact is still strong.
He’s coming off a 30-homer season despite his batting average falling to .236. Look for the catcher to turn in another productive year power-wise in 2026, even if his batting average leaves something to be desired as he ages.
4. Shea Langeliers, Athletics ($31.2)
Like his Kansas City counterpart, Shea Langeliers also reached the 30-homer plateau in 2025. Not only that, but he posted an .861 OPS and a .277 batting average. He chased pitches at a higher clip than ever before, but his whiff rate plummeted to a respectable 25.1%. Expect Langeliers to post another all-around very good season next year, which will be especially valuable in roto leagues.
5. Hunter Goodman, Colorado Rockies ($27)
Hunter Goodman was a first-time All-Star in his first full year in the big leagues. Expect him to regress during the 2026 season. His .278 batting average belied his whiff and chase rates, both of which ranked in the 8th percentile among big leaguers. He hits the ball relatively hard (80th percentile barrel rate) and is only 26 years old, which gives him a higher power ceiling than many other catchers. But be aware, he’s likely to post a batting average more in line with his career mark (.248) in 2026.
6. Ben Rice, New York Yankees ($26.6)
The Yankees selected Ben Rice in the 12th round of the 2021 draft, and he certainly rewarded that decision four years later. Rice posted easily the best all-around underlying metrics of any fantasy-eligible catcher last season.
He ranked in the 90th percentile or higher in xwOBA, xBA, xSLG, chase rate, average exit velocity, barrel rate, and hard-hit rate, and struck out in just under 19% of his plate appearances. He won’t don a catcher’s mitt much for the Yankees next season, but his bat has shown no signs of slowing down.
7. Yainer Diaz, Houston Astros ($25.4)
Despite posting a .256 batting average last season that marked a new career low (excluding his eight at-bats in 2022, over which he managed one base knock), Diaz is in line to have another very productive season in 2026. His xBA and xSLG remained high despite a horrible chase rate (nearly 45%), and he’s shown he can hit the ball hard consistently throughout his career. When he swings, he doesn’t miss as often as his chase rate might lead one to expect; in fact, his strikeout rate ranked in the 77th percentile last season.
8. Adley Rutschman, Baltimore Orioles ($22.8)
Adley Rutschman hasn’t yet morphed into the superstar many believed he would become. In fact, he has fewer All-Star appearances than Hunter Goodman, who was picked two years and 108 picks later. It’s likely that the unfortunate trend will continue in 2026. Rutschman posted the best bat-to-ball metrics of his career last season – his chase, whiff, and strikeout rates all ranked in the 83rd percentile or better – but he struggled massively to hit the ball hard, which could be attributed to injury but is also a continuation of his healthier 2024 season.
9. Drake Baldwin, Atlanta Braves ($22.5)
Players who begin their career with a bang often struggle to replicate their success as pitchers adjust in their second season. Luckily for Drake Baldwin, there isn’t a whole lot for pitchers to exploit in his swing. While he did struggle against pitches moving away from him (his two lowest Run Values came on sinkers and changeups), he performed well enough against fastballs, sliders, and cutters to post whiff and strikeout rates that ranked in the 80th percentile or above among big leaguers. His very strong bat speed helped him hit the ball hard and generate very good expected statistics.
10. Agustin Ramirez, Miami Marlins ($22.3)
On the surface – and even when you dive deeper, to a certain extent – it’s confusing why Ramirez is ranked here. He hit .231 last season, which ranked 24th among 34 catchers with at least 300 plate appearances. His chase, whiff, and walk rates are all below average, and it’s not as if his extra-base-hit production was much better – he slugged just .413. However, he did rank in the 65th percentile or higher in xwOBA, xBA, and xSLG. He’s still only 24 years old and has 89th-percentile bat speed, which indicates he may be able to unlock more power than we saw last season.
11. Will Smith, Los Angeles Dodgers ($22.2)
While he didn’t hit the 20-homer mark in 2025, Will Smith did hit a home run when it mattered most in World Series Game 7 – and he still managed to post the 2nd-highest OPS among catchers with at least 300 plate appearances.
Smith is a career .264 hitter with around 20-homer power every year, and his high floor comes with a high ceiling as well. In addition to making an All-Star team in his worst season (2024) he’s also posted batting averages north of .290 (2025) and reached the 25-homer plateau (2021). He’ll have a productive season in 2025 – the only question is to what extent.
12. Alejandro Kirk, Toronto Blue Jays ($19.7)
Like most catchers, Alejandro Kirk will never be a stolen base threat – but he had a career year in 2025 and fantasy baseball managers can expect his improved power production to continue next season. While he’s always posted a relatively high batting average as a result of above-average bat-to-ball skills, Kirk’s bat speed shot up by more than two miles per hour in 2025, and he roped a career-high 15 home runs as a result.
13. Ryan Jeffers, Minnesota Twins ($16.8)
For the last three years, Ryan Jeffers has provided consistent fantasy baseball production. While it’s come from different sources each year – in 2025 it was a result of his .266 batting average, and the year before that it was from his 21 home runs – it’s always there, and fantasy managers can expect it to be there again next year in his age-29 season. Jeffers’ 2025 .394 xSLG was right in line with his actual mark of .397, and his .753 OPS hovered around his career mark of .740.
14. Gabriel Moreno, Arizona Diamondbacks ($16.2)
I would not be surprised if Gabriel Moreno finished the 2026 season as a top-five catcher in baseball. His underlying metrics supported his excellent 2025 season in which he slashed .285/.353/.433. His swing is built for line drives, and his rolling xwOBA stayed well above league average throughout last season. He hits the ball hard and rarely strikes out, meaning his batting average and home run totals could continue to climb as he enters his age-26 season. If he starts lifting the ball more, Moreno has the power potential to reach the 20-home run marker as a .280 hitter.
15. Fransisco Alvarez, New York Mets ($15.8)
Francisco Alvarez had a rough 2025 season, highlighted (or perhaps lowlighted is the more correct term) by his demotion to Triple-A in June. But fantasy managers shouldn’t disregard Alvarez for 2026. If you’re comfortable with a lower batting average and a high strikeout rate, Alvarez’s power ceiling is as high as almost any catcher in baseball. His average exit velocity of 93.1 MPH is elite, and over 54% of his batted balls are over 95 MPH. If you want evidence of his prodigious power potential, just watch this clip of his 452-foot shot on June 21st against the Phillies.
16. Austin Wells, New York Yankees ($11.6)
17. J.T. Realmuto, Free Agent ($11.1)
18. Kyle Teel, Chicago White Sox ($9.9)
19. Bo Naylor, Cleveland Guardians ($8.3)
20. Logan O’Hoppe, Los Angeles Angels ($8.2)
21. Samuel Basallo, Baltimore Orioles ($7.8)
22. Freddy Fermin, San Diego Padres ($6.2)
23. Edgar Quero, Chicago White Sox ($5.6)
24. Tyler Stephenson, Cincinnati Reds ($5.5)
25. Keibert Ruiz, Washington Nationals ($3.0)
26. Carlos Narvaez, Boston Red Sox ($2.9)
27. Dillon Dingler, Detroit Tigers ($2.7)
28. Carson Kelly, Chicago Cubs ($2.1)
29. Carter Jensen, Kansas City Royals ($1)
30. Sean Murphy, Atlanta Braves ($1)
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