The catcher position took the big collective step forward we were all hoping for in 2026, and then they all mostly took a big step back. At the All-Star break, six different catchers had at least an .800 OPS while logging at least 200 at-bats; in the second half, five catchers had at least an .800 OPS in at least 150 at-bats, but only Gabriel Moreno actually managed it across both halves of the season. 

Here's how those six first-half breakouts fared in the second:

  • Ben Rice | NYY – First half: .971 | Second half: .791
  • Hunter Goodman | COL – First half: .863 OPS | Second half: .794
  • Dillon Dingler | DET – First half: ..31 | Second half: .630
  • Liam Hicks | TB  – First half: .822 | Second half: .769
  • Gabriel Moreno | ARI – First half: .822 | Second half: .927
  • Shea Langeliers | ATH – First half: .807 | Second half: .778*

*missed much of the second half with a knee injury

For the most part, they didn't totally collapse. And this list notably doesn't include Drake Baldwin, whose first-half numbers were dragged down by a miserable few weeks right after he came back from an oblique injury; he had a big second half, finishing third at the position in OPS. But when it looked like we were getting a whole new crop of potential superstars early on, that momentum didn't quite carry over for the whole season.

Add it all up, and we ended up with 11 players worth at least $10 on the FanGraphs.com Player Rater, actually down from the 12 who hit that mark in 2025. But that doesn't quite paint the right picture either, because the number of $20 catchers actually jumped from four in 2025 to nine in 2026, and Langeliers would have gotten there if not for his injury. Despite a somewhat disappointing second half across the board, the position did take a big step forward overall.

We're going to give some of that back, of course, because it just doesn't look like Rice is ever going to have catcher eligibility ever again, while Dingler and Hicks feel like tough bets to repeat their overall success. Even with that, catcher does at least look stronger than it has at the high end in a long time, and that's without assuming a bounce back from Cal Raleigh. You might still find the pickings kind of slim in 2027 drafts if you play in a two-catcher league, but there are enough capable catchers that getting one of the best ones doesn't necessarily put you way ahead of most of the league. 

And this isn't just a one-year trend, as the (relative) resurgence of the catcher position started in 2025. The top names at the position are mostly young enough that we should expect them to at least hold steady for the next few years – obviously, you can't always bet on that, especially with catchers, but there aren't a ton of glaring red flags at the top of the position. 

Catcher certainly isn't the strongest position in Fantasy. Pound for pound, it might still be the weakest, even. But that gap has shrunk over the past few years, and with some really exciting young players on the verge of establishing themselves in the majors, it could get even better in 2027. It's okay to be optimistic about the state of catchers right now!

2026 Catcher Review

  1. Ben Rice, NYY: .264 - 105 - 41 - 97 - 3
  2. Hunter Goodman, COL: .245 - 84 - 41 - 88 - 5
  3. Drake Baldwin, ATL: .284 - 85 - 25 - 79 - 3
  4. Gabriel Moreno, ARI: .311 - 72 - 16 - 83 - 6
  5. William Contreras, MIL: .270 - 82 - 18 - 94 - 1
  6. Dillon Dingler, DET: .243 - 72 - 27 - 91 - 0
  7. Liam Hicks, TBR: .284 - 66 - 18 - 82 - 3
  8. Carter Jensen, KCR: .239 - 80 - 27 - 81 - 2
  9. Iván Herrera, STL: .241 - 98 - 19 - 69 - 8
  10. Shea Langeliers, ATH: .262 - 58 - 23 - 58 - 3
  11. Salvador Perez, KCR: .229 - 50 - 21 - 78 - 1
  12. Carson Kelly, CHC: .258 - 57 - 10 - 58 - 0

Some of these names aren't surprising at all. Rice, Goodman, Baldwin, Langeliers, and Contreras all more or less did what was expected of them (or more), and Jensen and Herrera were extremely popular breakout candidates who mostly lived up to expectations. If you avoided the Cal Raleigh landline, paying up for a premier catcher was a pretty good idea in 2027.

The more interesting names here are the ones we didn't really see coming. Moreno and Dingler had very mild breakout hype, but were definitely overshadowed by some of the other names involved. But nobody had Hicks as a high-priority target coming into the season. He has always had elite contact skills, and those remained in 2026. What changed? Well, he started making a little bit of damage on contact. Not a ton more, but he started angling the ball to the more beneficial parts of the field (in the air, to the pull side) and that was enough to lead to the breakout. When you look under the hood, Hicks looks like largely the same guy — .319 xwOBA compared to a .313 mark in 2025 — but that combination of his elite contact skills and marginal optimization of his swing had a huge impact. I don't expect that impact to fully carry over to 2027, but I will note that he did finish the season with a .330 xwOBA over his final 250 plate appearances, much of which came during his time with the Rays. Therefore, it's possible they were able to unlock another half-gear or so, though I'm skeptical there's another level here. Hicks should be looked at as a good bet for batting average, and if you hope for 2 homers, you shouldn't end up too disappointed. 

Biggest Breakout from 2026

Ben Rice, Yankees 

Rice had the breakout everyone was hoping for and then some, and probably would have been a top-10 overall hitter even if he wasn't catcher eligible. He won't be for 2027, and I suspect this will end up going down as his best Fantasy season when it's all said and done. But since his eligibility won't carry over, let's take a second to talk about someone else: 

Gabriel Moreno, Diamondbacks

Moreno has always been viewed as someone with another gear he could hit, and after showing flashes of it in 2025, he fully broke out in 2026. He did that despite a pretty quiet first half, where he hit .301 but with little production beyond that. The power showed up in the second half, as he clubbed 10 homers after the break, eclipsing his full-season career-high by one just in that span. He probably overperformed a bit on his way to his final numbers (.380 wOBA vs. a .363 expected mark). However, his combination of strong contact skills, at least above-average raw power, and improved pulled-air skills makes it relatively easy to buy in. I don't think this is a situation where I expect the huge second half to lead to another level, but a 15-homer catcher who actively helps you in batting average has plenty of appeal. 

Biggest Bust from 2026

Cal Raleigh, Mariners 

He wasn't just the biggest bust at the position in 2026: Raleigh was one of the biggest busts in Fantasy history. It took a big closing kick (12 homers in August and September) for Raleigh to even get to one-third of his homer total from 2025, and he managed to hit below the Mendoza Line in four of six months. Multiple oblique injuries surely didn't help, but as he enters his 30s, it's not like Raleigh is necessarily a safe bet to be healthier moving forward. I expect a big bounce back in 2027, though more to his pre-2025 levels, when he was an elite source of power and counting stats, but a big drag on your batting average. He's still a top-12 catcher for next season, but he might never be the clear top choice again. 

Biggest rankings movers from 2026 to 2027

Up: Gabriel Moreno, Diamondbacks; Dillon Dingler, Tigers; Leo Bernal, Cardinals

For a while there, it looked like Dingler was a sure thing to be drafted as a top-six catcher in 2027; now I'm pretty certain he won't be. Still, he's obviously going to be one of the biggest risers after being drafted as the 20th catcher on average coming into the season. Despite how his season ended, Dingler still finished with 27 homers and 91 RBI, big numbers for any position and positively huge numbers for a catcher. There's a catch-22 there, where the big numbers are at least in part because of his huge role in the Tigers' offense, which might also explain why he faded down the stretch. I wouldn't mind seeing the Tigers spell Dingler more with Eduardo Valencia in 2027, and he should very much be on your sleepers list for position after showing enough upside as a rookie to garner regular DH time. 

There's some irony in the fact that the Cardinals have been desperately searching for their long-term replacement for Yainer Molina while also emerging as perhaps the premier catcher development team in the majors. Ivan Herrera is already a huge developmental win, even if he probably isn't a catcher in the long run, and Jimmy Crooks still looks like a solid long-term option despite an iffy MLB debut. But Bernal looks like the real deal, to the point where Rainiel Rodriguez, arguably the top catching prospect in baseball, is going to take reps at third base this offseason. It's an embarrassment of riches, and Bernal emerged as the team's primary catcher down the stretch, starting every game after his promotion from Triple-A while hitting .284/.333/.474 with excellent underlying metrics and solid defense. He wasn't quite that good at Triple-A and probably has some regression coming for him, but this is a solid all-around skill set that should lead to plenty of playing time and 20-plus homer potential for 2027. He's already your favorite Fantasy analyst's favorite breakout pick at the position. 

Down: Cal Raleigh, Mariners; Adley Rutschman, Red Sox; Yainer Diaz, Astros; Agustin Ramirez, Marlins

Another frustrating, injury-riddled season for Rutschman, who looked like he might be re-emerging as an impact player early on before putting together yet another underwhelming season. Injuries certainly played their part, but we're talking about a soon-to-be 29-year-old catcher who hasn't really been a must-start Fantasy option since 2023. It's not impossible that we get a bounce-back season out of Rutschman, but we're done giving him the benefit of the doubt because he was good for two seasons at the start of his career.

And, honestly, ditto for Diaz. He finished with decent enough numbers thanks to a big second half, but given how inconsistent he has been over the past few years, I need to see more than that before I view him as a top-12 catcher again. That upside is there thanks to his strong contact skills and bat speed, but his poor swing decisions too often lead him to swing at the wrong pitches, subsequently minimizing his production. That streakiness is probably inherent to his skill set, especially since he doesn't really have any way of impacting the game when hits aren't dropping in. As a high-upside No. 2 catcher, Diaz still has some appeal, but at this point, I think he can be pretty safely ignored in points leagues. 

And then there's Ramirez, whose limitations were just completely exposed this season. The plus raw power was still there, thanks to near-elite bat speed, but there were just too many holes in his swing to get to that power often enough. He swings and misses too often, and when he does make contact, too much of it is either hit hard into the ground or sky high into the air, and you won't find much production on either end of that spectrum. The Marlins also soured on his defense behind the plate, so when he returned from the minors, he was mostly used as a DH. If he can hit well enough to justify that spot, it's actually not a bad thing for his value. Ramirez just didn't show the kind of consistent impact to justify an everyday role at the most demanding offensive position. The upside for 20-plus homers and useful speed is still there, but you can't go into 2027 expecting it. To be honest, I'm not sure if we can even go into 2027 expecting him to have a big role with the Marlins; he'll likely have to earn that with a strong offseason and Spring Training performance at this point.

Offseason preview

Who needs an upgrade most? 

The Phillies are probably in the toughest spot of any team because J.T. Realmuto looks like he's in free fall in the first year of a three-year contract. They could really use an upgrade, but I'm not sure how likely they are to pursue it, given how expensive their team already is. 

Otherwise, there aren't a ton of contenders who really need an upgrade at catcher. The Guardians could always use a better stick behind the plate, but they seem content to punt on offense in favor of the best possible defense they can manage back there. 

The team that feels likeliest to make a big swing at catcher this offseason is probably the Giants, who are run by Buster Posey and who clearly weren't happy with what they were getting from the position this season. Of course, given what we've seen from this front office, do you really want to see what the Giants do when they are "desperate?" I would guess they'll try to make a big impact there, though the Giants might be best served by punting in 2027 and doing a soft reset, given how many pitcher injuries they'll be dealing with. 

As for the Reds: With Alfredo Duno reaching (and holding his own at) Double-A as a 20-year-old, the Reds aren't likely to be looking for a long-term answer at catcher this offseason, despite it being an area they could stand to upgrade. 

Top impending free agents

Unfortunately, if you're looking for an upgrade at catcher, the pickings are quite slim on the free agent market. Jeffers looked like he was having a breakout, but he posted just a .230/.316/.406 line after the All-Star break, with the underlying numbers to back it up. He's not a bad option, but he's probably not much better than just a middle-of-the-pack option at the position, and the same goes for Stephenson. Getting a middle-of-the-pack producer at catcher would still be an upgrade for a few of these teams, but nobody on the free agent marketplace looks likely to change any teams' outlook. 

Trade candidates

There is always a lot of speculation with these kinds of predictions, but I wouldn't be surprised to see any of these names moved. The Rockies were reportedly at least listening to offers for Goodman, but they needed to be absolutely blown away at the deadline and the same likely remains true coming off a 41-homer season. He isn't a great defender, but he is passable and is only set to make a few million dollars in arbitration this season, so every team looking for an upgrade should be in on Goodman if the Rockies make him available.

The same is true of Herrera, who probably shouldn't be a full-time catcher but whose bat is absolutely good enough to play first base or DH or any other position you think he might be able to handle. The Cardinals have at least two viable young options at catcher, even beyond Herrera and have arguably the top catching prospect in baseball with an ETA as early as 2027. Herrera is coming off a .241/.353/.382 line and I think it's reasonable to at least expect a bit more power from him moving forward. As a DH who can handle backup catcher duties, this is a profile that should garner a ton of trade interest around the league.

Diaz has flopped ever since his breakout, but there remains at least theoretical upside here – he makes a lot of contact and tends to hit the ball hard despite pretty terrible plate discipline overall. The Astros have quietly become a pretty poor player development team over the past few years, so some smart team might view Diaz as a nice buy-low option in the right offseason program. The Astros would have to decide their .500 record despite winning the AL West, plus their unceremonious (and acrimonious) exit from the playoffs is a sign that they are far enough away from competing that Diaz isn't worth what will likely still be a pretty reasonable salary in arbitration. There's no guarantee owner/acting GM Jim Crane will be interested in pursuing that path. But he should be.

Top 2027 rookies to know

Salas made his MLB debut as a 20-year-old, and in fact won't even turn 21 until next June. He re-emerged as a top prospect with 10 homers and 17 steals in 96 games between the top two levels of the minors. While he has mostly struggled to make an impact in the majors, he has been used as a starter already in the playoffs and seems like he'll have a starting job waiting for him on Opening Day. The combination of power, speed, and plate discipline, plus Salas' unusually precocity, makes him a very high-upside option in the long run. With that said, growing pains will likely be a part of the profile, too.

Rodriguez and Duno both bring unusual raw power to the plate and both more than held their own as very young players at Double-A. At this point, it looks like a long shot that either will be on the Opening Day roster, but both are talented enough that you can't dismiss the possibility out of hand.