Outside of a team’s pitcher, the Catcher is the next most important position for a baseball team.
The Catcher is responsible for communicating with the pitcher regarding the type of pitch to throw, being able to throw out runners trying to steal a base, and of course, being a good batter.
Last season, Cal Raleigh led all Catchers with 27 home runs, Will Smith led the position with 87 RBIs, J.T. Realmuto led Catchers in hits, runs, SLG, OPS, and caught-stealing percentage, and Alejandro Kirk led the position in batting average and OBP among Catchers that qualified on MLB.com.
Scroll down for a breakdown of the top 10 Catchers entering the 2023 MLB season.
The Top 10 Catchers Entering The 2023 MLB Season
The MLB has seen a surge of talented Catchers in the league.
However, this is a top 10 list, which means some good Catchers had to be left off the list.
Cal Raleigh did not make the top-10 list, despite leading all catchers with 27 home runs last season. Raleigh had a batting average of just .211 and he struck out a whopping 122 times in just 119 games and 370 at-bats.
MJ Melendez had 18 home runs and 62 RBIs, which both ranked seventh among catchers in the MLB last season but he had a poor .217 batting average and he struck out 122 times in 129 games and 460 at-bats.
Below, we analyze the top 10 Catchers entering the 2023 MLB season.
Jose Trevino kicks off the top 10 list of Catchers for the 2023 MLB season.
10. Jose Trevino
Jose Trevino is coming off his first season in which he played over 100 games.
Trevino had 39 runs, 11 home runs, 43 RBIs, and a .248 batting average.
He was selected as an all-star reserve for the American League last season, mostly due to his defensive prowess. He accumulated the second-most catcher WAR in the AL.
Among catchers who played in at least 70 games or more last season, Trevino ranked fifth in caught-stealing percentage.
Trevino’s batting numbers are fairly decent for a Catcher.
His 11 home runs ranked 17th and his 43 RBIs ranked 18th among Catchers.
Trevino’s .248 batting average last year is fairly respectable for a Catcher.
He did not strike out often, striking out 62 times last season in 335 at-bats.
Expect Trevino’s batting numbers in the 2023 MLB season to be somewhat similar to his 2022 campaign but he is best known for his defense, which makes him a valuable Catcher.
With his defensive abilities and having a decent bat, Trevino will have a top-10 season among Catchers in the league.
9. Tyler Stephenson
Tyler Stephenson only played in 50 games last season due to a couple of broken bones last year.
A broken collarbone officially ended his season in August last year.
He hit six home runs, recorded 35 RBIs, had 53 hits, and had a .319 batting average last season.
In 2021, Stephenson played in 132 games and he had 10 home runs, 45 RBIs, and a .286 batting average.
Reds Manager David Bell said he wants Stephenson in the lineup for 140-150 games this upcoming season. This means he will play Catcher, first base, and DH to ensure he sees ample playing time.
If Stephenson remained healthy last season and saw enough plate appearances to qualify, he was on pace to lead all Catchers in batting average and OPS, and be top three in OBP and SLG.
While the 26-year-old does not have tremendous power, he gets on base frequently and has a high batting average.
Stephenson will likely bat third or fourth for the Reds this season and he will have plenty of opportunities to knock in runners since he has a high batting average and gets on base.
Expect him to hit between 15-20 home runs, record 60 or more RBIs, and be in the top five among Catchers in batting average, OBP, SLG, and OPS.
If Stephenson can stay healthy in the 2023 MLB season, he will have a top-10 season among Catchers.
8. William Contreras
William Contreras played last season with the Atlanta Braves but he will be the starting Catcher for the Milwaukee Brewers this season.
He is expected to bat fourth in the lineup with the Brewers.
Last season, Contreras had 51 runs, 20 home runs, 45 RBIs, and a .278 batting average.
He hit 20 home runs in 97 games played and 334 at-bats.
Contreras ranked eighth in runs, sixth in home runs, 14th in RBIs, and 11th in walks among Catchers in the league.
While the Brewers do not have as good of a lineup as the Braves, Contreras’ numbers will go up this season as he is expected to bat cleanup in 2023 instead of seventh or lower in the Atlanta batting lineup last season.
Expect Contreras to have over 55 runs, hit 25 or more home runs, knock in over 55 runners, and have a batting average of around .280.
The younger Contreras brother will see a career-high in his numbers in the 2023 MLB season and he will have a strong campaign.
7. Willson Contreras
After playing the 2022 MLB season for the Chicago Cubs, Willson Contreras will be the starting Catcher for the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2023 MLB season.
Contreras is expected to bat second in the Cardinals’ lineup with Paul Goldschmidt batting third and Nolan Arenado batting fourth.
He had 65 runs, 22 home runs, 55 RBIs, and a .243 batting average last season.
Conteras ranked fifth in runs, fourth in home runs, 10th in RBIs, and tied for seventh in doubles among Catchers last season.
He can also get it done defensively.
Among catchers that played 70 or more games behind the plate, he ranked ninth in caught-stealing percentage.
Now with the Cardinals, Contreras’ 2023 numbers will improve.
Expect Conteras to have over 75 runs, hit 25 or more home runs, have 65 or more RBIs and have 25 or more doubles.
In a very good Cardinals batting lineup, Contreras will post the best offensive numbers of his career in the 2023 MLB season and he will have a top-10 season among Catchers.
6. Sean Murphy
After playing for the Oakland Athletics last season, Sean Murphy will start as Catcher for the Atlanta Braves this upcoming season, which will be a nice change of scenery and will help his offensive stats go up.
Last season, Murphy played in 148 games and he had 67 runs, 18 home runs, 66 RBIs, and a .250 batting average.
Murphy ranked third in hits, fourth in runs and RBIs, tied for seventh in home runs, and first in doubles among Catchers last season.
He is expected to bat fifth for the Braves in a much better batting lineup this season than Oakland last year.
He can also get it done defensively.
Murphy had a 31% caught-stealing percentage, which ranked 10th among catchers last season that played in 70 or more games.
According to MLB.com, Murphy ranked fourth in OBP and OPS, and third in SLG among Catchers that qualified with 3.1 plate appearances per team game played last season.
Expect Murphy to hit over 20 home runs, record over 75 runs and RBIs, have a .250 or better batting average and hit over 35 doubles in the 2023 MLB season.
Batting fifth in the Braves batting lineup will boost Murphy’s offensive numbers and he will have a very good 2023 MLB season.
The Top 5 Catchers Entering The 2023 MLB Season
Now, we get to the elite Catchers in the MLB.
Alejandro Kirk kicks off the top-five list of Catchers entering the 2023 MLB season.
5. Alejandro Kirk
Alejandro Kirk emerged as one of the best hitters among Catchers last season.
Kirk had 59 runs, 14 home runs, 63 RBIs, and a .285 batting average.
He ranked second in hits, seventh in runs, 14th in home runs, fifth in RBIs, and third in walks among Catchers.
Among Catchers that qualified on MLB.com with 3.1 plate appearances per team game played, Kirk ranked first in batting average and OBP, fourth in SLG, and third in OPS.
He’s not all batting average, though. His exit velocities suggest even more power could be in store.
One of his best traits is how little he strikes out, striking out just 58 times in 470 at-bats last season.
He is expected to bat fourth once again in the Blue Jays lineup, behind George Springer, Bo Bichette, and Vladimir Guerrero.
Kirk will once again see prime RBI opportunities in the Toronto lineup.
The Rogers Centre will be more hitter-friendly in the 2023 MLB season.
Right Center Field alley will be moving in from 375 to 357 feet.
Left Center Field will be moving in from 375 to 366 feet.
Center Field will move in from 400 to 397 feet.
Rogers Centre is going to be even more hitter-friendly moving forward.
Per sources, here are the expected new dimensions.
RCF alley moving in from 375 to 357(!) feet.
LCF 375 to 366.
CF from 400 to 397.
Lines expected to stay same at 328.#BlueJays— Scott Mitchell (@ScottyMitchTSN) January 21, 2023
This will help Kirk’s power numbers in the upcoming season.
Expect Kirk to hit closer to 20 home runs, have over 60 runs, record over 70 RBIs, and be in the top five among Catchers in batting average, OBP, SLG, and OPS.
Kirk will have a very good 2023 MLB season and he will be a top-five Catcher in the upcoming MLB season.
4. Will Smith
Will Smith is coming off his best season yet.
He had 68 runs, 26 doubles, 24 home runs, 87 RBIs, and a .260 batting average.
Smith ranked third in runs and doubles, fourth in hits, second in home runs, and first in RBIs among Catchers last season.
He is expected to bat third in the best lineup in the MLB.
Mookie Betts will bat leadoff and Freddie Freeman will bat second ahead of Smith, which will once again set up Smith to have the opportunity to knock in a ton of runners.
Among Catchers that qualified on MLB.com with 3.1 plate appearances per team game played, Smith ranked third in batting average, and second in OBP, SLG, and OPS.
Expect Smith to have around 70 runs, over 25 doubles and 25 home runs, around 90 RBIs, and a .250 batting average.
Batting third in a fantastic lineup, Smith will once again put up excellent numbers and he will be a top-five Catcher in the MLB in the upcoming season.
3. Adley Rutschman
Adley Rutschman took a couple of months in his rookie year last season to get acclimated but once he began to walk the way he did in the Minor League (starting at the beginning of July), he was approximately a .850 OPS player, which would be good enough to lead the position most seasons.
Rutschman had 70 runs, 101 hits, 35 doubles, 13 home runs, 42 RBIs, 65 walks, a .254 batting average, and a .806 OPS.
He ranked second in runs, doubles, and walks, eighth in hits, 16th in home runs, and 19th in RBIs.
His power will improve and he will also improve his batting average in his second season.
Baltimore has shown commitment to putting him as their DH on days he will not be the Catcher.
Rutschman is also good at throwing out base stealers. He had a 31% caught-stealing percentage, and he ranked 11th among catchers last season that played in 70 or more games.
He will bat second in an improved Orioles lineup, which will give him opportunities to collect runs and RBIs.
Expect Rutschman to have over 75 runs, over 110 hits, 35 or more doubles, hit closer to 20 home runs, record over 50 RBIs, walk a ton and get on base frequently, and improve his batting average to over .260.
Rutschman is a future star of the league and he will be one of the very best Catchers in the MLB in the upcoming season.
2. Salvador Perez
Salvador Perez is not just a very good source of power at the position but he is very good defensively.
He had a 34% caught-stealing percentage, which ranked fourth among catchers last season that played in 70 or more games.
In 11 seasons in the MLB, Perez has won five Gold Glove awards.
Perez had 48 runs, 113 hits, 23 doubles, 23 home runs, 76 RBIs, and a .254 batting average.
He ranked 11th in runs, fifth in hits, seventh in doubles, and third in home runs and RBIs among Catchers in the league.
Perez missed some time last season, playing in 114 games in 2022. In 2021, he played 161 games.
If Perez were able to play closer to the number of games he did in 2021, Perez would have led the position in home runs and RBIs.
With Perez entering the 2023 campaign healthy, expect Perez to have over 55 runs, over 120 hits, over 25 doubles and home runs, and over 85 RBIs. He will finish in the top three in home runs and RBIs among Catchers if he can remain healthy.
Given Perez’s offensive and defensive ability, he will once again solidify himself as one of the best Catchers in the league and have a strong 2023 MLB season.
1. J.T. Realmuto
Realmuto solidified himself as the best Catcher in the league last year.
He had 75 runs, 139 hits, 26 doubles, five triples, 22 home runs, 84 RBIs, 21 stolen bases, and a .276 batting average.
Realmuto ranked first in runs, hits, triples, SLG, and OPS among Catchers that qualify on MLB.com, third in doubles and OBP among Catchers that qualify on MLB.com, fourth in home runs, and second in RBIs and batting average among Catchers that qualify on MLB.com.
Not only does Realmuto get it done offensively but he is arguably the best defensive Catcher in the league.
Realmuto had a 44% caught-stealing percentage, which ranked first among Catchers that played behind the plate in 70 or more games last year.
He won the NL Gold Glove award for Catchers last season.
Expect Realmuto to duplicate his numbers or even improve upon last season in the 2023 MLB season.
Realmuto had the best season of any Catcher last year and he will once again be the best Catcher in the MLB in the 2023 season.
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