If you have been listening to the Fantasy Alarm Fantasy Baseball podcast, you’ll know that Matt Selz and I have talked about how the catcher position is sneaky deep this year, at least compared to years past. There are two elite difference makers at the catcher position in fantasy baseball this season, J.T. Realmuto and Daulton Varsho. After breaking things down, despite what the fantasy baseball rankings might say, I feel as if there are 12-15 catchers that you can feel comfortable with heading into the 2023 MLB season. Whether you wait in your fantasy baseball drafts for a catcher, or you want to invest early, there is something for everyone at this position. This just might be the year that the stench around catchers in fantasy baseball is removed. Well, that might be a bit lofty, but there are plenty of catchers to be excited about. Since we have already talked about the Top 5 Catchers for fantasy baseball in 2023, it’s time to examine the overall depth of this position, highlighted by some of the top prospects and forgotten names at the position.

 

Fantasy Baseball Catcher Position ADP Rankings

Let’s get this out of the way. Could you simply just look to draft the likes of Realmuto or Varsho for every single one of your fantasy teams this year? Sure. You can most definitely do that, and given that they are the two elite difference makers at the position, I wouldn’t criticize you one bit. However, here’s the differentiation and important distinction to make.

Can you? Yes.

Do you have to? No.

When looking at the player pool for catchers this year, I can feel comfortable starting up to 12 catchers. Ultimately, when dissecting the position, here is what I come down with:

  • Two (2) Elite Players
  • Eight (8) Reliable Starters
  • Seven (7) other catchers you can feel comfortable as starters
  • Prospects galore

This position isn’t flashy, but a full 15-team league can have a fantasy backstop that they don’t hate, and that hasn’t been the case in years past! If we take a look at current catchers outside of the top 10 being drafted, there are reasons to get excited about quite a few guys. Let me surmise it in a sentence or two for each one:

Catcher

Rank (NFBC ADP - 1/1/23 to 2/13/23)

Analysis

Tyler Stephenson

11

Injuries aside, career .296 hitter with an 80.6 percent contact rate, who plays half of his games in Great American Ball Park. He should provide a plus batting average for the position.
Keibert Ruiz

14

Ruiz boasts elite contact skills, and his six stolen bases last season were a pleasant surprise. He came on strong at the end of the year, and his pace in the second half features a .260/.321/.394 slash line with 16 home runs and eight stolen bases over the course of a full season.
Gabriel Moreno

16

Excellent pure hitter, and the injury to Carson Kelly opens the door for Moreno to solidify his job behind the dish. Dual-threat option that oozes fantasy potential.
Eric Haase

21

A combined 36 home runs over the last two seasons with a .242 batting average, .451 SLG, and 106 wRC+. The updated dimensions in his home park certainly helps, even if he doesn’t hit the ball to right field a ton.
Joey Bart

25

The tools are there and he’s locked into an everyday role, but needs to cut back on the strikeouts. He ended the 2022 season on a high note, slashing .250/.304/.379 with four home runs and three doubles over his final 125 plate appearances.


 

On top of that, there could be a sizable youth movement at the position. We’ve seen it a bit recently with Will Smith as a young ascending stud while Adley Rutschman and M.J. Melendez made their highly anticipated Major League debuts last season. At the same time, Alejandro Kirk and William Contreras took a step forward. As we head into the 2023 fantasy baseball season, there’s a very real possibility that we see six of the top 10 catching prospects in Matt Selz’s prospect rankings in the majors in 2023:

If we use the projections here at Fantasy Alarm, here is a high-level overview of the catcher position:

  • Ten (10) catchers projected with 20+ HR
    • Six (6) are outside of the top 90 picks
  • Eleven (11) catchers are projected with a .260+ batting average
    • Four (4) outside the top 100 picks
  • Seven (7) catchers with 5+ SB
    • Four (4) outside the top 100 picks

We’ve talked about how the depth is rather sneaky at the position this year, and hopefully, this illustrates that point a bit more. As I mentioned earlier, you don’t need to invest in the creme de la creme of the position, as there are depth options available. There are some elite options if you want to pour some draft capital into the position, but you don’t have to by any means. For fantasy baseball in 2023, the helpatcher position might be deeper than ever before.

 

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