Final Preseason Rankings & More
Position Battles, Late Round Targets, and Our Regular Season Schedule
As Spring Training comes to a close next week and with the regular season around the corner (editor’s note: Whoo-hooo!), we are in the last few days of draft season.
After covering this season’s expert rankings, examining deeper league targets, the first edition and second edition of Runs Produced’s own rankings, we are releasing the final preseason rankings for those last-minute fantasy drafts. Please note these rankings are for redraft leagues.
Final Preseason Rankings
The names at the top haven’t changed, but due to injuries, a few players have climbed in our standings.
William Contreras and Adley Rutschman supported their top billing on the rankings with good play in February and March. Contreras was second amongst catchers with a .455 average and Rutschman was fifth with a .359 average. Rutschman hit three home runs with eight RBI. Contreras had two home runs and nine RBI.
Austin Wells sneaks into the top 10 behind his impressive spring play and the continued news that the Yankees may consider hitting Wells in the leadoff spot. He led all catchers with five home runs and is hitting .366 with 10 RBI. In last Friday’s game against the Tigers, Wells went deep twice and nearly had a third home run.
Another Yankees catcher, Ben Rice, tied Wells with five home runs during Spring Training and has played himself close to the top 20. Rice is more likely to get time at DH and first base, but if he eventually qualifies for catcher, he could have an impact.
1. William Contreras
2. Adley Rutschman
3. Yainer Diaz
4. Cal Raleigh
5. Salvador Perez
6. J.T. Realmuto
7. Will Smith
8. Willson Contreras
9. Shea Langeliers
10. Austin Wells
11. Logan O’Hoppe
12. Gabriel Moreno
13. Joey Bart
14. Connor Wong
15. Keibert Ruiz
16. Jonah Heim
17. Ryan Jeffers
18. Alejandro Kirk
19. Patrick Bailey
20. Bo Naylor
On the bubble:
Hunter Goodman, Mitch Garver, Drake Baldwin, Ben Rice
Dropped out due to injury:
Francisco Alvarez, Tyler Stephenson, Sean Murphy
Position Battles
As opening day rosters come into focus, there are also a few position battles happening around the league.
Pirates
Joey Bart has clinched the starting catcher job after a strong 2024 season during which he hit .265/.337/.462 and 13 HR & 45 RBI in only 80 games. Bart was #16 in our preseason rankings. Behind Bart vying for the number two spot were former #1 overall pick Henry Davis and Endy Rodriguez, originally signed by the Mets as an international free agent in 2018.
Davis has struggled during his time in the majors, while Rodriguez missed the entire 2024 season following UCL surgery. In 57 games in the majors in 2023, Rodriguez hit .220 with three home runs and 13 RBI.
This spring Rodriguez put up nice numbers while making his case for the backup position. He’s played in 13 games and in 35 at-bats, he’s hitting .360 and has one home run, and 10 RBI. For his part Davis has played in 15 games, and in 36 at-bats is hitting .250 with two home runs and eight RBI.
Rodriguez has also had the better eye at the plate, with only three strikeouts compared to Davis’ 11, and has the upper hand in walks. Rodriguez has nine walks, and Davis has only walked twice. Despite some reports that Davis was going to beat out Rodriguez, in the end it was Davis who was optioned to the minors yesterday.
This takes Davis squarely out of any fantasy relevancy while Endy is only someone to remember if Bart gets injured.
Rockies
Hunter Goodman has played the best of any catcher this spring, hitting a scorching .463, slightly better than consensus #1 fantasy catcher William Contreras. Goodman is also tied for first in runs scored (11) and has one home run and six RBI. Yes, I know these are spring training stats, but with the added boost of playing his home games at Coors Field, Goodman has played himself onto the fantasy radar.
In 2024, Goodman hit only .192 but popped 13 home runs in 70 games and 211 at-bats. He appears to still be behind Jacob Stallings for the starting catcher role, but Goodman also has experience playing in the outfield and at first base. In 2024, Goodman played in 33 games in the outfield, 23 games at catcher, 11 games at DH, and four games at first base. The multi-positional experience gives Goodman another boost if he is playing elsewhere in real life but can still slot in at catcher on your fantasy squad. For now, consider Goodman a name for two-catcher leagues with the potential for a sneaky breakout in 2025.
White Sox
The White Sox have a pair of talented prospects behind incumbent starter Korey Lee and veteran Matt Thaiss in Edgar Quero and Kyle Teel. Both Teel and Quero find themselves in MLB’s top 10 catcher prospects and are individually ranked within the top 100 at 32 (Teel) and 65 (Quero).
It appears that Lee is entrenched as the starter after a spring during which he hit .375 and Thaiss will make the roster as the backup catcher. However, Teel and Quero are highly regarded prospects and should debut at some point this season. The White Sox will likely again be the worst team in baseball so they should have no qualms giving their young players auditions, especially as the season progresses. Teel is two years older that Quero, and I suspect he would get the call before Quero does. Teel can hit for average, will get on base, and is my favorite catching prospect. Keep Teel in mind on draft day.
Late Round Targets
If you already have a starting catcher on your roster, or play in two catcher leagues, there’s a number of young players worth taking late in drafts. All of the players below have a good shot at debuting during the 2025 season.
I’ve ranked them in order of estimated debut date, not necessarily talent level. Samuel Basallo and Dalton Rushing have the highest potential but are stuck behind the stacked Orioles and Dodgers lineups.
Agustin Ramirez won’t have to do much to take over as the Marlins starting catcher but will start the year in the minors. He is another name to monitor as the season starts.
Kyle Teel
Agustin Ramirez
Moises Ballesteros
Adrian Del Castillo
Edgar Quero
Harry Ford
Samuel Basallo
Dalton Rushing
Regular Season Schedule
With the season around the corner, it’s time to reveal what you can expect from Runs Produced coverage in 2025:
We’ll be providing news updates weekly to keep you caught up to date in the world of catchers. You can also expect biweekly rankings updates and biweekly streaming options to target.
Subscribe now for more great coverage!
