Fantasy baseball drafting can be loads of fun, but few enthusiasts of the pastime actually enjoy drafting catchers. Much like tight ends in football, the player pool of backstops has proven to be massively top-heavy over the years, and with timeshares, committees, and continually regressing collective offensive abilities, the position has been described as a barren wasteland. Let us wade through the muck! Our 2023 fantasy baseball catcher rankings and projected dollar values will steer you in the right direction and save you from any exhaustive research into baseball's most underwhelming position.
If catcher is MLB's version of tight end, the Phillies' J.T. Realmuto is Travis Kelce. Realmuto posted a 20-20 season in 2022 to go along with a .274 average and 84 RBIs. We still wouldn't draft him before the late fourth or early fifth round, though. However, if Realmuto goes early, you can consider reaching a bit for Toronto's Daulton Varsho — who has 30-20 upside — or the Dodgers' Will Smith, who has fantastic pop but doesn't run as much. You could also wait for Orioles' star Adley Rutschman, a steal at his ADP of 68, or the always-reliable Salvador Perez in the seventh round.
After that, you're waiting until Alejandro Kirk, Sean Murphy, or either Contreras (William or Willson) between the ninth and 12th rounds. Even if 10 catchers get picked before you, plenty of sleeper options exist including Seattle's Cal Raleigh and Washington's Kelbert Ruiz.
2023 FANTASY RANKINGS & DOLLAR VALUES:
1Bs | 2Bs | 3Bs | SSs | OFs | SPs | RPs | Top 300
Don't fret at catcher if you don't land one of the top-five options. Unless you get one of the top-three options, you don't want to be tied to your catcher due to draft equity anyway. It's far better to have a later-round pick you can cut bait on if they're weighing your squad down. Three-quarters of my fantasy championship squads through the years have featured catchers I picked up as midseason free-agent acquisitions, so if you stay vigilant on the wire, you should be fine.
2023 FANTASY SLEEPERS & VALUES:
Cs | 1Bs | 2Bs | 3Bs | SSs | OFs | SPs | RPs
Fantasy Baseball C Rankings 2023: Top players, sleepers at catcher
Position eligibility based on Yahoo's default settings
| Rank | Player | Other Pos. Elig. |
| 1 | J.T. Realmuto, Phillies | |
| 2 | Daulton Varsho, Blue Jays | OF |
| 3 | Will Smith, Dodgers | |
| 4 | Adley Rutschman, Orioles | |
| 5 | Salvador Perez, Royals | |
| 6 | Alejandro Kirk, Blue Jays | |
| 7 | Sean Murphy, Braves | |
| 8 | William Contreras, Brewers | |
| 9 | Willson Contreras, Cardinals | |
| 10 | Travis d'Arnaud, Braves | |
| 11 | Cal Raleigh, Mariners | |
| 12 | Keibert Ruiz, Nationals | |
| 13 | MJ Melendez, Royals | OF |
| 14 | Tyler Stephenson, Reds | |
| 15 | Danny Jansen, Blue Jays | |
| 16 | Yasmani Grandal, White Sox | |
| 17 | Christian Vazquez, Twins | 1B |
| 18 | Jonah Heim, Rangers | |
| 19 | Eric Haase, Tigers | OF |
| 20 | Logan O'Hoppe, Angels | |
| 21 | Shea Langeliers, Athletics | |
| 22 | Mitch Garver, Rangers | |
| 23 | Elias Dias, Rockies | |
| 24 | Joey Bart, Giants | |
| 25 | Gabriel Moreno, D-backs | |
| 26 | Austin Nola, Padres | |
| 27 | Jose Trevino, Yankees | |
| 28 | Nick Fortes, Marlins | |
| 29 | Carson Kelly, D-backs | |
| 30 | Christian Bethancourt, Rays | 1B |
Fantasy Baseball Catcher Projected Dollar Values
Dollar values courtesy of Fantasy Pros and based on a 12-team mixed league with a $260 budget (70 percent allocated for hitting)
| Player | Dollar Value |
| J.T. Realmuto (PHI - C) | $18 |
| Daulton Varsho (TOR - C,CF,RF) | $16 |
| Will Smith (LAD - C,DH) | $14 |
| Salvador Perez (KC - C,DH) | $13 |
| Adley Rutschman (BAL - C,DH) | $7 |
| Willson Contreras (STL - C,DH) | $6 |
| Alejandro Kirk (TOR - C,DH) | $6 |
| MJ Melendez (KC - C,LF,RF,DH) | $6 |
| Sean Murphy (ATL - C,DH) | $6 |
| Tyler Stephenson (CIN - C) | $3 |
| William Contreras (MIL - C,DH) | $3 |
| Keibert Ruiz (WSH - C) | $1 |
All other players valued at $0