2025 Fantasy Baseball: Catchers (16 to 22)

When reviewing the second group of 12 catches in 2024, five players played fewer than 100 games. They hit .243 with 41 runs, 12 home runs, 48 RBIs, and two stolen bases over 339 at-bats. Each catcher was at least a four-point negative drag in their league standings. David Fry, Joey Bart, Kyle Higashioka, and Freddy Ferman were picked up off the waiver wire.

16 – Ivan Herrera (ADP – 235.5)

Over seven seasons in the minors, Herrera hit .280 with 267 runs, 49 home runs, 272 RBIs, and 25 stolen bases over 1,577 at-bats. He has 622 at-bats of experience at AAA (.281/125/21/110/19). His walk rate (17.2) was elite while having a favorable strikeout rate (19.3).

The Cardinals gave him 37 at-bats of experience in 2023, leading to a .297 batting average with six runs and four RBIs. He struck out 25.0% of the time with strength in his walk rate (11.4).

An injury to Willson Contreras last season led to Herrera getting a bump in playing time. Unfortunately, from April to June, his bat failed to make a fantasy impact over 172 at-bats (.279 with 24 runs, three home runs, 19 RBIs, and four stolen bases). After a trip back to AAA, Herrera played much better over his final 18 games with St. Louis (.368/13/2/8/1 over 57 at-bats). He finished with a league-average strikeout rate (20.5) while grading favorably in his walk rate (9.7).

Fantasy Outlook: Based on minor league success at AAA and a half season of at-bats with the Cardinals, Herrera offers sneaky upside to a fantasy team, thanks to his value in five categories for the catcher position. St. Louis has a viable second catcher (Pedro Pages) who offers power but a lower ceiling. With 400+ at-bats, I expect a positive batting average for Herrera with a 55/10/50/10 profile as his floor. He should outperform his ADP, and I envision him delivering a J.T. Realmuto 2016 season with a better approach. In 15-team formats, Herrera will be an advantage at C2.

17 – Sean Murphy, ATL (ADP – 216.2)

Murphy’s bat made a dynamic splash over the first 232 at-bats (.306/42/17/55) with the Braves in 2023. He missed some time in June with a hamstring issue that didn’t require a trip on the injured list. Murphy gave back all of his gains over his final 138 at-bats (.159 with 23 runs, four home runs, and 13 RBIs), leading to many off days in September with no apparent injury.

One game into last season, Murphy landed on the injured list for two months with an oblique issue. His bat was out of sorts for the rest of the year, leading to no months with more than five runs, three home runs, or seven RBIs. He had a slight regression in his strikeout rate (25.4) while still having a favorable walk rate (10.2).

Murphy had a much weaker path, highlighted by a spike in his groundball rate (53.9 – 41.0% in 2023). His exit velocity (88.0) fell by 3.5 mph from 2023, along with regression in his hard-hit rate (36.5 – 45.1 in 2023).

Fantasy Outlook: Murphy should rebound this year after two neutral catcher seasons in 2022 (.250/67/18/66/1 over 537 at-bats) and 2023 (.251/65/21/68 over 370 at-bats). He plays in a high-scoring lineup with a weaker C2 option to compete for at-bats. On the downside, he’s missed time in three of the past four seasons. With 400 at-bats, a 55/15/15 season is well within reach, making Murphy an advantage to fantasy as a second catcher in 12-team Roto formats.

18 – Bo Naylor, CLE (ADP – 294.8)

After posting a short batting average (.189) at AA in 2021, Naylor showed an improved approach at AA to 2022, leading to him hitting .271 with 29 runs, six home runs, 21 RBIs, and 11 stolen bases over 171 at-bats. His power (15 home runs and 47 RBIs) showed more life after the move to AAA while batting .257 with 44 runs and nine steals.

In 2023, Naylor had a productive 217 at-bats at AAA (.254/45/13/48/2) while finishing with an elite walk rate (18.1 – 13.3 in his career). His strikeout rate (19.3) beat the league average for the first time in his career. Cleveland called him up in mid-June. Naylor struggled over his first 133 at-bats (.203 with 16 runs, five home runs, and 16 RBIs) while striking out 27.5% of the time. His approach (strikeout rate – 14.8 and walk rate – 17.3) was much better over his final 65 at-bats (.308/17/6/16/4).

The Guardians didn’t commit to Naylor as a full-time catcher last season. He made 105 starts, but Cleveland never gave him more than 70 at-bats in any month. He hit under .200 in April (.188), May (.164), July (.189), and September (.167) while never delivering a winning fantasy month. His strikeout rate (31.4) was a significant issue.

Naylor had a fly-ball swing path (47.4%), highlighted by his launch angle (19.9). His exit velocity (88.8 mph) doesn’t jump off the page, but his hard-hit rate (37.3) had some growth.

Fantasy Outlook: Naylor has a much higher ceiling in power with complementary speed for the catcher position. The key to him securing more playing time starts with success at the plate and an improved approach. Possible jump to 25 home runs with double-digit stolen bases, painting a profile similar to Dalton Varsho when he qualified at catcher in 2022. Naylor has breakout upside.

19 – Connor Wong, BOS (ADP – 242)

Wong played well over five seasons in the minors (.276 with 208 runs, 71 home runs, 230 RBIs, and 32 stolen bases over 1,426 at-bats). Boston gave him experience at AAA in 2021 and 2022, where he hit .276 with 23 home runs, 70 RBIs, and 14 steals over 522 at-bats.

His strikeout rate (28.5) in the minors invited batting average risk in the majors. With Boston in 2022, he whiffed 23 times over 70 plate appearances (32.9%), hitting .213 with 11 runs, one home run, and eight RBIs.

The Red Sox gave Wong 371 at-bats in his rookie season. He struck out 33.3% of the time with a below-par walk rate (5.5). His had no value vs. left-handed pitching (.156 over 96 at-bats with 19 runs, no home runs, six RBIs, and 40 strikeouts).

Last season, Wong had a better opportunity than expected, thanks to an improvement against lefties (.311/17/5/18/3 over 135 at-bats). He also lowered the damage in strikeouts (23.4%) significantly. His uptick in batting average came before the All-Star break (.309 with 30 runs, eight home runs, 32 RBIs, and four stolen bases over 244 at-bats). Pitchers caught up to him over his final 203 at-bats (.246/24/5/20/4) with a higher strikeout rate (27.2).

Wong had regression in his exit velocity (86.5 mph), barrel rate (6.3), and hard-hit rate (34.2).

Fantasy Outlook: Wong was the ninth-best fantasy catcher last year, ranking 12th in at-bats. In the offseason, he’s been working on getting stronger, and his previous resume hinted at more power. Torn, I could see improvement in his production but regression in batting average. His speed at the catcher position is a bonus. In the end, my interest lies in his price point in drafts.

20 – Ryan Jeffers, MIN (ADP – 242.9)

Over his first three years with the Twins, Jeffers struggled to make contact (strikeout rate – 32.0 – 26.3 in 2022), leading to weakness in his batting average (.210). His average hit rate (1.857) has been better than expected, highlighted by his 24 home runs and 69 RBIs over 534 at-bats. Jeffers did look improved in 2022 against lefties (.307/3/13 over 62 at-bats). A thumb issue that required surgery in July led to over 10 weeks on the injured list.

Minnesota gave Jeffers more at-bats (286) in 2023, leading to a backend C2 option in 15-team formats. He set a career-high in runs (46) and RBIs (43) with some help in home runs (14).

His bat took a further step forward in 2024, leading to new tops in most categories except batting average (.226). The Twins gave him his best opportunity in April and May (.256/25/12/36/2 over 172 at-bats). Over the final four months, Jeffers averaged 57.5 at-bats per month while having weakness in his stats in June (.161/7/1/5), July (.213/6/2/9), and September (.174/8/1/5). His increased opportunity for the season was helped by 34 games at DH, something that may not be repeatable in 2025.

His strikeout rate (20.2) was well above his previous four years (30.5%), but Jeffers finished with a career-low walk rate (6.9). He had a fly-ball swing path (43.3%). His exit velocity (86.5 mph), barrels (8.3%), and hard-hit rate (33.5%) were well below 2023 (90.5/11.6/42.7). He had a contact batting average under .300 in 2022 (.293) and 2024 (.292), compared to .363 in the minors.

Fantasy Outlook: Jeffers ranked 11th at the catcher position last year thanks to a breakout season in home runs (21). His desire to put more balls in play led to weaker contact and no help in his batting average. The Twins will rotate his starts with Christian Vazquez again this season. I don’t see an improving player, and his results last year may lead to some fantasy drafters overpaying for his 2024 stats. Let’s go with 350 at-bats with a .230/45/15/45 floor. Jeffers’s first step in overall improvement starts with a better contact batter average, an area of strength in the minors.

21 – Alejandro Kirk, TOR (ADP – 270)

Kirk hit his way into the Blue Jays lineup in 2022 while continuing to have a plus approach (strikeout rate – 10.7 and walk rate – 11.7). He hit well with runners on base (RBI – 17). Despite a reasonable production in home runs (14), his average hit rate (1.455) came in below his minor league average (1.583).

In 2023, Kirk didn’t find his power stroke all season, and that trend continued again last season. His contact batting average (.257) regressed even further, along with his average hit rate (1.419). He had one home run or fewer in five of his six months while never scoring more than seven runs in any month. Kirk played well with runners on base (RBI rate – 18.0).

His swing path improved based on his lower groundball rate (45.3 – 50.2 in 2023) and better launch angle (10.8%). Timing was an issue for Kirk at the plate, highlighted by a spike in his infield fly-ball rate (17.3% - 8.1% in 2023). His exit velocity (89.4 mph) was better than in 2023 (87.6) but below his power success in 2022 (90.5). Kirk’s HR/FB rate (5.1) has declined each year with the Blue Jays. He remains challenging to strike out (13.2%) despite being at a four-year high.

Fantasy Outlook: With Danny Jansen no longer on the roster, Kirk has a cleaner path to more playing time. He appeared to want to hit more home runs last year, but his rhythm on drivable balls was off. With 450 at-bats, double-digit home runs are a reasonable outcome if Kirk does a better job squaring up balls (187 hard hits in 2022 – 121 last season). I view him as a neutral player in batting average. I expect a .250/45/10/55 season, which works for a drafter looking for playable stats at the C2 position.

22 – Joey Bart, PIT (ADP – 270.1)

In his experience with San Francisco, Bart was overmatched at the plate (.219 with 59 runs, 11 home runs, and 38 RBIs over 457 at-bats). His approach (strikeout rate – 35.4 and walk rate – 6.4) was a liability. The Giants cut loose their former first-round draft pick at the end of spring training last season. Pittsburgh traded for him in early April before he cleared waivers.

Bart played well over his first seven games with the Pirates (7-for-23 with four runs, three home runs, and eight RBIs), leading to him jumping Henry Davis on the depth chart by the end of April. After 15 dull showings (.243/3/1/4 over 37 at-bats), he landed on the injured list for about five weeks with a left thumb issue. His bat was serviceable over his final 193 at-bats (.264/31/9/33 over 193 at-bats). He also landed on the injury list late in August with a hamstring issue.

He finished the year with a better strikeout rate (25.9) than his time with San Fran while taking a few more walks (7.8%). His bat had more value against left-handed pitching (.333 with five home runs and 11 RBIs over 66 at-bats). Bart had an uptick in his exit velocity (88.1 mph) but a weaker swing path (groundball rate – 47.5). His HR/FB rate (21.0) was an area of strength.

Fantasy Outlook: Bart’s final stats projected over 450 at-bats (68 runs, 23 home runs, and 85 RBIs) paint a favorable outlook for this season. Unfortunately, Henry Davis and Endy Rodriguez have the talent to steal their lead-catching job for Pittsburgh at some point in the season. Bart brings power tied to batting average risk. His job loss risk is enough for me to fade him in 2025.