This continues my series where I rank the top 10 players at each position, moving on to a place where the Braves are well-represented. If you missed any of the previous editions of this series, follow the links below.
Top 10 MLB Catchers
- JT Realmuto
- Adley Rutschman
- Will Smith
- Sean Murphy
- Willson Contreras
- Alejandro Kirk
- Cal Raleigh
- Travis d’Arnaud
- Salvador Perez
- Danny Jansen
JT Realmuto is the top catcher in baseball, and I don’t think anyone can dispute that just yet. However, this very well could be a different conversation next year, depending on how Adley Rutschman plays in his second year. Rutschman is a budding superstar, and I can’t wait to see how he performs over a full season.
Clocking in at #3 on the list is Will Smith, who I believe remains one of the most underrated players in the entire league because of the team he plays on. All he does is play great defense behind the plate, hit 25 homers, and record an .850 OPS every season. Perhaps he will get a little more love when the Dodgers continue to dominate without as loaded of a roster as they’ve had in previous years. It’s because of guys like Smith that Los Angeles is the cream of the crop in the National League every season.
The first of two Braves on the list, Sean Murphy, comes in at #4. I’m hesitant to put him in the same category as the top three guys because he’s only had one year of elite production, but if he continues to trend in the right direction, he’ll be in the conversation for the best catcher in baseball in no time.
Numbers 5-7 are splitting hairs. I gave the edge to Contreras because he has years of high quality production under his belt, but Kirk and Raleigh are two up-and-coming stars that could be much higher on this list a year from now.
The second Brave within the top 10 catchers is Travis d’Arnaud. He was deservedly named an All-Star last season, performing well behind the plate and with the stick. When healthy, d’Arnaud is a top 10 catcher, but health has been a major concern throughout his concern.
I could have gone in a number of different directions with the final two spots, but I went with Salvador Perez and Danny Jansen. Perez may not be as good defensively as the others, but he is a different beast with the bat in his hands. Jansen is part of a platoon in Toronto with Kirk, but if he were slotted in to catch every day, he would likely be an All-Star like his counterpart.
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What do you think? Who is too high? Who is too low? What would be your list of the MLB’s top 10 catchers?
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Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire
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