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Rephael Negnewizky's top 10 catching prospects for redraft leagues in 2023. The catching position is evolving quickly and fantasy managers need to stay in the loop.
The catching position has evolved tremendously over the past few seasons, and now is the perfect time to tune in. With fantasy drafts underway, you might want to get up to date on the prospect watch. This year's catching class is quite talented, and many of these catching prospects will see time in the majors this season.
Today I give you the top-10 catching prospects for re-draft leagues. My buddy Eric Cross composed his own top-10 rankings for dynasty leagues, and I encourage you to check that out as well. But for now, especially if you hold by NFC, it's time to take a look at the 10 best catching prospects for redraft geeks like me.
Let's take a deep dive! Good luck this year and make sure you check out all of our MLB season-long content here at RotoBaller all season long!
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Top 10 Catching Prospects For Redraft
10. Yainer Diaz, Houston Astros
Despite the emergence of Korey Lee, the Astros possess another undervalued catcher in Yainer Diaz. With the current catching situation consisting of a middling Martin Maldonado, Houston's catching depth has a bright future ahead. Diaz is surprisingly four spots ahead of Lee on the Astros' top-30 list, and there's a valid reason behind it.
His average-at-best defense won't stick long-term behind the plate, but he should see an ample amount of opportunities at first base. Diaz has shown genuine maturity as a hitter, especially his raw power, which has upgraded tremendously. He's now on track to be a 20-plus home run hitter, and we can't forget that he is capable of hitting for a high clip.
The 24-year-old hoisted a .898 OPS between two levels in 2022, which was supplemented by 25 dingers. His plate discipline is even more of a commodity for such a scarce position of talent, which was evident in his 15% strikeout clip in Double-A. Diaz isn't the next Francisco Alvarez, but he's got enough catching upside to earn a fantasy roster spot.
9. Bo Naylor, Cleveland Guardians
The Guardians already optioned Naylor to Triple-A, but he still has a steady shot at shadowing Mike Zunino throughout the season. Naylor hasn't been much of a flier in redraft leagues and has been taken in the mid-400s over the past month in NFC leagues. That needs to change quickly. He isn't guaranteed a roster spot, which I get diminishes his fantasy value. Although are we forgetting what truly matters here?
The 23-year-old owned a .392 OBP in the minors this season, which already indicates that he'll be a tough at-bat in the pros. I would have fussed about his lack of home-run pop, but Naylor came up with 21 home runs this past season. The biggest drawback of Naylor is his poor plate judgment which translated into a 25.9% punchout rate in Triple-A Columbus.
In the bigger picture, Naylor is prompted for quality catching reps this season in the big leagues, and it may come early if he turns heads in Triple-A Columbus. His fantasy upside is difficult to approximate considering that he's barely scratched the surface in the big leagues, although, he certainly has the ceiling of an above-average backstop.
8. Logan O'Hoppe, Los Angeles Angels
O'Hoppe may not have an over-the-top profile, but he's made vast improvements to polish his draft stock. He's made big strides defensively and has proven to be an above-average pitch caller. At least in my eyes, he's one of the most potent defensive backstops on this list.
The-23-year-old has reached new heights of stardom at the plate, which can only further my case to stash him in redraft leagues. He hit his way to a ridiculous .416 OPB and began to create louder contact in the form of 26 long bombs. I wouldn't hesitate to fix O'Hoppe as an annual 20-home-run hitter in the pros, especially if his pop continues to evolve.
Here's something wild. Despite the fact that I fixed O'Hoppe as the eighth catcher on this list, he has been the most popular catching prospect in NFC leagues over the past month. His ADP resides at 234.77, which is mostly because O'Hoppe is in line to become the starting backstop of the Angels at some point this season.
7. Tyler Soderstrom, Oakland Athletics
The A's most prized prospect, Tyler Sodertsrom is poised to become the face of Oakland baseball over the next couple of years; soon to be Las Vegas. He was a late first-round pick in 2020 and is now on the cusp of cracking the big leagues. He's a fun dude especially since he isn't necessarily a catcher at heart. He didn't have a ton of catching experience before going pro, which will likely move him to first base. I'm hoping that the A's will settle his defensive positioning by the time he turns pro. Although it could be fun to see some platoon action.
Most of his gleam comes from his bat which has proven to be a reliable source of offense. He flourished in A-ball in 2021 after scorching a .958 OPS, but he sorta derailed this past season. His OPS descended by 100 ticks (.825) but that can be attributed to the increase in home runs. He hit 29 total. Well, before we stash him in our fantasy lineups, Sodey needs to stabilize his strikeout numbers. I can't have the dude whiffing 26.7% of his plate appearances.
He still has time to grow into his home-run pop and I'm expecting him to run the show in Oakland over the next few seasons.
6. Kevin Parada, New York Mets
The Mets have an exciting pair of catching prospects to look forward to as they clear the path for a top-heavy Francisco Alvarez. Although let's not forget who the Mets took as the 11th pick in the 2022 draft. Just a dude named Kevin Parada.
Parada has got a lot going for him as an amateur prospect, and things could get interesting once he's ready to play in the bigs. He's got a reputable bat that molded a .455 OPB across 13 minor-league games in 2022. Before he went pro, Parada smacked 26 home runs with Georgia Tech and that could be hinting at a 20-25 long-ball hitter in the big leagues.
As long as Parada continues to barrel the ball and create solid contact, he should come out to be an above-average hitter. He's got a lot of time before we can provide an educated estimate of how he'll pan out, but fantasy managers should keep him on the radar. I wouldn't be surprised if he's a top-10 catcher in the league, fives year down the line.
5. Harry Ford, Seattle Mariners
The catching situation in Seattle is fairly shallow aside from the resurgence of Cal Raleigh, but that will change once Harry Ford is MLB-ready. He's only expected to be ready by 2025, which gives him an ample amount of time to find his identity as a catcher.
Ford is unlike most catchers in that he has the capacity to flirt with 25 stolen base seasons in the big leagues. Yes, a running catcher. He swiped 23 bags with Low-A Modesto, which is likely an indicator that he'll be an aggressive base runner. Ford posted a .863 OPS and compiled 38 extra-base hits with a .425 OPB. He's shown to be a capable hitter but given his underwhelming 5'10" frame, he'll likely be limited to extra-base hits.
The Georgia native is only 20 years old and is already on his way toward becoming the starting catcher for the Mariners in three-to-four years. He's currently the No. 1 ranked prospect in Seattle's system, and fantasy managers will go berzerk once he's eligible in redraft leagues.
4. Henry Davis, Pittsburgh Pirates
Davis was the consensus No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 Draft and is already well on his way to becoming the Pirates' full-time catcher. Although with Endy Rodriguez in line to see MLB action this coming season, Davis may have issues finding reps behind the plate.
The 23-year-old is one of the most well-rounded hitters you will find in a prospect. He hits every part of the field, which is supplemented by a chunk of over-the-fence power. Davis posted a .852 OPS along with 10 home runs and a .461 wOBA through 100 plate appearances in High-A ball. He has impressive pitch recognition as displayed by his 18% strikeout rate in High-A, and he shouldn't have an issue drawing walks once he turns pro.
There are legit concerns regarding his poor defensive abilities behind the plate, but his prestigious arm does a solid job of balancing things out. The Pirates are hoping that they can modify his defensive habits, and mold him into an average defensive backstop. Either way, he will only go as far as his bat takes him.
3. Diego Cartaya, Los Angeles Dodgers
If you're looking for a classic orthodox catcher, Cartaya checks every box. His bulky 6'3" frame accompanies a heap of home-run pop, and things could get scary once he fills out his build. We're talking 35 homer range.
I have no doubts that he'll be a productive hitter, which includes extra-base hits and a whole lot of plated runs, but his free-swinging approach raises some long-term concerns. Cartaya whiffed a whole lot last season as demonstrated by his 26.8% mark, but he reads pitches well and isn't reluctant to work a walk (14.1% walk rate). I'm not too concerned, especially since he'll be one of the more prominent hitters in the game.
Defensively, his arm is compelling enough to keep him behind the plate, but he needs to throw out more runners to round things out. He only threw out 19% of runners between two levels last season. Cartaya is an in-the-process receiver but should evolve into a solid defensive catcher.
Overall, this kid will evolve into a stud once he matures, and you may as well cast your votes for the 2024 NL Rookie of the Year.
2. Endy Rodriguez, Pittsburgh Pirates
Rodriguez jumped multiple spots on the Pirates Top 30 list over the past season and is now one spot ahead of his predecessor Henry Davis. The 22-year-old is tearing it up in the minor leagues, and many doubted his ability to hit before he turned pro. Well, he may just be the next dude in Pittsburgh.
Rodriguez blew everyone out of the water once his bat started to get going, and is projected to be a more-than-capable hitter in the big leagues. He exhibits impressive bat speed which can be attributed to his .323 clip this past season, and he even grew into some pop after hitting 25 home runs. The Dominican is a disciplined gal at the plate, which manifested in the form of an 18.4% strikeout rate across three levels in 2022.
The 22-year-old is a flexible defender which may not keep him behind the plate, but his catching skills are a work in progress. The majority of his playtime was behind the dish in 2022, but he's also developing some prowess in the outfield and second base. At least in my eyes, fantasy managers should not be drafting him as the 510th pick.
1. Francisco Alvarez, New York Mets
Alvarez is the third-best prospect in the business and has a bright future as the Mets' starting catcher. Not to mention, things could get interesting once Parada is ready.
The 21-year-old possesses monumental power that should have no problem flirting with 30-plus bombs in the big leagues. He scorched 27 long bombs this past season, and his exit velocity numbers will break the charts once he becomes a full-time major leaguer. His bat was underwhelming in Triple-A after he posted a .234 clip, but he tore things up in Double-A after slugging .553 through 296 PAs.
His swinging decisions need some work as displayed by his 24% strikeout mark in Double-A. He's a fringy defensive catcher, but he's got enough arm strength to throw out a comforting percentage of runners (29%).
I hope that enough evidence was supplied to convince you that Alvarez is the best catching prospect in baseball. Good luck fantasy managers!
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