Fantasy Baseball C Rankings, Dollar Values 2023: Top players, sleepers at catcher

Sloan Piva

Fantasy Baseball C Rankings, Dollar Values 2023: Top players, sleepers at catcher image

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:
1Bs2Bs | 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 | 1Bs2Bs | 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

Sloan Piva

Sloan Piva Photo

Sloan Piva is a content producer for The Sporting News, primarily focused on betting, fantasy sports, and poker. A lifelong New Englander, Sloan earned his BA and MA in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts and now lives in coastal Rhode Island with his wife and two kids.