And so the Top 10s begin.
This will be the first of my series of Top 10s over the next few months. For those who missed my plan, I will be posting three Top 10-focused blogs a week over the next ten weeks. Every Monday, you will get a Top 10 for each position for the 2026 season. Wednesdays will be Top 10 prospects per position, and Fridays will be Top 10 all-time per position. The All-Time lists will be re-releases of my blogs from last year, with some tweaks.
My first list… will be catchers! Here we go.
Just some notes: I use bWAR when I plug in all my stats. Personally, I prefer Baseball Reference’s website over Fangraphs. This is not a simple 1-10 in terms of WAR. I also consider how the player fits into the team. For example, Carlos Narvaez might seem high on this list to many readers. However, if you watched the Red Sox last year, you would see how vital it was for them to have a stable catcher, finally.
1. Cal Raleigh — Seattle Mariners
2025 Slash Line (AVG/OBP/SLG): .247 / .359 / .589
2025 HR: 60
2025 RBI: 125
2025 OPS+: 169
2025 bWAR: 7.4
2026 Projection: .235 AVG, 42 HR, 94 RBI, .780 OPS, 6.1 bWAR
2. Will Smith — Los Angeles Dodgers
2025 Slash Line (AVG/OBP/SLG): .296 / .404 / .497
2025 HR: 17
2025 RBI: 61
2025 OPS+: 152
2025 bWAR: 4.5
2026 Projection: .274 AVG, 15 HR, 67 RBI, 4.0 bWAR
3. Shea Langeliers — Athletics
2025 Slash Line (AVG/OBP/SLG): .277 / .325 / .536
2025 HR: 31
2025 RBI: 72
2025 OPS+: 134
2025 bWAR: 3.9
2026 Projection: .250 AVG, 28 HR, 76 RBI, 3.1 bWAR
4. Dillon Dingler — Detroit Tigers
2025 Slash Line (AVG/OBP/SLG): .278 / .327 / .425
2025 HR: 13
2025 RBI: 57
2025 OPS+: 108
2025 bWAR: 3.1
2026 Projection: .245 AVG, 13 HR, 50 RBI, 2.8 bWAR
5. William Contreras — Milwaukee Brewers
2025 Slash Line (AVG/OBP/SLG): .260 / .355 / .399
2025 HR: 17
2025 RBI: 76
2025 wRC+: 113
2025 bWAR: 3.9
2026 Projection: .270 AVG, 21 HR, 78 RBI, 2.9 bWAR
6. Alejandro Kirk — Toronto Blue Jays
2025 Slash Line (AVG/OBP/SLG): .282 / .348 / .421
2025 HR: 15
2025 RBI: 76
2025 OPS+: 111
2025 bWAR: 2.3
2026 Projection: .276 AVG, 20 HR, 68 RBI, 1.7 bWAR
7. Hunter Goodman — Colorado Rockies
2025 Slash Line (AVG/OBP/SLG): .278 / .323 / .520
2025 HR: 31
2025 RBI: 91
2025 OPS+: 120
2025 bWAR: 3.7
2026 Projection: .246 AVG, 21 HR, 53 RBI, 2.2 bWAR
8. Patrick Bailey — San Francisco Giants
2025 Slash Line (AVG/OBP/SLG): .222 / .277 / .325
2025 HR: 6
2025 RBI: 55
2025 OPS+: 73
2025 bWAR: 1.1
2026 Projection: .215 / .291 / .347 | 14 HR, 56 RBI, 1.5 bWAR
9. Carlos Narváez — Boston Red Sox
2025 Slash Line (AVG/OBP/SLG): .241 / .306 / .419
2025 HR: 15
2025 RBI: 50
2025 OPS+: 100
2025 bWAR: 2.6
2026 Projection: .235 AVG, 18 HR, 52 RBI, 3.0 bWAR
10. Drake Baldwin — Atlanta Braves
2025 Slash Line (AVG/OBP/SLG): .274 / .341 / .469
2025 HR: 19
2025 RBI: 80
2025 OPS+: 126
2025 bWAR: 3.3
2026 Projection: .237 AVG, 25 HR, 70 RBI, 2.9 bWAR