2026 NL East Positional Rankings: Catcher

We continue our NL East positional rankings today with the catcher position.

• First base
• Second base
• Third base

Given the nature of the position, where 120 games squatting behind the plate is a lot nowadays, we’ll look at each team’s primary player manning the position, which will cause some difficulty with where to place the Braves. (They have two quality players who will likely split time behind the plate.) But let’s give it a shot.

5. Keibert Ruiz

Keibert Ruiz is entering his fifth year as the Nats’ starting catcher, but I’m not sure he’s done much of note over that span. Since getting the starting job, he’s never hit above league average, and his glove has been average or well below it. He has a career .660 OPS since 2022.

But he’s left the door open for just about anyone to take his job, despite the fact he has an extension that still has about five years and $36 million left on it. There’s a reason the new front office doesn’t mind taking a flier on Harry Ford, a former top catching prospect. Riley Adams is still employed and operates as Ruiz’s backup. Like many of the other Nats’ position groups, you take a look at it and end up at, “meh.”

4. Agustín Ramírez

The Marlins’ new catcher Agustín Ramírez put up some decent-looking numbers in his rookie year: 55 extra-base hits, 16 steals, a .701 OPS. They were good enough to get him some Rookie of the Year votes, finishing sixth last year. But he only played half of his games at catcher and had to DH the rest, because he’s one of the worst defensive catchers in the league. He’s a bat-first player, but even the bat is just okay. He’s likely not the long-term fit for the Marlins at the position, but if his bat comes around, he could have value elsewhere. He gets a ranked above Keibert Ruiz, because he’s three years younger and maybe things trend positively for him?

3. J.T. Realmuto

It’s concerning for the two aforementioned catchers that J.T. Realmuto is still ranked above them. Even at his age, Realmuto is still great at throwing runners out, though his framing numbers have fallen off a cliff. With the bat, his pop is all but gone. All that combined made it surprising that the Phillies guaranteed $45 million to him this offseason. But he can still get on base and run the bases well, and even with a league-average bat, he adds more value behind the plate than the other two ranked below him.

The only other catchers on the roster for the Phils are Garrett Stubbs and Rafael Marchan, so you see why re-signing a guy whose average production is predictable was important, even if that guy is third-best catcher in the division right now.

2. Francisco Alvarez

Which Francisco Alvarez will we get this year? If it’s the Alvarez that played well across the final couple months of the year in 2025, even with injuring every possible bone and ligament in his hand, then he’s the best at the catcher position in the NL East. If we get the inconsistent catcher from the first couple of months of the year, then the second or third are more appropriate. So for now, he sits at two.

Despite the injuries, Alvarez compiled a .276/.360/.561/.921 slash line over 139 plate appearances from July 21 onward. His defensive numbers were incredibly strong post-promotion, too. It’s all there waiting for Alvarez. He just needs a full year of putting it all together.

1. Drake Baldwin (& Sean Murphy)

The Braves have a pretty great one-two punch at catcher with Drake Baldwin, the reigning NL Rookie of the Year, and Sean Murphy, who could relatively easily bounce back from an injury-riddled 2025. If it were either of these guys as the lone catcher on the team, they’d probably be first on the list, anyway.

Of the two, Murphy is still the better defender, and Baldwin is probably the better bat, even with just a rookie year under his belt. With Marcell Ozuna gone, the Braves should easily be able to get both into 140-150 games each with the designated hitter and keep their legs healthy. (Jurickson Profar would be the only one to eat into their DH at-bats.) If that happens, the Braves should get the best production from the catcher position in the NL East.

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