1	Hunter Goodman Colorado Rockies C
We now know Goodman wasn't just a one-hit wonder, as he's followed up a 30-homer season with what's verging on a 40-homer season. There have been some tradeoffs, though, as his strikeout rate has climbed back over 30 percent and his playing time has become just a touch less consistent. Still, it's hard to look past his massive home run total, at least in category leagues.
2	Drake Baldwin Atlanta Braves C
Baldwin is my vote for best pure hitter at the catcher position. Even with a miserable two-week stretch midseason in which he was clearly rusty fresh off an oblique strain, he ended up with a near-perfect recreation of his rookie season, leading me to believe even more could be in store in a completely healthy season. Best of all, the Braves regard him as a centerpiece, typically batting him first or second and slotting him at DH on his "off" days.
3	Shea Langeliers Athletics C
Langeliers has been about as good on a per-game basis as during his breakout 2025 season, and he was trending toward playing more games (getting the DH-on-his-off-days treatment) before a torn meniscus cost him two months. In a healthy season, it wouldn't be a shock to see him lead this position in home runs, particularly given where the Athletics play their home games.
4	William Contreras Milwaukee Brewers C
Contreras has tracked closer to a .750 OPS than an .825 OPS the past couple years, which has reduced him from being the No. 1 catcher to target in Fantasy to merely top five. He could certainly reclaim his former glory in 2027, though, particularly after making gains in a couple key areas this year: strikeouts and pull-air rate.
5	Dillon Dingler Detroit Tigers C
While Dingler's batting average has dropped about 30 points in the past month-plus, introducing new pessimism, his prodigious home run and RBI totals ensure he won't rank any lower than this for me. It's not like his offensive prowess came out of nowhere -- he was quietly 96th percentile for xBA last year -- so this late-season slump to me seems like the bigger fluke.
6	Ivan Herrera St. Louis Cardinals DH
Herrera ranks shockingly high in points leagues this year, but that's more because he basically never takes a day off than because he's performed up to expectations. He's actually been a huge disappointment at the plate, losing about 40 points of batting average and 100 points of slugging percentage from a year ago while barreling the ball only half as often. This year's performance seems more like the exception than the rule, though, and he should continue to play regularly in 2027.
7	Gabriel Moreno Arizona Diamondbacks C
Moreno figured out how to elevate the ball more in 2025 and stayed healthy long enough to reap the benefits of it in 2026. He's still not exactly a slugger and still spent some time on the IL with an oblique strain, but the thought of him being an impact catcher in Fantasy is now more than just a theory. Don't presume good health, but do presume good production, particularly for points leagues.
8	Carter Jensen Kansas City Royals C
I expected more from Jensen, who I hyped to the hills during Draft Prep season, but in the end, he still delivered respectable numbers. They were just tilted more toward power than I expected, with his strikeout rate verging on 30 percent much of the year. His big September may inspire new enthusiasm in 2027.
9	Samuel Basallo Baltimore Orioles C
Basallo was a better prospect than Jensen and got off to the better start of the two in 2026, boasting an .860 OPS at the end of May. But then came the balky knee and the bad shoulder, along with a hand/wrist issue stemming from a "bony growth." Fittingly, he's been a shell of himself down the stretch, but he probably deserves a pass for it, especially if you recognize the sort of power bat he could be.
10	Cal Raleigh Seattle Mariners C
Raleigh has followed up the best season of his career -- a historic 60-homer campaign that made him far and away the best catcher in Fantasy -- with the worst season of his career, and it probably won't surprise you to hear that neither performance is his most likely outcome for 2027. Reportedly, his attempts to play through injury led to some mechanical flaws that he seems to have mostly smoothed out by season's end, which hopefully carries over to next year.
11	Leonardo Bernal St. Louis Cardinals C
This is an aggressive ranking for a player who wasn't on anybody's radar just a couple of weeks ago. Bernal's debut has gone so swimmingly that I'm inclined to roll the dice on him at a point in the rankings where upside begins to diminish. He hits for power, controls the strike zone, and adds value defensively. The Cardinals are so enamored with him that they have yet to give him a day off.
12	Ryan Jeffers Minnesota Twins C
This ranking is contingent on Jeffers departing Minnesota via free agency and landing with a club that plays him as often as his offensive output warrants. Already a solid hitter, the 29-year-old seemed to have upped his game with a .295 batting average and .949 OPS through mid-May, but that's when he broke his hamate bone. His contact quality was clearly diminished upon returning, but then again, it's hard to say how legitimate the initial surge was, given its brevity.
13	Will Smith Los Angeles Dodgers C
Smith had to contend with a soaring Dalton Rushing early on and then wound up missing the bulk of the season with an inflamed disc in his neck. He's failed to get on track even since returning, but his expected stats, according to Statcast, are virtually identical to the ones he had in 2025, when he delivered a .901 OPS. He'd rank higher than this if I weren't expecting the Dodgers to sit him roughly 40 percent of the time.
14	Liam Hicks Tampa Bay Rays C
Nearly two-fifths of a percent of Hicks' home runs this year came in April, so to a certain degree, his basement-level exit velocities have caught up to him. But he maximizes what he has with a solid pull-air rate and should continue to hit for average with his premium contact skills. His biggest issue is that he's become a strict platoon player (understandably, given the splits) since joining the Rays.
15	Yainer Diaz Houston Astros C
Diaz dug an early hole and then missed most of May and half of June with an oblique injury, dealing a major blow to his Fantasy standing. But he's quietly climbed out of that hole to bring his percentages about in line with the previous two years. He's still a threat to hit .280 with 20 homers, albeit with a low OBP, but is hindered in that he sits more often than most of the catchers mentioned so far.
16	Adley Rutschman Boston Red Sox C
Rutschman has gotten repeated benefit of the doubt because he was a monster prospect and an immediate success. After three years of disappointment, I'm ready to call him an also-ran at this now deep position. Sure, he's gone on the IL three times in 2026 and has played through a hyperextended elbow for most of his stint with the Red Sox, but it's been so long since he's made a real impact that those seem like excuses rather than explanations. At least his plate discipline remains strong.
17	Alejandro Kirk Toronto Blue Jays C
On the surface, there isn't much separating Kirk from Hicks, seeing as they're both high-contact hitters who are likely to help in batting average while contributing something like 15 home runs. But apart from those home runs, it's rare to see Kirk make his way around the bases. He's averaged just 37 runs over the past four seasons.
18	Kyle Teel Chicago White Sox C
Between a significant hamstring strain during the World Baseball Classic and an LCL sprain nearly a month into his return, Teel hasn't really gotten a fair shake in 2026, and throwing him on the scrap heap for 2027 wouldn't be fair either. The enthusiasm from his rookie season won't be so easily rekindled, but he's worth drafting as a second catcher on pedigree alone.
19	Ethan Salas San Diego Padres C
I'm open to moving Salas up if it's made clear he's the Padres' primary catcher for 2027, and I expect that to be the case, if only because he's such an upgrade defensively over Luis Campusano. But it's a big responsibility for a 20-year-old, one with little precedent historically, and if he can't hold his own offensively, he'll almost certainly be sent down for more seasoning.
20	Francisco Alvarez New York Mets C
Kind of over this guy. While he has the capacity for 30 home runs in theory, Alvarez has only once stayed healthy enough to come close (2023) and too often undermines his potential with strikeouts and a poor launch angle. Somehow, he's only 24, which is too young to write off, but for how many years now have we said that?

Early 2027 Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Top 20 at catcher led by Hunter Goodman, Drake Baldwin

Hunter Goodman leads a deep catcher pool for 2027, with Drake Baldwin, Shea Langeliers and several young options close behind

What changes in points leagues?

Fantasy catcher rankings for 2027: Hunter Goodman claims the top spot