As we continue to make selections or prepare for our fantasy baseball drafts this season, it’s hard to not overreact to some spring training performers, particularly some catcher standouts from spring action. 

 

 

 

Top Fantasy Baseball Spring Training Performances: Catcher

In this week’s positional spotlight, we’ll highlight some of the fantasy baseball spring training standouts at the catcher position, and what the numbers mean for you when it comes to drafting catchers, perhaps above their 2025 fantasy baseball ADP! Or, will I throw some cold water on these hot bats, indicating that there shouldn’t be all that much movement up your 2025 fantasy baseball rankings?

It’s important to keep an eye on spring training numbers when it comes to your 2025 fantasy draft prep, but let’s take a look at some fantasy baseball spring training standouts behind the dish, and whether or not we should be moving them up our draft list.

 

 

 

Keibert Ruiz, Washington Nationals

Through 26 ABs this spring, Ruiz has three home runs to go with a .269/.310/.615 slash line. He hasn’t taken many walks, which is on par for most of his career, and while he likely won’t sustain a sub-seven percent strikeout rate, he’s only punched out 11 percent of the time for his career. 

He’s a solid bat-to-ball guy, but we’ve seen the power tick up the past couple of seasons, so the early power barrage in spring is nice to see. His fly ball rate is nestled between his 2023 and 2024 rates, and he seems likely to hit around 15 home runs again this year. 

I’m not making any rash decisions about Ruiz based on a few spring games, but it is encouraging that he’s hitting for power already, as the lack of power in the earlier years of his career suppressed a bit of his fantasy value. I don’t think he exceeds the 18 home runs he hit back in 2023, but I do think he gives fantasy managers 13-16 home runs with a .250 average this season.

 

 

 

Drake Baldwin, Atlanta Braves

The injury to Sean Murphy opens the door for Baldwin to open the year as the team’s primary catcher, and you’ll never know what could happen to his role when Murphy returns, especially if Baldwin excels early on.

Baldwin has shown solid offensive capabilities during his time in the minors, and through his first 25 plate appearances in spring training, he’s slashing .368/.520/.474 with a 1:6 K/BB ratio. Impressive! He’s made a ton of contact this spring and hasn’t shown much swing-and-miss in his game (1.1% SwStr%), but I do think he projects to have a strikeout rate in the low-to-mid twenties during the regular season.

He’s the team’s top prospect with an encouraging offensive profile for fantasy purposes. The early returns from spring training have been encouraging, but he’s nothing more than a late round flier in deeper two catcher setups.

 

 

 

Joey Bart, Pittsburgh Pirates

Bart needs to hit, as the Pirates have multiple options they could use behind the dish. However, he should get plenty of ABs for this Pittsburgh team, and his late season success has carried into spring training.

Over the last 39 games of the 2024 season, Bart slashed .288/.344/.482 with seven home runs, a .358 wOBA, 128 wRC+, and .194 ISO. The former first round pick has opened spring training with a .429/.480/.714 slash line with two home runs and eight RBI. As a member of the Pirates last season, Bart cut back on swings out of the zone and whiffs, which plagued him early in his career in San Francisco, and his contact and whiff rates have looked good this spring.

There’s a lot of competition behind the dish in Pittsburgh, but as long as he’s producing, Pittsburgh will need to get his bat in the lineup. If you are waiting on catcher, he’s a fine second catcher in deeper formats.