Catcher is the most underappreciated position in baseball. Catchers are largely in charge of pitch selection, protecting home plate, gunning down steal attempts, and reacting to short in-field situations.
Great catchers are able to lock down baserunners and help guide pitching. And don't forget about offensive production.
Star catchers are a rarity, but there are still some greats under the mask today. Let's go over the best catchers for Franchise Mode, March to October, and beyond.
J.T. Realmuto - 90 OVR
J.T. Realmuto is the most talented catcher in baseball today, and brings everything to the spot you could ask for.
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Realmuto is 29 years old, but he can likely keep up his prime for a couple more years. In-game Realmuto's best talents are his 93 Arm Accuracy, 91 Arm Strength, and 89 Durability. This package combined with some very good batting and a remarkable 75 speed on a catcher is a gold mine.
Realmuto can reliably gun down runners, chase down short in-field plays and foul balls, and produce in your batting rotation.
Yasmani Grandal - 88 OVR
Yasmani Grandal may be on the older side of this list, but he maintains a level above almost every other catcher in the league.
Despite being slow even for a catcher with just 6 speed, he brings everything else to the table. Grandal has elite fielding at 89 with 86 Reaction, and is a big presence at the plate with 99 Discipline, 94 Durability, and 80/72 Power vs R/L.
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If Grandal can get to the ball, he'll make a play almost every time.
Mitch Garver - 84 OVR
Mitch Garver brings a unique skill package to the catcher position. Not particularly good at turning plays in the field, Garver instead brings value to a team on offense.
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With some elite hitting skills like 90/88 Power vs R/L and 80 Discipline, Garver presents some problems for pitchers of all kinds. He's somewhat exposable on defense with just 56 Fielding, but he more than makes up for it at the plate.
Christian Vazquez - 84 OVR
Christian Vazquez is a great defensive choice for catcher, and his batting isn't too far behind. While he's unlikely to get much better with B potential at 29, he doesn't have to.
Vazquez' best talents are his 89 Fielding, 86 Arm Accuracy, 84 Durability. Apart from his elite fielding he's got an above average game everywhere else, which makes for a solid pickup for any team.
Gary Sanchez - 83 OVR
Gary Sanchez is one of the youngest people on this list, and at A potential, looks like one of the future greats of the position.
His best talents are his 90 Power vs L, 88 Power vs R, and 89 Arm Strength.
When Sanchez makes contact, expect fireworks. This fits in nicely with the rest of the New York Yankees' lineup of sluggers. While Sanchez isn't the best at making in-field plays, he's tremendous at gunning down greedy baserunners.
Mike Zunino - 83 OVR
Not particularly fast or lethal at the plate, Mike Zunino is most likely to be brought in for his ability to turn defensive plays.
His best talents are his 88 Arm Accuracy, 87 Fielding, and 80 Reaction. His 72/72 Power vs R/L stands out, but his 44/32 Contact vs L/R holds him back.
Roberto Perez - 83 OVR
Roberto Perez is quite a puzzle. Despite having elite fielding skills and some strong batting skills, he's very slow, and a lot of his overall is caught up in Bunt skill which he doesn't have the speed for.
But if you're looking for a defensive boost from your catcher, Perez offers that. His strongest talents are his 99 Fielding, 99 Reaction, and 99 Bunt.
Willson Contreras - 83 OVR
This won't be the last time Willson Contreras makes a list just like this. Tied for youngest player on the list with Gary Sanchez, Contreras also has A level potential.
Contreras will be one of the best catchers in the league in the next couple years, and he's already got the skills. His best talents in MLB The Show 20 are his 84 Arm Strength, 84 Contact vs L, and 78 Power vs R.
Contrera's most underrated strength is his ability to equally threaten pitchers of all kinds, with good skill packages for lefties and righties alike.
Buster Posey - 83 OVR
Buster Posey is definitely on the tail end of his career, but he still has more to give as one of the best catchers in the game.
Posey's best talents are his defensive potential combined with a decent bat. He has 95 Blocking, 88 Fielding, and 86 Reaction. That means it'll be hard to get to home plate when contested, and opponents won't get away with many foul balls.
Wilson Ramos - 82 OVR
Wilson Ramos is probably the slowest player at his overall in MLB The Show history. With a literal 0 Speed, you can't expect Ramos to run out many base-hits or gun down bunts like others. It's also hard to make plays on foul balls, even the ones Ramos gets to, with just 52 Fielding.
The argument for Ramos as a top 10 catcher is in his batting. Ramos' best talents are his 95 Clutch, 92 Contact vs L, and 86 Durability. He's a contact-heavy batter that can produce some power occasionally. The problem lies in getting Ramos to first so you can bring out a pinch runner.
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