MLB The Show 22: Best Catchers

The unofficial start of spring training camp is arguably the most important player-to-player relationship in baseball. The catcher is responsible for catching all the pitches and influencing the confidence of runners who like to steal bases by having great fielding abilities. This is not a position you want to be frugal with.

When picking a catcher, think about what you need to fill out your roster with. Maybe you need to add a bat or maybe you have a weakness in the infield. Pay attention to the specifics of your club’s needs to pick the right catcher for your situation. It’s an easy position to overlook and you will pay a hefty price if you make a poor choice.

10. Jacob Stallings (84 OVR)

Team: Miami Marlins
Age: 32
Total Salary: $2,500,000
Years on Contract: 1
Secondary Position(s): None
Best Attributes: 99 Fielding rating, 80 Plate Blocking Ability, 99 Reaction Time

Jacob Stallings is fresh off a 2021 Gold Glove season which is reflected in his 99 fielding rating. You can place all your trust in him behind the plate. His 99 reaction time makes him great at recovering from bunts and bouncing pitches. Stallings scores high in other defensive categories too with a 72 arm strength rating and a 69 throw accuracy rating. His 80 plate blocking rating also makes it hard for the opposition to score runs.

Stallings is a very average hitter but if you have a few good bats in your lineup already, he can definitely be an asset for your team. After all, defense wins championships, and Stallings has all the talent that you need from a catcher.

Last season, Stallings hit 8 home runs, 53 RBIs, and held a batting average of .246. 

9. Mike Zunino (OVR 84)

Team: Tampa Bay Rays
Age: 31
Total Salary: $507,500
Years on Contract: 1
Secondary Position(s): None
Best Attributes: 82 Fielding rating, 90+ Power L/R, 87 Reaction Time

The obvious answer for why he makes the list is hitting power and Mike Zunino has it in abundance. He maxes out against left handed pitchers with a 99 power rating and has a very impressive 90 power rating against righties. His contact ratings aren’t the best but when he connects, he does a lot of damage. He is a great catcher to have on a roster, especially if it needs a playmaking bat in the lineup.

Zunino is also an above-average defensive player. He has an 82 overall fielding ability rating.

He is below average in speed but makes up for it with above-average ratings in arm strength and throw accuracy. Zunino has an 84 overall rating which easily makes him one of the best catchers in MLB The Show 22. He finished the 2021 season with 33 home runs, 62 RBIs, and a .216 batting average.

8. Roberto Perez (84 OVR)

Team: Pittsburgh Pirates
Age: 33
Total Salary: $5,000,000
Years on Contract: 1
Secondary Position(s): None
Best Attributes: 90 Fielding rating, 92 Plate Blocking Ability, 94 Reaction Time

Roberto Perez is a very strong defensive player and scores in the 90s for 3 out of 5 defensive categories. Perez has an 84 throw accuracy rating and a 67 arm strength rating, which are above average. Overall, he has a 90 fielding ability rating. His outstanding plate blocking and reaction time abilities make him great for preventing runs.

Perez has above average hitting power with a 77 power rating against left-handed pitchers and a 61 power rating against right-handed pitchers. His contact ratings are average or below at 50 against left-handed pitchers and 28 against right-handed pitchers. The one stand-out category for him is his 99 bunting ability. He hit 7 home runs, 17 RBIs and had a batting average of .149 in the 2021 season.

7. Willson Contreras (85 OVR)

Team: Chicago Cubs
Age: 29
Total Salary: $9,000,000
Years on Contract: Arbitration
Secondary Position(s): LF
Best Attributes: 88 Arm Strength , 75 Reaction Time, 78 Durability

Willson Contreras has great ratings across the board. His 88 arm strength is his strongest attribute. As a catcher having great arm strength is very helpful to combat runners choosing to steal bases. He has an overall 72 fielding ability to go along with a 78 durability rating, which makes him a dependable defensive player. Overall, he rates 85 as a player.

Contreras also has value on the other side of the ball. He rates above average at 70+ hitting power for both left and right-handed pitchers. His plate vision and bunting attributes are both below average, but he can be very useful in your lineup as he can hit home runs and bring runners in using his swinging power. Last season, Contreras hit 21 home runs, had 57 RBIs, and a .237 batting average. 

6. Mitch Garver (85 OVR)

Team: Texas Rangers
Age: 31
Total Salary: $3,335,000
Years on Contract: 1
Secondary Position(s): 1B
Best Attributes: 80+ Power vs RHP/LHP , 81 Plate Discipline, 75 Reaction Time

Mitch Garver is a great all-around baseball player. He is above average in a lot of areas but doesn’t rate in the 90s for any abilities. Garver has a 71 fielding ability rating, which is strong considering he only has a 57 throw accuracy rating.

Garver can be dangerous at-bat. He has an 85 power rating vs left-handed pitchers and an 80 power rating vs righties, adding exceptional value to any batting lineup. With an 81 plate discipline rating, Garver is selective in the pitches that he swings at. In the 2021 season, he had 13 home runs, 34 RBIs, and a .256 batting average.

5. Yadier Molina (85 OVR)

Team: St. Louis Cardinals
Age: 39
Total Salary: $10,000,000
Years on Contract: 1
Secondary Position(s): 1B
Best Attributes: 85 Batting Clutch , 89 Throw Accuracy, 82 Plate Vision

Experience can sometimes be the greatest talent. At the age of 39, Yadier Molina is still a very good baseball player. He was selected for an All-Star game in 2021 and still has plenty to offer on the field. Molina has a very good late game with an 85 batting clutch rating. This can be helpful when you need a run in the 9th inning. He also has an 82 plate vision rating that increases his chances of getting the bat on the ball.

Molina is still a slightly above average defensive player at his age with a 72 fielding ability rating. Runners have to be careful with him behind the plate as he boasts an impressive 89 throw accuracy rating and 81 reaction time. Across the board, he is pretty solid in the five categories of defensive attributes with 72 plate blocking ability being the only attribute under 75. In the 2021 season, Molina hit 11 home runs, had 66 RBIs and a .252 batting average.  

4. Salvador Perez (88 OVR)

Team: Kansas City Royals
Age: 31
Total Salary: $18,000,000
Years on Contract: 4 yrs
Secondary Position(s): 1B
Best Attributes: 90 Throw Accuracy, 99 Power vs LHP, 98 Durability

Salvador Perez’s weaknesses aren’t even weaknesses. Who cares if he is not great at bunting; he prefers to knock it out of the park and is very successful at it. Perez is Kansas City’s best player along with being a top-five catcher in the league. He maxes out with a 99 power rating vs left-handed pitchers to go along with an 87 power rating against right-handed pitchers. He scores highly as a contact hitter both against lefties and righties making him lethal at the plate.

Perez’s best defensive attribute is his 90 throwing accuracy rating along with a 75 arm strength rating which allows him to put the ball exactly where it needs to be. Perez almost scores perfectly on durability, coming in at 98, so you don’t have to worry about him taking games off. He only rates 53 in overall fielding ability but his bat more than makes up for this. As an overall player, he rates 88, so there is no chance of buyer’s remorse. Perez had 48 home runs and 121 RBIs, and held a .273 batting average in the 2021 season.  

3. J.T. Realmuto (90 OVR)

Team: Philadelphia Phillies
Age: 31
Total Salary: $23,875,000
Years on Contract: 4 yrs
Secondary Position(s): 1B
Best Attributes: 93 Arm Strength, 87 Plate Blocking Ability, 80 Fielding Ability

It is definitely not wise to attempt to steal bases with this guy behind the mound. J.T. Realmuto has a 92 arm strength rating to go along with an 80 throwing accuracy attribute. If you don’t time a steal perfectly, it’s almost a guaranteed out for you. He has an 80 fielding ability and rates at least 80 in every fielding category including speed, which makes him an elite defensive player.

Realmuto is a well-rounded catcher that plays well on both sides of the ball, although his fielding is where he adds the most value. When it comes down to power-hitting, he is slightly above average with a 65 power rating against right-handers and a 54 power rating against lefties. He is good at getting contact on the ball with 72 contact attributes vs right-handed pitchers and 63 contact rating vs left-handed pitchers. You won’t go wrong with Realmuto as your catcher. During the 2021 season, he hit 17 homers, 73 RBIs, and a .263 batting average.

2. Will Smith (90 OVR)

Team: Los Angeles Dodgers
Age: 27
Total Salary: $13,000,000
Years on Contract: 2 yrs
Secondary Position(s): 3B
Best Attributes: 82 Batting Clutch, 97 Power vs RHP, 98 Durability

Will Smith is a catcher that can do most things exceptionally well. He has a staggering 97 power rating vs right-hand pitchers which pairs very well with an 82 batting clutch rating. He has a 79 durability rating and a 78 plate discipline attribute. He is definitely a solid everyday catcher.

Smith has a 73 fielding ability which is above average but not exceptional. If you look closer at his attributes, you will see that he rates in the 70s for all five categories except for a 63 throwing accuracy, which isn’t low enough to become a liability. It’s easy to see why he is rated 90 as a baseball player. Last year, he hit 25 home runs, 76 RBIs and a .258 batting average.

1.  Yasmani Grandal (93 OVR)

Team: Chicago White Sox
Age: 33
Total Salary: $18,250,000
Years on Contract: 2 yrs
Secondary Position(s): 1B
Best Attributes: 94 Durability, 99 Plate Discipline, 90+ vs RHP/LHP

Yasmani Grandal commands respect in the batters’ box. Maxing out plate discipline at 99 puts pitchers in the position to throw him strikes knowing he will not chase balls out of the strike zone. That’s where things become dangerous. Once they put the ball where he wants them to be, he knocks the leather off of the baseball with a 95 power rating against left-handed pitchers and a 92 rating against right-handed pitchers.

Grandal is no slouch on defense either. None of his attributes are in the 90s, but he has an 83 fielding rating and also rates above average in the other categories. Grandal has exceptional reaction time with an 87 rating. He is very dependable with a 94 durability rating. He is the highest-rated catcher in the game at 93 and it comes as no surprise when you look at what he does as an all-purpose baseball player. He finished the 2021 season with 23 home runs, 62 RBIs, and a .240 batting average.

There is no wrong answer if you pick any of the 10 catchers listed above. Make your choice based on your teams needs. Just remember that a catcher is probably the second most important player on your team, so don’t take this decision lightly.