Sep 9, 2023; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith (16) on the field before the game against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
Will Smith again represented the Los Angeles Dodgers on The Shredder rankings of the Top-10 Catchers Right now heading into the 2024 season with a placement at second on the list two years in a row.
The Shredder ranked Smith as the No. 2 catcher in baseball heading into the 2023 season as well, and began appearing on the MLB Top-10 Catchers Right Now list in 2021.
Ranked ahead of Smith is Baltimore Orioles’ Adley Rutschman for his first time sitting atop The Shredder’s annual list.
Smith was also ranked the second-best catcher in baseball by MLB Network analyst Vince Gennaro, and he was fourth on Mike Petriello’s and Sarah Langs’ lists.
All three analysts had Rutschman as their top catcher as well. Petriello additionally ranked Sean Murphy (Atlanta Braves) and William Contreraas (Milwaukee Brewers) ahead of Smith. Langs had Smith behind Murphy and J.T. Realmuto (Philadelphia Phillies).
The 28-year-old is heading into his fifth season as the Dodgers’ full-time catcher and is coming off a year in which he earned a first career All-Star Game selection.
That pleased Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, who regularly campaigned for Smith to be selected to the Midsummer Classic and touted him as one of the best catchers in baseball.
Smith finished the 2023 season batting .261/.359/.438 with 21 doubles, 19 home runs and 76 RBI. He had a stellar first half before going into a prolonged slump after the All-Star break.
What made that all the more confounding is Smith remained productive while playing through a fractured rib in the first half but results at the plate tailed off despite getting healthy. Smith also dealt with a concussion that caused him to miss nearly two weeks in April.
He heads into the 2024 season again figuring to hit in the middle of the Dodgers lineup and along with Teoscar Hernández, provide some production from the right side of the plate.
MLB Top-10 Catchers Right Now for 2024
| Rank | The Shredder | Mike Petriello | Vince Gennaro | Sarah Langs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Adley Rutschman (Orioles) | Adley Rutschman (Orioles) | Adley Rutschman (Orioles) | Adley Rutschman (Orioles) |
| 2 | Will Smith (Dodgers) | Sean Murphy (Braves) | Will Smith (Dodgers) | Sean Murphy (Braves) |
| 3 | Sean Murphy (Braves) | William Contreras (Brewers) | Sean Murphy (Braves) | J.T. Realmuto (Phillies) |
| 4 | J.T. Realmuto (Phillies) | Will Smith (Dodgers) | Gabriel Moreno (Diamondbacks) | Will Smith (Dodgers) |
| 5 | William Contreras (Brewers) | J.T. Realmuto (Phillies) | William Contreras (Brewers) | William Contreras (Brewers) |
| 6 | Willson Contreras (Cardinals) | Cal Raleigh (Mariners) | Cal Raleigh (Mariners) | Patrick Bailey (Giants) |
| 7 | Alejandro Kirk (Blue Jays) | Willson Contreras (Cardinals) | J.T. Realmuto (Phillies) | Gabriel Moreno (Diamondbacks) |
| 8 | Yainer Diaz (Astros) | Jonah Heim (Rangers) | Willson Contreras (Cardinals) | Cal Raleigh (Mariners) |
| 9 | Cal Raleigh (Mariners) | Gabriel Moreno (Diamondbacks) | Jonah Heim (Rangers) | Willson Contreras (Cardinals) |
| 10 | Gabriel Moreno (Diamondbacks) | Yainer Diaz (Astros) | Francisco Alvarez (Mets) | Yainer Diaz (Astros) |
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