Fantasy Baseball Catcher Draft Steal Candidates for 2025: Cal Raleigh, Shea Langeliers, Francisco Alvarez and More

The Super Bowl is over, and that means the MLB season is right around the corner. Let's continue my draft steal series with the catcher position.

We've discussed steals at designated hitter, relief pitcher, starting pitcher, first base, second base, third base and shortstop already. 

Check back soon for the draft bust article for catchers. Also be sure to check out the top-10 ranking stories (dynasty and redraft) for the position.

Check out Fantasy Baseball Average Draft Position data for 2025 and get ready for your fantasy drafts by utilizing the FantasySP Fantasy Baseball Mock Draft Simulator.

1. Cal Raleigh

We'll kick off this article discussing Raleigh. He's my No. 4 fantasy catcher in redraft leagues for 2025 and is being drafted fifth among catchers so far.

Last season, Raleigh was the No. 5 fantasy catcher, and I think he performs a bit better this season. It might not seem like a draft steal when looking at the data I've provided so far, but I believe Raleigh will outperform his ADP - he's going around pick 100 right now.

Raleigh played 153 games last season, which is a huge plus for a fantasy catcher. He hit just .220, but was on base at a .312 clip. Raleigh provided his fantasy value with 34 home runs and 100 RBIs. He added six stolen bases and scored 73 runs.

That made it back-to-back seasons in which Raleigh hit at least 30 home runs. He's entering his age-28 season, so there's no reason to believe he'll slow down this season. If anything, I could see an increase in some of his numbers, especially if Seattle is a bit more consistent offensively this season.

Raleigh is one of the few catchers you can draft and then not have to worry too much about a backup option. He's going to play just about every game and put up big numbers despite a lower average. If you can get past the low average and big strikeout numbers (176 last season), Raleigh can put up big numbers in fantasy leagues, points ones especially.

I think he will be much more valuable than the 100th fantasy player this season.

2. Salvador Perez

Perez is my No. 5 fantasy catcher for this season and is the No. 6 catcher on the ADP rankings so far. He's going around pick 100 as well, so he's pretty interchangeable with Raleigh.

I like Raleigh a touch more because he's entering his prime, while Perez is on the way out of his. Perez makes up for that by being eligible to play at catcher or first base, and is in the lineup even more.

In 158 games last season, Perez had a .271 average and .330 on-base percentage. He popped 27 home runs and drove in 104 runs. Perez doesn't steal bases, and he scored 58 times last season.

Getting a fantasy catcher who can play nearly every game of a 162-game season is unheard of. Add in that he can also slot in at first base and he's a great fantasy pick for 2025.

Even if he regresses a little bit, he shouldn't have a problem finishing among the top-five fantasy catchers. He was the No. 2 fantasy catcher in 2024.

I see some regression coming, but also think he's going to outplay his current ADP by quite a bit. It's a bonus that he's a versatile fantasy piece, and outside stealing bases, is a pretty well-rounded fantasy hitter.

3. Shea Langeliers

Langeliers is my No. 7 fantasy catcher for 2025. He is the 12th catcher off draft boards so far, going around pick 175. Langeliers finished eighth overall at the position a season ago.

Langeliers is strictly a catcher - he started 131 games last season, while being the designated hitter on just three occasions.

Despite a lack of fantasy position versatility, there's many reasons to believe Langeliers is going to be a huge fantasy draft steal this season. He's entering his age-27 season and coming off his best season yet.

In 137 games last season, Langeliers had a .224 average and .288 OBP. Those numbers aren't great, but his 29 home runs and 80 RBIs are. He added four stolen bases and scored 58 runs, and struck out roughly once per game.

You can see why I like Langeliers for the upcoming season. He's improved from year to year, and I think he's going to have another career season in 2025. 

The Athletics are not a great team for a fantasy player to be on, but there's enough talent ahead of him in the lineup to help Langeliers to a big fantasy season.

There's always a chance he gets traded to a contender, but even if he stays on the Athletics' roster all season, he should be able to finish inside the top-10 fantasy catchers again.

The best part with Langeliers is that he's going so late in fantasy drafts. I think playing for the Athletics really drops his stock down, but I'd be more than happy to spend one of my final picks on him.

Langeliers will perform like he's a starting fantasy catcher, but he's likely going to be the second option for a lot of you. If he ends up being your No. 1 option, make sure you have another catcher in place for the days that Langeliers is out of the lineup, maybe someone with a bit higher average to offset Langeliers' lower mark.

4. Francisco Alvarez

Alvarez is my No. 10 fantasy catcher for the upcoming season, but is the 11th one off draft boards so far. That's not a huge difference, but him going around pick 172 is what should catch your eye.

He only played in 100 games a season ago, so he wasn't a top-end fantasy option. Durability is definitely an issue with the 23-year-old catcher, but given where he's going in fantasy drafts, he has a bigger chance to outperform his draft slot than not live up to it.

In 100 games last season, Alvarez had a .237 average and .307 OBP. He hit 11 home runs, drove in 47 runs, stole a base and scored 39 times.

He's yet to play over 125 games in a season, but his 162-game averages are really good. Along with his .221 average and .294 OBP (career marks), Alvarez has 162-game averages of 26 home runs, 79 RBIs, two stolen bases and 66 runs scored.

I don't think Alvarez will get near many of those marks, and that's why I have him ranked where I do, but if he's able to play in 130 or more games, he's going to put up enough numbers to outproduce his draft slot pretty easily.

He's a better secondary fantasy catcher option, but I think he performs as a starting option most of the season. Regardless of how Alvarez fits on your team, I'd make sure your backup option is a really solid one - don't take a chance on another high-upside pick, like the final catcher on this list.

5. Logan O'Hoppe

O'Hoppe is my No. 9 fantasy catcher for 2025. He's being drafted 10th among catchers, going around pick 160. O'Hoppe was a top-15 option last season.

In 136 games, O'Hoppe had a .244 average and .303 OBP. He clubbed 20 home runs, drove in 56 runs, stole two bases and scored 64 runs.

O'Hoppe improved his average and OBP in his second season, and as just a 25-year-old, even bigger numbers should be coming. 

I'm a bit surprised to see him going as late as he is in fantasy drafts. Everyone loves a high-upside hitter, especially at a position where the top-end talent falls off quickly. In time, O'Hoppe's draft stock could rise considerably.

He plays in enough games and has pretty well-rounded numbers to take later in a fantasy draft. I like him best as a secondary option, but think he performs as a starter all season. Maybe this will be his true breakout season.