Fantasy Baseball Catcher Draft Bust Candidates for 2025: Adley Rutschman, Will Smith, J.T. Realmuto and More

After looking at some fantasy baseball draft steal options at the catcher position, I'm going to go over draft bust candidates right away.

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

Also be sure to check out my top-10 rankings (dynasty and redraft) for the catcher 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. Adley Rutschman

We'll start off with a big name and discuss why Rutschman could be a bust this season. He's my No. 3 fantasy catcher, but the second catcher being drafted so far. Rutschman was the No. 4 fantasy catcher in 2024.

The 27-year-old catcher is coming off a down season, but the numbers lined up with the ones he posted in his rookie season, so now people are wondering if 2023 was an outlier.

In 148 games last season, Rutschman had a .250 average and .318 on-base percentage. Those numbers are fine, but well below his .277 average and .374 OBP of 2023.

Rutschman had 19 homers and 79 RBIs last season, which lined up with his 2023 numbers. He stole a base and scored 68 runs, again well below his mark of 84 runs in 2023.

I think the average and OBP Rutschman posted in 2022 and 2024 are the ones we are more likely to see in 2025. Even so, he's a top-end fantasy catcher.

However, fantasy owners are looking at Rutschman as a 1B to Milwaukee's William Contreras, while he should be more the 2A to Houston's Yainer Diaz, and I'd even throw Cal Raleigh and Salvador Perez in the same tier.

If you are more a member of the Rutschman believers, who think he'll return to his 2023 marks, then those marks should allow him to put up good fantasy numbers and finish around his ADP. I think pick 45 or so is too early for Rutschman, and personally wouldn't want to take him until after pick 60.

2. Will Smith

Smith is another guy I could throw in the mix for the second-best fantasy catcher conversation, but I'm also down on Smith, so I have him a tier below that.

Smith is my No. 6 fantasy catcher for 2025, but he's the fourth one off draft boards so far, going around pick 96. He placed sixth among fantasy catchers in 2024.

In 128 games (he's been between 126-137 the past four seasons), Smith had a .248 average and .327 OBP. Both those numbers are down considerably from the previous three seasons.

He hit 20 homers and drove in 75 runs, while stealing a base and scoring 77 times. Those are more on line with the numbers he's delivered over the years.

So really, the average and OBP is what held Smith back last season. He also struck out a career-high 105 times. I could see him bouncing back a bit closer to his career .258 average and .350 OBP, but I still don't think that will be enough to vault him over Contreras, Diaz, Rutschman, Raleigh and Perez in my book.

I get wanting to go all in with the Dodgers' hitters because the lineup is stacked, but I think the hype is overrating Smith. I have no problem taking him as the No. 6 fantasy catcher, but think he should be going 10+ picks later.

I can make cases to draft the five guys I have ranked before him that all involve the actual hitters. With Smith, his biggest upside is the lineup he's in, and that's not enough to sway me.

3. Gabriel Moreno

None of the final three catchers appear in my top-10 list for 2025, but they were all honorable mentions. I simply opened up the ADP ranking list and am going down it to find the final three busts.

Moreno is first up, going seventh at the position and around pick 129 right now. He was not a top-15 fantasy catcher in 2024.

Some of that has to do with Moreno only appearing in 97 games, but durability has been an issue for him as a big leaguer, and that's part of the reason why I'm down on him going into 2025.

In 2024, Moreno had a .266 average and .353 OBP. Those are good marks, especially the OBP, but if he's not anywhere near 130 games (his career high in a season in 111), it doesn't mean nearly as much.

In 351 plate appearances, Moreno had just five home runs, but drove in 45 runs. He stole three bases and scored 39 runs. Moreno walked 41 times and struck out just 52 times.

I'm taking last year's numbers with a grain of salt though, because it's easy to put up better numbers when you only play less than 2/3 of the games.

Sure, Moreno could play in 130 or more games in 2025 and be a big-time draft steal, but I'm simply not confident in it based on what we've seen so far. I think he's being drafted far too early, and would only consider him if he dropped 20+ picks.

4. J.T. Realmuto

Realmuto is the eighth catcher off draft boards so far, going around pick 148. He finished behind Moreno last season.

He was limited to 99 games, which is a bit of an anomaly for him. Realmuto had played in at least 125 games in all but two seasons coming into last year - one season was his rookie year and the other was the COVID season in 2020.

Realmuto was solid when he was on the field, hitting .266 and getting on at a .322 clip. He homered 14 times, drove in 47 runs, stole two bases and scored 50 runs.

He should be able to push for a spot in the top 10 if he stays healthy most of the season and gets in close to 130 games. But he's approaching age 34, and I think is going to also regress a bit, so a jump back inside the top 10 doesn't seem as likely to me.

Like in the case with Moreno, I'd pass on Realmuto in drafts unless he fell at least two rounds. 

5. Keibert Ruiz

Ruiz is the ninth catcher off draft boards, going around pick 155. That's much more respectable in my eyes, as he was the No. 10 fantasy catcher in 2024.

Ruiz appeared in 127 games, after playing in 136 in 2023. In those 127 games, Ruiz had a .229 average and .260 average. Those are way off his .260 average and .308 OBP he posted in 2023.

He played in nine less games, but wasn't likely to reach his 18-homer and 67-RBI marks he had in 2023. Ruiz finished the 2024 season with 13 home runs and 57 RBIs. 

Ruiz stole three bases and scored 46 times. He was nine runs off his 2023 figure.

You can see why I'm down on Ruiz, but people aren't agreeing right now. He's also going to likely hit near the bottom of the Washington lineup, which is never a great thing (unless it's a stacked lineup).

The Nationals are a young-and-upcoming lineup, but they are likely to top out as a just above-average lineup, not an elite one. That will limit what Ruiz can do as a fantasy hitter.

I'd need Ruiz to drop 15+ picks in order to really feel comfortable about drafting him.

My guess is that fantasy owners who missed out on Contreras, Rutschman, Diaz, Smith, Raleigh and Perez needed a fantasy catcher as the rounds passed by. Instead of waiting even longer, fantasy owners decided to grab their catchers before losing out of them.

That's a dangerous game to play, especially if you don't really value them that highly. Try not to get sucked into that trap this season, whether that means taking a fantasy catcher in the first 10 or 11 rounds or waiting until the final five rounds to draft a starter and backup. This is a position you could take that strategy in.