Must-Have Catchers (2026 Fantasy Baseball)

Let’s dive into a few must-have hitters for the 2026 fantasy baseball season. We love drafting these players at their current cost.

Fantasy Baseball Must-Have Catchers

It’s always imperative to define what a must-have player is for fantasy baseball. It’s someone who’s undervalued or a relative bargain near their average draft position (ADP). Sometimes those players are worth reaching a round or more in ADP to select. Of course, reaching substantially is more palatable later in drafts, and reaching a round on a player drafted in the first three rounds is usually ill-advised.

It’s also critical to know what a must-have player isn’t. Gamers shouldn’t reach 12+ picks on all of the following players because they feel they need to roster them. The idea is to soak up value or surplus value by picking them as close to their ADP as possible. Some players will outperform their ADP, but since gamers are more informed now than ever before, ADPs are also pretty tight. Constantly reaching is a recipe for an underachieving squad. With the caveats out of the way, the following are must-have hitters, using the consensus ADPs from RealTime Fantasy Sports (RTS) and National Fantasy Baseball Championship (NFBC).

Ivan Herrera (C, DH – STL): 143 ADP

It’s always nice to roster a player with catcher eligibility who primarily plays another position and isn’t subjected to the wear and tear of working behind the dish. Ivan Herrera played only 14 games (13 starts) and 101 innings behind the plate last season.

Herrera underwent surgery to remove bone chips from his elbow and could be the club’s primary catcher this year. He was the designated hitter in 89 games last season, per FanGraphs. Even a split between catching and designated hitter would subject him to fewer bumps, bruises and nicks than his peers who play only catcher.

Herrera was the 90th-ranked hitter by VBR last season. In 452 plate appearances, he mashed 19 taters with 54 runs, 66 RBI, eight stolen bases, a .284 batting average, .373 OBP, 9.5% walk rate, 18.6% strikeout rate and 137 wRC+.

Herrera’s stolen base contributions were a nifty boost that catchers rarely provide fantasy teams, and his batting average didn’t appear flukey relative to his career mark or his xBA. Herrera is a rock-solid caching option at a stark discount from the 10 catchers selected ahead of him, sporting an ADP that’s 24 spots later than Yainer Diaz (119/C10).

Carter Jensen (C – KC): 217 ADP

Carter Jensen is a dreamy second catcher in two-catcher formats and a sweet high-upside, late-round dart throw in single-catcher formats. Jensen mashed in the upper Minors last year in 492 plate appearances (308 in Double-A and 184 in Triple-A):

20 home runs
72 runs
76 RBI
10 stolen bases
.290 batting average
.377 OBP
12.2% walk rate
24.8% strikeout rate
136 wRC+

Jensen’s excellence at the plate earned him a brief look on the Royals at the end of the season, and he was up to the task. In 69 plate appearances for Kansas City, Jensen put up the following stats:

3 home runs
13 RBI
.300 batting average
.391 OBP
13% walk rate
17.4% strikeout rate
159 wRC+

Jensen’s batting average wasn’t lucky, either, with a .343 xBA. According to Baseball Savant, among hitters with at least 25 batted-ball events, Jensen’s 14.5 barrels per plate appearance (Brls/PA%) was first, and his 100.2 miles per hour (MPH) fly-ball/line drive exit velocity was the fourth-highest.

Jensen can knock the cover off the ball, and he can also benefit from Kauffman Stadium’s renovated park dimensions. Jensen is a helium candidate if he generates buzz during spring training.