MLB Network ranks Gabriel Moreno No. 7 on list of catchers for 2025
Jan 9, 2025, 8:00 PM
Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Gabriel Moreno is the seventh best backstop in Major League Baseball, according to MLB Network’s 2025 rankings revealed on Thursday.
MLB’s “The Shredder” ranks players based on offensive and defensive metrics paired with research team analysis. Moreno enters his third season with the Diamondbacks and has established himself at a young age as an upper echelon defensive catcher with an advanced approach and strong bat-to-ball skills.
Last year, the 24-year-old slashed .266/.353/.380 with five homers and 18 doubles. He racked up 10 defensive runs saved, second in the National League behind Gold Glove winner Patrick Bailey’s 20. He did so in only 97 games, as he spent two stints on the injured list with thumb and groin ailments.
Gabriel Moreno improves on his #10 ranking on last year's #Top10RightNow by landing at #7 on this year's list. pic.twitter.com/2uBpQeXz0N
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) January 10, 2025
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Despite the missed time, Moreno ranked 12th among MLB catchers with 2.5 fWAR. He was named a Gold Glove finalist after winning the award in 2023.
At the plate, Moreno can wait for his pitch and spray the ball the other way. The right-handed hitter finished better than 90% of the league in chase rate, strikeout percentage and walk rate last season. He was in the 84th percentile for chase percentage, according to Statcast.
More of a singles and doubles hitter at this point in his career, Moreno only has 13 home runs in 804 plate appearances, but a .280 career batting average and .347 career on-base percentage illustrate his role on offense as what manager Torey Lovullo describes as a stubborn at-bat.
He started the 2024 season slowly with a .632 OPS through the end of May, perhaps looking to pull the ball in the air more often. But his batting line improved with each passing month. From June 1 on, Moreno hit .295 with an .818 OPS — both of which ranked fourth among catchers with at least 100 plate appearances. Moreno was humming before suffering a groin strain in early August, as he hit .333 with an .889 OPS in 25 games before hitting the injured list.
He broke out in 2023 after an offseason trade from Toronto, winning the Gold Glove after bullying base runners with a 39% caught stealing percentage.
Projections are bullish on his 2025 season, too. Steamer on FanGraphs projects a 3.9-win season for Moreno, good for sixth among MLB catchers, with a slash line of .283/.356/.422.
A key member of Arizona’s young core, Moreno is not arbitration eligible until next offseason and won’t be a free agent until 2029.
MLB Network placed Milwaukee Brewers catcher William Contreras atop the list, Baltimore’s Adley Rutschman second and Will Smith of the Los Angeles Dodgers third. New York Yankees catcher and Arizona Wildcats alum Austin Wells placed 10th.
The 10 best catchers in the game according to The Shredder!@MLBNow | #Top10RightNow pic.twitter.com/1oLX91chkc
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) January 10, 2025
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