Carson Kelly ranked 10th best catcher by MLB Network

Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Carson Kelly was ranked 10th on MLB Now’s Top 10 Catchers Right Now! last night. Kelly, who makes his debut on the countdown, finished one spot behind the Tampa Bay Rays’ Mike Zunino. In addition to Kelly, teammate Ketel Marte ranked first on MLB Now’s Top 10 Second Basemen Right Now! on Tuesday.

Hosted by MLB Network’s Brian Kenny alongside MLB Network analysts, each Top 10 Right Now! ranking considers player performance over the last three seasons, offensive and defensive metrics, both advanced Statcast data and traditional numbers, and expert analysis by the MLB Network research team.

The complete ranking for MLB Now’s top-10 catchers is listed below:

1. J.T. Realmuto, Philadelphia Phillies
2. Yasmani Grandal, Chicago White Sox
3. Will Smith, Los Angeles Dodgers
4. Willson Contreras, Chicago Cubs
5. Salvador Perez, Kansas City Royals
6. Mitch Garver, Texas Rangers
7. Sean Murphy, Oakland Athletics
8. Jacob Stallings, Miami Marlins
9. Mike Zunino, Tampa Bay Rays
10. Carson Kelly, Arizona Diamondbacks

I was a bit surprised to see Kelly ranked at all. But he wasn't that far outside the top 10 last season, ranked equal 12th among catchers by bWAR. Factor in the retirement of St. Buster of the Flowers and that most of those above him were in their thirties (Kelly was 26 in 2021), and it perhaps feels he could have been placed even higher.

Now in its 12th season, MLB Now’s Top 10 Right Now! series features analysis from MLB Network on-air personalities and roundtable discussions with former SABR President Vince Gennaro, MLB.com analyst Mike Petriello, and MLB.com writer and editor Sarah Langs. The series continues tonight with the top 10 starting pitchers, as listed below.