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The catcher position took the big collective step forward we were all hoping for in 2026, and then they all mostly took a big step back. At the All-Star break, six different catchers had at least an .800 OPS while logging at least 200 at-bats; in the second half, five catchers had at least an .800 OPS in at least 150 at-bats, but only Gabriel Moreno actually managed it across both halves of the season.
\n\nHere's how those six first-half breakouts fared in the second:
\n\n*missed much of the second half with a knee injury
\n\nFor the most part, they didn't totally collapse. And this list notably doesn't include Drake Baldwin, whose first-half numbers were dragged down by a miserable few weeks right after he came back from an oblique injury; he had a big second half, finishing third at the position in OPS. But when it looked like we were getting a whole new crop of potential superstars early on, that momentum didn't quite carry over for the whole season.
\n\nAdd it all up, and we ended up with 11 players worth at least $10 on the FanGraphs.com Player Rater, actually down from the 12 who hit that mark…
Original source: https://www.cbssports.com/
