Amid all the (much deserved) hype of Cal Raleigh setting a new standard for catchers, Hunter Goodman’s excellent year tends to get lost.
However, he was good enough to represent the Colorado Rockies at
the All-Start Game, and he led the team in any number of metrics. Goodman was also among the top catchers in the National League in terms of offensive value. It’s worth, then, taking a moment to consider his case for winning a Silver Slugger, an award given out to the best offensive player at each position.
What are the criteria? According to the Louisville Silver Slugger website, “They base their selections on a combination of offensive statistics including batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage, as well as the coaches’ and managers’ general impressions of a player’s overall offensive value.”
(However, they are unable to vote for players on their own teams.)
With that in mind, let’s consider where the top National League catchers rank in terms of those criteria: batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage — and I’ll throw in a few more relevant categories that might coincide with “a player’s overall offensive value.”
Four NL catchers (minimum of 400 plate appearances) generally rise to the top: Will Smith (Los Angeles Dodgers), William Contreras (Milwaukee Brewers), Carson Kelly (Chicago Cubs), and Hunter Goodman though a few other catchers will also make appearances.
Batting average
The value of batting average has long been questioned, but since it’s listed as a criteria, let’s start there.
In terms of batting average, the best catchers are as follows:
- Will Smith — .292
- Hunter Goodman — .290
- William Contreras — .264
- JT Realmuto — .259
Here the top number goes to Smith with Goodman landing a close second. Baldwin and Contreras are far enough behind to effectively remove them from contention based on this criteria.
On-base Percentage
This category, however, has a clear winner, and it’s not close.
- Will Smith — .403
- William Contreras — .357
- Carson Kelly — .331
- Hunter Goodman — .323
The best catcher in the NL based on OBP is Will Smith, and by this metric no one approaches him.
In fact, in this category, Goodman is 80 points worse. This probably speaks to Goodman’s proclivities at the plate that includes a tendency to chase (which, in fairness, plagues all Rockies hitters).
Slugging percentage
Once again, there is a clear winner when considering this measure.
- Hunter Goodman — .572
- Will Smith — .486
- Carson Kelly — .437
- William Contreras — .399
Here, Hunter Goodman is the clear winner. With the exception of Smith, Goodman surpasses all other NL catchers by almost 100 points.
In terms of National Leagu raw power, no one had more than the Rockies catcher.
“General impressions of a player’s overall offensive value”
Below are general impressions of a player’s overall offensive value categories that the voters might take into consideration.
Home Runs
Speaking of SLG, consider the homers each catcher hit during the course of the 2025 season.
- Hunter Goodman — 28
- Carson Kelly — 17
- Will Smith — 15
- William Contreras — 13
Again, Goodman is the absolute best catcher in the NL by this metric. And before hearing all the “Coors!” talk, remember that Goodman was better on the road than he was at Coors Field. He hit 18 on the road as opposed to 13 at Coors. (When Goodman figures out how to hit at elevation, watch out.)
wRC+
Consider, then, a different hitting metric, Weighted Runs Created Plus:
- Will Smith — 150
- Hunter Goodman — 130
- Drake Baldwin — 127
- Carson Kelly — 116
- William Contreras — 114
This is another category that goes to Smith — and convincingly so.
RBI
Here’s another old-school category: runs batted in.
- Hunter Goodman — 71
- William Contreras — 67
- Drake Baldwin — 63
- Will Smith — 56
- Patrick Bailey — 52
That Goodman would manage 71 RBIs given how anemic the Rockies offense was strikes me as just short of miraculous.
Closing thoughts
So that’s what the numbers show.
The votes were cast before the end of the season, so the real question will be whether Goodman’s power can overcome Smith’s plate discipline and reputation.
We’ll know by mid-November.
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