Ryder Helfrick, C, Arkansas
Age: 21
Bats/Trows: R/R
Height: 6’1”
Weight: 210 lbs
Scouting grades: Hit: 45 | Power: 55 | Run: 40 | Arm: 65 | Field: 60 | Overall: 55
The draft board was shaken up a bit immediately before the Diamondbacks selected at #15. So the Diamondbacks played it safe and let the draft come to them. Ryder Helfrick is by and large considered the best defensive catcher in the draft. He is not the highest ranked catcher by any means, but he brings the fact that there are zero concerns
that Helfrick could stick behind the plate.
Here are some takes from prospect evaluators concerning Helfrick:
Baseball America
#7 overall
Helfrick ranked as the No. 143 prospect in the 2023 class out of high school and flashed big tools with arm strength and power. He struggled offensively as a freshman in 2024 before having a breakout season with Arkansas in 2025 in which he hit .305/.420/.616 with 15 home runs as the team’s starting catcher. Helfrick parlayed that performance into an invite to Team USA during the summer, splitting time with Georgia Tech backstop Vahn Lackey behind the plate. A 6-foot-1, 205-pound righthanded hitter, Helfrick has a strong build with plus bat speed and a pull-oriented approach. He has plus power to the pull side, which he showed no issue getting to in games over the summer. The two biggest question marks in his profile right now are his hit tool—his contact skills are below-average, and he struggles mightily to pick up spin out of the hand—and the polish to his defensive game.
Fangraphs
#25 overall
Helfrick was a highly-regarded high school prospect in Northern California who ventured all the way to the SEC for college. After struggling as a freshman, he had a power-hitting breakout as a sophomore, struggled with Team USA during the summer, then held serve as a junior, with a .283/.417/.562 line and slightly fewer strikeouts than the year before. Overt physicality, power, and steady catching defense (especially his framing) give Helfrick a floor of sorts. It’s common for big league catchers to hit around .200, and that’s what’s likely in the cards for Helfrick, who swings over the top of a lot of soft stuff in the bottom of the zone. He should crush quite a few high fastballs to his pull side and slug even though he will probably strike out 30% of the time in pro ball.
On defense, Helfrick’s size and strength help make him a quiet, subtle receiver around the edges of the zone, and he’s a skilled, mobile ball-blocker. He has an above-average arm that plays down because his exchange takes too long, and this needs some polish. Luke Stevenson went 35th overall in 2025 after striking out more often than Helfrick did as a sophomore, and Helfrick is a better defender, so his draft stock is just ahead of that area.
MLB Pipeline
#11 overall
Helfrick ranked among the best catchers in the 2023 high school class, but an inconsistent senior season and a commitment to Arkansas left him undrafted. He batted .179 as a part-time player as a freshman before tying for the Cape Cod League lead with 11 homers that summer, a prelude to becoming a full-time starter and going deep a combined 33 times as a sophomore and junior. He stood out even more with his defense for the Razorbacks and the U.S. collegiate national team and should become the first backstop in school history to go in the first round.
More advanced than most college catchers, Helfrick already calls pitches and excels at running a staff. He shows impressive physical skills behind the plate as well, grading as a quality receiver, framer and blocker. He has a strong arm that will be even more effective if he cleans up his transfer and improves his accuracy.
Helfrick’s strength and bat speed generate plus raw power from the right side of the plate, with most of his homers traveling to his pull side. He punishes fastballs but will chase pitches out of the zone and struggles to make contact against breaking balls and changeups. Even if he doesn’t hit for a high average, he does everything else well enough to profile as a big league regular.
More to come later as things unfold…
