MLB Network rankings grossly undervalue Reds' most improved player from 2024

Cincinnati Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson made tremendous improvements from 2023 to 2024 as the club's every day catcher. He saw an uptick in every offensive metric and put together another decent campaign behind the dish.

Stephenson and the Reds were able to agree on a salary for the 2025 season, although most fans would have preferred to see him receive an extension. Stephenson was key to last season's lineup, driving in a career-high 66 RBIs, and he will be expected to produce once again as Cincinnati aims to field a more well-rounded batting order. Despite all of these expectations on Stephenson, MLB Network seemed to overlook his value among the best catchers in the bigs.

MLB Network catcher rankings grossly undervalue Reds' Tyler Stephenson

Stephenson was left off the network's list of Top 10 catchers currently in Major League Baseball, which feels a bit wrong. The 28-year-old lines up well with several of these other players, and he even outperformed most of them in 2024.

Last year, Stephenson posted a 112 OPS+, 19 home runs, 26 doubles, a 2.4 bWAR, and a 2.3 FRM (catcher framing). His OPS+ would sit fifth on this list, trailing William Contreras (129), Cal Raleigh (119), Yainer Diaz (118), and Will Smith (116). Only Raleigh (34), Contreras (23), and Smith (20) hit more home runs than Stephenson, whose 19 round-trippers were tied with Adley Rutschman.

Stephenson's 26 doubles would be the third-most among the other 10 catchers behind Contreras (37) and Diaz (29). His 2.4 bWAR was also higher than Alejandro Kirk (2.0) and Sean Murphy (1.3). While three of these catchers had a negative rating in FRM, Stephenson's 2.3 would be in the middle of the pack behind Raleigh (12.9), Austin Wells (10.5), Kirk (9.2), and Contreras (3.3).

It seems like Stephenson belongs somewhere on this list. No one is arguing that he is the best (hats off to you, Contreras), but considering he is well in the mix of several offensive categories and a respectable defensive metric, he probably belongs somewhere in the 6-10 range.

It is just a list after all, but Stephenson does deserve some respect. If he continues to play his cards right, he should be in line for a nice payday that goes beyond just a one-year deal. Even if MLB Network does not love him, the Reds fans do, and hopefully the front office staff will, too long-term.

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