A Quick Overview of First Year MLB Catchers in 2023

There were 11 catchers who made their MLB debut during the 2023 regular season.

Here's the complete list:

• Austin Wells – New York Yankees
• Blake Sabol – San Francisco Giants
• Brett Sullivan – San Diego Padres
• César Salazar – Houston Astros
• David Fry – Cleveland Guardians
• Drew Millas – Washington Nationals
• Endy Rodríguez – Pittsburgh Pirates
• Logan Porter – Kansas City Royals
• Miguel Amaya – Chicago Cubs
• Patrick Bailey – San Francisco Giants
• Tyler Soderstrom – Oakland Athletics

These rookie catchers were as young as 21 (Soderstrom) and as old as 29 years old (Sullivan). 

The earliest to debut was César Salazar, who did so on April 2, 2023. The latest was Logan Porter, making his big league debut with Kansas City on September 12, 2023. 

Here are some other interesting facts about first year MLB backstops in 2023.

• The average age of rookie catchers that made their MLB debut in 2023 was 25.2 years old.
• Their average weight? 207 pounds.
• Three of them bat right handed, five bat left handed, and three are switch hitters.
• Ten MLB teams had a rookie catcher play for them in 2023.
• One team had not one, but two first year catchers in 2023. That team? The San Francisco Giants (Bailey and Sabol).
• Of the 11 catchers to debut in 2023, two attended the same college! Austin Wells and César Salazar both played at the University of Arizona.
• Most of the rookies come from the US. However, one is from Mexico (Salazar) and another is from the Dominican Republic (Rodríguez).
• Three of the first year catchers in 2023 were first round draft picks (Bailey, Wells, Soderstrom).
• The rookie catcher to have the highest bWAR in 2023 was Patrick Bailey with 0.8. He hit 7 home runs and threw out 28% of runners attempting to steal. Bailey has a bright future ahead of him. 

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