Ranking the projected starting National League catchers for 2019

Realmuto is still on the Marlins...for now. Involved in trade rumors all offseason, Realmuto (turns 28 on March 18) made his first All-Star team last year. Arguably the best offensive catcher of 2018, he hit .277 with 21 home runs, 30 doubles, 74 RBIs, and 74 runs. He also threw out a career-best 38 percent of base stealers. MLB Trade Rumors mentions how the Reds have recently made progress towards working out a deal for Realmuto.

Turning 32 on March 27, the 2012 National League MVP still provides a quality average but has seen slippage in his power. His homers have decreased every year since 2014 when he hit 22, and Posey only hit five last year. He threw out 29 percent of base stealers last year which is below his career average.

Named an All-Star for the second time in 2018, Ramos will be joining the Mets for the upcoming season. He batted .306 with 15 home runs for the Rays and Phillies last year while he also batted .307 with 22 homers for the Nationals in 2016. The 31-year-old has been slightly above-average much of his career at throwing out base stealers.

Still going strong at the age of 36, Molina's 20 home runs in 2018 were the second-most he has hit in a season. He was named an All-Star for the ninth time and also won his ninth Gold Glove. It has become a bit easier to run on him as he threw out 31 percent of base stealers last year compared to the 41 percent has has thrown out in his career.

Contreras made his first All-Star team in 2018 despite a somewhat large decrease in his offensive numbers from the previous year. The 26-year-old batted .249 (.276 in 2017) and belted 10 homers (21 in 2017). The decrease in home runs came despite having 97 more at-bats. He threw out 34 percent of baserunners last year.

Grandal has been one of the better-hitting catchers of the past few years, but unfortunately many recall his postseason struggles for the Dodgers last year as the backstop. Getting ready for his first season with Milwaukee, the 30-year-old has averaged 24.3 homers, 66 RBIs, and 58.7 walks from 2016-18.

Cervelli, who turns 33 on March 6, reached career-highs in homers (12) and RBIs (57) in 2018. He has long posted strong offensive stats for a catcher as evidenced by his career .273 average and .362 on-base percentage. He caught 39 percent of base stealers last year which is far better than his career rate of 23 percent.

After a miserable 2016 and a slight bounce-back in 2017, Gomes looked more like his former self for the Indians last year. He was named an All-Star for the first time as he hit 16 homers and batted .266. The 31-year-old has thrown out 35 percent of baserunners in his seven-year career.

Still just 25 years old, Alfaro received his first extended playing time at the big league level in 2018. While his walk to strikeout ratio was far from impressive (18 to 138), he did bat .262 with 10 home runs. He did lead the National League with 10 passed balls and threw out 26 percent of base stealers.

A Gold Glove winner in 2017, Barnhart has made only three errors behind the plate in the last two years. The 28-year-old hit a career-best 10 homers last year while also reaching career-highs in runs (50) and walks (54). His home/road splits were extreme in 2018 as he had a .855 OPS at home and a .540 OPS in away games.

Barnes had a disappointing season at the plate both in the regular and postseason. After hitting .205 in 200 at-bats in the regular season, he went just 2-29 in the playoffs. Despite the struggles, he got plenty of opportunities due to the playoff defensive struggles of Yasmani Grandal. The 29-year-old has thrown out 20 percent of base stealers in his career.

While Hedges hasn't produced a high average (.222 over last two years), he provides some pop at the position with 32 home runs in 690 at-bats since 2017. The 26-year-old grades as a solid catcher behind the plate despite 21 errors over the past two years.

McCann, who turns 35 on February 20, rejoins an Atlanta team he played for from 2005-13. He isn't the same player that made seven All-Star teams with them in his first stint though. He had his worst season in 2018 with the Astros hitting only .212 with seven home runs in 63 games. He never has been superb at throwing out base stealers with a 25 percent success rate for his career.

The 24-year-old Kelly has seen brief action with the Cardinals in each of the last three seasons. He has totaled just 131 plate appearances in the big leagues hitting .154 without a homer. He is a career .278 hitter with 17 home runs in 183 Triple-A games so Arizona has reason to believe he can begin raking in the majors.

Much like Barnhart, the 35-year-old Iannetta had enormous home/road splits in 2018. He took advantage of playing his home games at Coors Field posting an .875 OPS there but just a .590 OPS on the road. He threw out just eight of 56 (14 percent) of base stealers last year.