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Top 20 high school catchers entering the 2023 baseball season

Expect these 20 backstops to excel on a national level this season
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Bo Jonas photo courtesy of Ron and Lisa Rigdon, Cheap Seats Photo

Bo Jonas photo courtesy of Ron and Lisa Rigdon, Cheap Seats Photo

High school baseball is set to hit the ground running across the nation.

Last week we featured 20 pitchers and hitters expected to be among the best in the nation in 2023. 

Now it's time to take a position-by-position look at some of the country’s top high school baseball players, starting with standouts behind the plate.

Cade Arrambide, jr., Tomball (Texas)

Arrambide swings a big stick and boasts a cannon for an arm, having been clocked at 99 mph on a throw from the outfield. The 6-foot-3 junior is Perfect Game’s No. 5 overall prospect in the class of 2024 and is committed to LSU, should he decide to play college baseball.

Colin Barczi, sr., Naperville Central (Illinois)

After hitting six home runs as a sophomore, Barczi sent 13 balls over the fence during a standout junior campaign in which the Vanderbilt pledge finished with a .482 batting average, .610 on-base percentage, 25 extra-base hits and 31 RBIs.

Ryder Helfrick, sr., Clayton Valley (California)

An Arkansas commit who will likely hear his name called early in this year’s MLB draft, Helfrick was named the MVP of the 20th annual Perfect Game All-American Classic in September. The speedy catcher ran the 60-yard dash with an official time of 6.77 seconds and hit six triples last year, in addition to 12 doubles and a .424 batting average.

Riley Jackson, sr., Eau Gallie (Florida)

With an elite pop time behind the plate and power at the plate, the Florida State signee impacts games defensively and offensively. In 29 games as a junior, Jackson tallied 26 RBIs with eight doubles and seven home runs.

Bo Jonas, jr., Liberty North (Missouri)

Perfect Game's No. 3 junior in Missouri, Jonas committed to Oklahoma prior to his freshman season. Last year as a sophomore, Jonas helped Liberty North reach the Missouri Class 6 title game for the first time in program history.

Luke Lavin, sr., Santa Margarita Catholic (California)

With his 6-foot-4, 215-pound frame, Lavin is like a large vacuum behind the plate. The Stanford signee was named SBLive's CIF Southern Section first-team catcher as a junior in 2022 after batting .433 with 39 hits and 23 RBIs.

Stone Lawless, sr., Huntsville (Alabama)

Lawless was one of Alabama's top quarterbacks, passing for 2,229 yards and 22 touchdowns as a junior, until he decided to dedicate his time fully to baseball and preparing to enroll at Tennessee — or go pro. Lawless is the No. 4 overall player in Alabama and No. 20 catcher in the class of 2023, according to Perfect Game.

Trenton Lyons, sr., Christian Brothers (Tennessee)

Lyons can do it all. The Ole Miss signee is a speedy, switch-hitting, 6-foot-3 prospect who plays multiple positions but is primarily a catcher. He ran the 60-yard dash in 6.58 seconds last summer at a Perfect Game event.

Blake Mitchell, sr., Sinton (Texas)

It's easy to see why Mitchell is considered one of the top prospects in high school baseball. In addition to being one of the best hitters in the country, the LSU commit is a standout behind the plate and has been clocked at 96 mph on the mound. 

Carson Ohland, sr., Tahoma (Washington)

Prep Baseball Report's No. 12 catcher in the nation for the class of 2023, Ohland is a quick, switch-hitting catcher, which are traits not often seen at the position. The University of Washington signee helped Tahoma win back-to-back district titles as a sophomore and junior, batting .385 and .431 on the seasons, respectively.

Zion Rose, sr., IMG Academy (Florida)

The Louisville signee is originally from Brother Rice (Illinois), where he batted .496 with four home runs and 39 RBIs as a junior, but transferred to IMG Academy for his senior year. 

Davis Rivers, sr., Waller (Texas)

Listed at 6-foot-1 and 195 pounds, Rivers is one of the strongest hitters in the country, with a top exit velocity of 101 mph from the left side of the plate. The Texas Tech signee batted .318 as a junior with four doubles and four homers.

Nikolas Sanders, sr., University (Texas)

In a state loaded with elite catching prospects, Sanders sits near the top. Last summer, the University of Texas was one of six high school players to participate in the high school Home Run Derby during the MLB All-Star weekend in Los Angeles. As a junior at Le Vega (Tex.), Sanders recorded eight doubles, three triples and four runs with a .491 batting average.

Campbell Smithwick, sr., Oxford (Mississippi)

The Ole Miss signee is a consensus top 10 catcher in the country, ranked No. 3 and No. 6 at his position by Prep Baseball Report and Perfect Game, respectively. As a junior in 2022, the left-handed hitter was named to SBLive Mississippi's All-State team after leading Oxford with a .432 average at the plate, five home runs and 33 RBIs.

Alex Sosa, sr., Viera (Florida)

Sosa finished the 2022 regular season with a .393 batting average and .547 on-base percentage. The North Carolina State commit is the top-ranked catcher in Florida and No. 8 catcher in the country for the class of 2023, according to Perfect Game.

Luke Stevenson, sr., Wake Forest (North Carolina)

Not only does Stevenson bring the juice with his arm behind the plate, the left-handed hitter shows some serious pop with the bat. The 6-foot-1, 210-pound catcher batted .535 with six doubles and five home runs as a junior, and he'll be taking his talents nearby to the University of North Carolina next year. 

Cale Stricklin, sr., North Oconee (Georgia)

The No. 1 senior catcher in Georgia, according to Perfect Game, Stricklin plays for the same team Kumar Rocker once played for before becoming a star at Vanderbilt and hearing his name called in the first round of the MLB draft (twice). Stricklin signed to the University of Georgia, where his father Scott is the baseball team's head coach.

Carson Tinney, sr., Valor Christian (Colorado)

The Notre Dame commit was clocked at 87 mph throwing down to second base, the highest velocity in the country for any senior catcher at 2022 Perfect Game events.

Ryan VandenBrink, jr., West Linn (Oregon)

When West Linn won its first state title since 1982 last season, it was then-sophomore VandenBrink behind the plate and providing a hit for the Lions in the championship game. Now Prep Baseball Report's top-ranked junior in Oregon, the 6-foot-tall backstop committed to Oregon State the summer before his freshman year. 

Ty Waid, sr., Arkansas (Arkansas)

Perfect Game's No. 1 player in Arkansas and No. 7 catcher in the nation for the class of 2023, Waid is another versatile backstop who stands out with his glove, arm, bat and athleticism. The University of Arkansas signee also plays corner infield and pitches. Waid tossed 14 strikeouts in a game last year as a junior at Texarkana.