Agustin Ramirez Broke Out, but Marlins Still Have Questions at Catcher

Offense: Agustin Ramirez (.231/.287/.413, 136 G, 33 2B, 1 3B, 21 HR, 67 RBI, 16 SB, 36 BB, 113 K, .701 OPS, 92 OPS+, -0.4 bWAR), Liam Hicks (.247/.346/.346, 119 G, 13 2B, 1 3B, 6 HR, 45 RBI, 2 SB, 43 BB, 56 K, .693 OPS, 94 OPS+, 1.3 bWAR), Nick Fortes (.240/.288/.349, 59 G, 6 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 10 RBI, 7 BB, 22 K, .637 OPS, 76 OPS+, 0.4 bWAR).

Defense (Baseball Savant): Ramirez (-28 Blocks Above Average, -10 Caught Stealing Above Average, 0 Framing, 1.99 Pope Time, 605.2 Innings, .983 Fielding Percentage, 10 Errors), Hicks (1 BAA, -4 CS Above Avg, 0 Framing, 2.00 PT, 437.1 Inn, .995 Fld%, 2 E), Fortes (4 BAA, -2 CS Above Avg, 2 Framing, 1.93 PT, 347.1 Inn, .988 Fld%, 4 E).

Season Notes

Agustin Ramirez was tied for the second most home runs by any rookie in 2025 with 21 big flies. It was also the sixth most among all catchers. Among rookies, Ramirez was second in runs scored (72), 13th in slugging percentage (.413) and third in RBIs (67). He will likely gain some Rookie of the Year votes for his offense. Ramirez also had the worst blocks above average at -28.

Hicks split time between catcher, first base and DH, but most of his 119 games were at catcher. Also a rookie, Hicks had the most bWAR of all three Marlins catchers at 1.3. He showed good plate discipline and had a much better on-base percentage than Ramirez, even though his slugging was not up to par.

Fortes was the best defensively of the bunch, but he only played 59 games before being traded at the deadline. His 0.4 bWAR was better than that or Ramirez.

An Early Look at Catcher in 2026

The Marlins will have a fascinating choice to make at catcher next season. On one hand, Agustin Ramirez was the best power hitting rookie behind Nick Kurtz of the Athletics. He had the third most RBI, second most homers and scored the second most amount of runs.

While his final OPS+, 92, was below league average, the final power numbers were really nice from Ramirez. He might get some down ballot Rookie of the Year votes. The thing holding him back is that he may have been the worst defensive catcher in all of baseball.

Ramirez made the most errors of any catcher with a minimum of 300 innings at the position with 10. By defensive runs saved (DRS) he was second worst in the league at -14. He was a liability behind the dish, and Miami might not be able to afford having him back there. But they need to keep his bat in the lineup. It's possible they could put him at DH, but that remains to be seen.

The reason they can really play with Ramirez's positioning is because they have prospect Joe Mack at Triple-A. According to MLB Pipeline, Mack is the Marlins' number four prospect. The 22-year-old is a much better receiver than Ramirez and has a plus arm, per Pipeline, and he threw out 34 percent of runners last season. Ramirez threw out 11 percent in 2025.

At the plate, Mack hit 22 doubles, 21 homers and had an .813 OPS in 112 games across Double and Triple-A in 2025. He provides a real threat on both sides of the ball that could make the Marlins comfortable keeping Ramirez's bat in the lineup without taking away from the rest of it.

Over the course of the season, don't be surprised if there is another change at the position.