MLB.com came out with its Top Ten Players at every position.

Here are their top ten catchers, with last year’s ranking in parenthesis.

1. Adley Rutschman, BAL (Last year: 3)
2. Will Smith, LAD (2)
3. Sean Murphy, ATL (4)
4. J.T. Realmuto, PHI (1)
5. William Contreras, MIL (NR)
6. Willson Contreras, STL (5)
7. Alejandro Kirk, TOR (6)
8. Yainer Diaz, HOU (NR)
9. Cal Raleigh, SEA (NR)
10. Gabriel Moreno, AZ (NR)

Interestingly, no Jonah Heim, who started in the American League All-Star Game. Look, these lists are opinions and it’s easy to get upset when you see a player who should be on a list get slighted. But getting upset doesn’t solve anything. First, the list won’t change. Second, taking these sorts of things too seriously only legitimizes them.

BUT JONAH HEIM SHOULD BE ON THE LIST.

Sorry, about that. It’s easy to get riled up, but if you look at Heim’s splits, you’ll notice a somewhat disturbing trend. Two seasons in a row he has faded in the second half. Yes, injuries play a part. And, yes, catching is a brutal position. But there’s no denying he is a different hitter in the second half of the season.

But here are his splits for the 2023 season:

And here are his first half/second half splits for 2022.

Lists are lists. Opinions are opinions. But numbers are facts. Rangers fans are happy to have Heim behind the plate, and at the plate. His second half swoon is, however, real. Let’s hope he is able to overcome the second-half slump in 2024.