Dillon Dingler: Catcher of the future

Dillon Dingler was drafted in 2020 in the second round by the Tigers out of Ohio State. Dingler came out of Ohio State a projected first-round pick and drew comparisons to catchers like Sean Murphy initially.

Chris and Rogelio were both very high on Dingler initially, as he made a brilliant first impression and showed why people thought so highly of his power potential, arm, athleticism, and overall ability behind the plate. But by August of 2023, he was only thought of as a “solid, glove-first backup catcher,” according to TMLR.

And that was a fair assessment after injuries and overall struggles continued for Dingler, especially with the bat. At Triple-A Toledo in 2023, he struck out at a 31.2% clip, put up just a .650 OPS, and had just a 60 wRC+. 

At that point, questions arose about his bat at a higher level. Was he capable of hitting at a sustainable level to start, or was he just going to be a backup? And then 2024 rolled around, Dingler put together a huge year with his bat.

Changing Minds

He jumped up to a .938 OPS and a 144 wRC+ over the course of his time in Toledo. He cut down his strikeouts significantly to the tune of 20.7% and was walking at a 10% rate as well. Pair that with his prowess behind the plate, and something was brewing.

He inevitably struggled in his short stint with the Tigers that same year, but there was now some hope going forward that his bat was at the level it needed to be to maintain a roster spot in 2025, backing up Jake Rogers.

Dillon has since burst onto the scene as one of the better catchers in MLB thus far in 2025. His glove carries a value of 12 runs, and is in the 96th and 97th percentile in framing and blocking, respectively. 

We knew he’d be solid behind the plate, but he’s now one of the better defensive catchers in the entire sport at 26 years old. Dingler has put up a 3.1 WAR this season and a 104 wRC+ at the plate (100 is league average). 

In addition to that, he’s shown pop as well. Dingler is slugging at an above-average rate (.423) with an xSLG well above league average at .479. He’s at a solid .744 OPS and is hitting .271, too. 

But there are layers to that. Dingler has one of the highest .xBA’s in MLB at .291; his expected numbers indicate he’s been rather unlucky at the plate. His .327 BABIP, though, says that he’s hitting .327 on balls he’s put into play, which, at times, can indicate a streak of luck, but Dingler’s expected numbers, coupled with a 45.6% hard hit rate, show that he’s a solid hitter. 

Baseball Stance

I say all of that to say this: Dingler can hit, and he’s hitting much better than most people thought, including myself. 

So, what has he done at the plate? Well, he chases often and doesn’t walk very much either, while still striking out at a 23% clip. He’s putting solid swings on the ball and has changed his stance since his first big-league stint in 2024.

Take this first picture, for example. This is in 2024, on Dingler’s first MLB home run. He’s fairly bent at the knees, has his bat just off the shoulder, and he’s neither closed nor open in his stance, fairly straight.

Dingler, in the clip and often throughout that season, was donning a leg kick, trying to time the ball with his front foot, and using a bat tap on the shoulder as another timing mechanism. In his small sample size in 2024, he struggled with MLB fastballs and struck out far more. 

And this photo, from more recently in 2025, we can see that Dingler just looks more athletic and ready at the plate. He opened up his stance, gave himself a little more bend, and got rid of the leg kick (which totally works for some people!).

Dingler, most importantly, has capitalized on fastballs when he’s seen them. Dingler is also lifting the ball far more; he’s hitting fly balls just over 6% more frequently than he was last season in his short stint, which is more reminiscent of what his lift profile looked like before coming up in 2024.

His launch angle, as well, is up to 16.8, from 2024’s MLB numbers, and closely follows what his Triple-A launch angle was (18.4). I won’t act as though I’m a hitting expert, by any means, but Dingler’s approach to putting the ball in the air frequently while giving himself more opportunity to get around on fastballs in MLB has proven to be successful.

Dingler, though, while having a good offensive year for a catcher, has an OBP of just .315, which is a tick below league average. This feels like just the beginning for Dingler, though. His power potential, hitting ability, and overall defensive prowess indicate Dingler has a long future ahead of him as the primary catcher for the Tigers.