Dillon Dingler's extraordinary 2026 season: It's a tale of one man's dramatic progress on two fronts
He had a big 2025 season, but the Tigers catcher in 2026 has made a national imprint with his power and hitting, as well as with his superior skills behind the plate. The numbers are stunning.
Dillon Dingler last year burst onto MLB’s stage with a breakout season.
In 2026, he’s taken his game to another level.
As he began pairing excellent defense with above-average offense, Dingler last season was fourth among big-league catchers with 4.1 fWAR (FanGraphs’ version of Wins Above Replacement).
Halfway through this season, as his work at the plate catches up to his artistry behind it, Dingler already is at 3.8 fWAR. That not only leads MLB catchers by a sizable margin (the next closest catcher, Shea Langeliers of the Athletics, is at 2.3), it also puts him on pace for a 7+ fWAR season. In the past 10 years, only Seattle’s Cal Raleigh has topped 7 fWAR.
Digging into the numbers, it’s easy to see why Dingler has one-upped his 2025 season.
By all measures, Dingler even last season was one of the best defensive catchers in baseball. Statcast’s Fielding Run Value is a strong barometer of total defensive worth, and Dingler was in the 95th percentile in FRV. His Blocks Above Average was in the same spot. Dingler’s Framing also ranked in the 91st percentile, while his Caught Stealing Above Average was in the 85th percentile, despite a good-but-not-great 61st percentile in Pop Time (the time from when a pitch hits the catcher’s glove to when it’s received by the fielder).
Dingler went to work on that pop time this offseason and in 2026 is now in the 90th percentile. His Caught Stealing Above Average has dipped to the 63rd percentile, but his Fielding Run Value, Blocks Above Average, and Framing are all in the 97th percentile or higher.
It’s tough to improve on those 2025 defensive metrics, but Dingler this season has done it.
Even more impressive is his progress, offensively, as the numbers all but shout:
