Joe Forbes is a high-upside Arizona freshman catcher with real pop and polish behind the plate
In the 2026 season, Joe Forbes appeared in six games for Arizona and delivered his first career home run in a clutch 6-5 win over Houston, a nice little “hello, college baseball” moment. The true freshman was ranked as Arizona’s No. 1 catcher and No. 6 overall prospect in the state by Perfect Game, and his prep résumé shows a strong bat, advanced receiving, and a .991 fielding percentage in high school. At 6-foot-2 and 207 pounds, he brings legit catcher size, offensive upside, and enough defensive credibility to project as a good fit for teams wanting a physical backstop with development runway.
