Philadelphia Phillies Highly-Lauded Prospect Emerging as Catcher of Future

The Philadelphia Phillies have a future star behind the plate developing in the minor leagues who is considered among the team's top prospects.

Oct 11, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; A view of the Phillies logo painted on the field before game three of the NLDS for the 2023 MLB playoffs between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Atlanta Braves at Citizens Bank Park. / Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

There were a lot of rumors swirling around the Philadelphia Phillies this offseason as they looked to shake up their core after a disappointing showing in the postseason this past October.

After winning 95 games in the regular season and taking home the National League East title, they were defeated by the New York Mets in the National League Division Series, getting eliminated in four games.

Falling woefully short of expectations, it came as no surprise that the team was exploring all options to upgrade the roster. No major moves ended up being made, but the Phillies are a team worth keeping an eye on still as they want to remain amongst the World Series contenders.

One position to keep an eye on is catcher, where veteran J.T. Realmuto is entering the final year of his contract.

He remains a productive player, recording a WAR of at least 3.0 in every season he has been with the franchise outside of the COVID-19 shortened 2020 campaign when he had a 1.3 in 47 games.

However, it is fair to wonder how much longer the team will stick with him as their starter behind the plate.

Injuries were a concern in 2024 as he appeared in only 99 games. Turning 34 years old in March, it is fair to question if those ailments will consistently be a concern at this stage in his career given how much wear and tear catchers endure.

Finding long-term backstops is not an easy task, but how Philadelphia handles things with Realmuto after the campaign could be determined by how one of their top prospects looks.

Eduardo Tait has made quite an impression early in his professional career after being signed as an international free agent in January 2023 at just 16 years old.

He has already cracked the MLB Pipeline top 100 and the writers over at MLB.com expect that ascension to continue, predicting him to be the Phillies' No. 1 rated prospect in 2027.

At just 17 years old he made his full season debut in 2024 and more than held his own. In fact, he excelled in many regards.

After recording a .321/.377/.500 slash line in the Florida Complex League at the Rookie Ball level with six home runs and 49 RBI, he was promoted to the Florida State League in Single-A.

With the average age of players being nearly four years older than Tait, it would not have been surprising if he was overmatched. 

But, his production did not waver. He played well, recording a .269/.313/.462 slash line with five home runs despite making 98 fewer plate appearances.

Possessing plus-hitting tools and an excellent arm, Tait looks to be the future for the Phillies behind the plate. His presence in the farm system will make the Realmuto situation all the easier to handle.

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