Philadelphia Phillies Star Catcher Might Be Most Important Piece to Win World Series
All lists are subjective.
Just take a look at MLB Network's list of the Top-10 catchers in the league.
J.T. Realmuto of the Philadelphia Phillies has to be No. 1 or No. 2, right?
Well …
MLB Network ranked Realmuto fourth behind the Baltimore Orioles' Adley Rutschman, the Los Angeles Dodgers' Will Smith and the Atlanta Braves' Sean Murphy.
Realmuto could – and probably should – be ranked at least No. 2.
Consider that he caught more than 1,000 innings for the sixth time in his stellar career.
To be fair, Realmuto's batting average of .252 and on-base percentage of .310 were both down from the previous season. But the two-time Gold Glove winner was a steadying defensive presence behind the plate.
The Phillies didn’t need Realmuto to hit .300 to be a World Series contender. He still produced 123 hits, popped 20 home runs and drove in 63 runs.
Beyond statistics and analytics, he remained a team leader. Just having him in the lineup was a daily boost of confidence to any starting pitcher or reliever.
Five years ago, Philadelphia acquired Realmuto from the Miami Marlins for Jorge Alfaro, Sixto Sanchez and Will Stewart.
What a steal.
Fast forward to the upcoming 2024 season and the Phillies still boast one of the top catchers.
Arguably the best.
Sure, he has gone through prolonged slumps at the plate. Who hasn’t?
Realmuto's high leg kick has been critiqued when those slumps occur.
"It's never that," Realmuto said near the end of the regular season. "When I've been at my best, my leg kick has been at its highest. My leg kick changes at-bat to at-bat, swing to swing. It's more of a rhythm thing than anything for me. That's not the issue."
He corrected the issue to come up with plenty of clutch hits.
He always does.
Realmuto remains in incredible shape and ready for another marathon season with the hope of another deep playoff run.
If Philadelphia harbors championship aspirations, Realmuto must lead the way.
If that happens, it doesn’t matter where he's ranked.
