Philadelphia Phillies Star Still Ranked Highly at Position Despite His Increasing Age

An aging Philadelphia Phillies star still remains ranked highly when it comes to positional power rankings.

Feb 16, 2025; Clearwater, FL, USA; Philadelphia Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto (10) participates in spring training workouts at BayCare Ballpark. | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

The Philadelphia Phillies know they are going to have to shake up their core in the near future.

With many players on the wrong side of 30, changes will have to be made so the team can remain World Series contenders.

Slowly but surely, Dave Dombrowski will add some youth to the mix.

The Phillies have some star prospects working their way through the pipeline. Pitcher Andrew Painter, shortstop Aidan Miller and outfielder Justin Crawford are all in Major League camp this year and are nearing big league promotions.

One position Philadelphia doesn’t have an in-house option who is near MLB-ready is at catcher, which makes the situation with J.T. Realmuto one to keep an eye on.

Entering the final year of his contract, he is extension eligible. Along with Kyle Schwarber, who is also an impending free agent, it will be interesting to see how the team navigates things.

Of the two, Realmuto would seemingly be the one they need more.

Schwarber has been incredibly productive, but his damage comes as a designated hitter. That is much easier to find than a starting-caliber catcher, which Realmuto still qualifies as despite getting up there in age.

He will be 34 years old on Opening Day, yet is still viewed as one of the best players in baseball at his position.

MLB insider Buster Olney of ESPN placed him at No. 7 on his catcher's power rankings, as his time as an elite player has likely come to an end. But, he remains more than serviceable despite some parts of his game being impacted by his age.

“Rival evaluators love how he runs a game and handles pitchers, but they say it has become more difficult for him to get strikes at the bottom of the zone,” wrote Olney.

In addition to his defensive abilities waning, his power has also decreased in recent seasons.

2024 was the second year in a row his slugging percentage dipped, and injuries began to mount with him only playing 99 games.

However, he is still making an incredibly positive impact on the team when he is on the field. The work he does with the pitching staff cannot be understated, and despite his ability to get strikes at the bottom of the zone lessening, his 1.3 defensive bWAR is still impressive.

It would make sense for the Phillies to see if Realmuto can have a healthier season before committing to him for another few years. 

But he would be the perfect veteran to keep around as a bridge to emerging prospect Eduardo Tait, who has immense potential but is still years away from being a contributor at the Major League level.