• In high school, Realmuto was a three-sport standout at Albert High School in Midwest City, Oklahoma. He was a standout quarterback for the football team, leading them to a 5-A state championship in 2009, his senior year. He set national high school records with 88 hits and a 118 RBI, while hitting .595 with 28 home runs in 42 games.

• J.T. is a team leader. His makeup is off the charts. 

• In 2010, Realmuto got drafted by the Marlins (see Transactions below).

• In 2012, the Baseball America Prospect Handbook rated Realmuto as the 5th best prospect in the Marlins' organization. They had him at #9 in both the spring of 2013 and 2014. Then they moved J.T. up to second best in the Florida farm system in the offseason before 2015 camps opened.

• In 2014, Realmuto was named the Marlins Minor League Player of the Year. 

• J.T. was called up to the Major Leagues for the first time on June 1, 2014.

• Don't be deceived by the position he plays. With his athleticism, Marlin J.T. Realmuto is helping to redefine what it means to be a catcher. The 25-year-old has speed and quickness, and early in the 2016 season, he became the first catcher in Marlins franchise history to bat in the leadoff spot. In Spring Training, Realmuto's teammates also discovered he is a ringer on a Ping Pong table.

  "J.T. is quiet," Miami infielder Miguel Rojas said. "He never talks about things like [playing ping pong]. He's got so much athleticism. He can do whatever. I've been surprised [recently] with the way he has been blocking balls [as a catcher]. That's how surprised I was when I watched him play Ping Pong in Spring Training."

  "I like to play a lot, it's something that relaxes me," he said. "Also it's good for hand-eye coordination."

  At Carl Albert High School in Midwest City, Okla., Realmuto was a star quarterback and a standout shortstop. But, the 6-foot-1, 210-pounder turned down an opportunity to play quarterback at Oklahoma State, as he opted for baseball after the Marlins selected him in the third round in 2010.

  Realmuto's Ping Pong skills were developed at an early age. "My dad played a lot when he grew up, and he kind of introduced it to me," Realmuto said. "My high school teammates, we started playing every day, and it took off from there."

  Not only did Realmuto have a table in his home, so did a number of his friends. "When we left the baseball field or football practice, whatever it was, we'd go to one of our houses, jump in the pool to cool off, and play Ping Pong for hours," he said. "It was pretty much non-stop."

  Upon being hired by the Marlins during the offseason, manager Don Mattingly set up a leadership committee among the players to help create a better line of communication with the coaching staff and the organization. If the players wanted something, within reason and as long as it didn't adversely impact the business of baseball, Mattingly was open to it. In Spring Training, the players got approval to bring a Ping Pong table into their clubhouse at the Roger Dean Stadium complex in Jupiter, Florida.

  "I got real excited," Realmuto said. "It was awesome. It takes your mind off [the grind], and you just relax with your teammates and friends."

  The new table helped keep things loose in Spring Training. It also was a chance to see which players on the team could play. Rojas used to play competitively growing in Venezuela. Third baseman Martin Prado, also from Venezuela, can hold his own, as can lefthander Justin Nicolino. "He had his own $200 paddle; it was kind of cheating," Realmuto said. "He'd hit the ball, and knuckleballs would come off that thing. I made him stop using it. It wasn't fair."

  "In every other clubhouse, I used to be the best, because I used to play Ping Pong when I was little," Rojas said. "But I found really good competition in this one. J.T. is really good. He used to be a shortstop, so him being good didn't surprise me. Martin is really good, too. It was really fun in Spring Training. There was really good competition."

  At some point, Realmuto hopes the Marlins can add a table somewhere in their clubhouse at Marlins Park. But during the regular season, things are run more strictly than in Spring Training. But in the Minor Leagues, there was at least one ballpark where Realmuto regularly played Ping Pong before taking the baseball diamond.

  "I remember playing in Mobile, Alabama, in Double-A," he said. "It's my least favorite park in all of Minor League Baseball, but it had a Ping Pong table in the clubhouse, so I loved going there." (Joe Frisaro - MLB.com - Aug, 10, 2016)

• 2016: J.T. Realmuto had an excellent season, following up a pretty good rookie year in 2015. His defense got a little better and his offense improved significantly. Realmuto finished 2016 with a .303/.343/.428 line, including 11 home runs, 48 RBIs, and 12 stolen bases.

  In terms of fWAR, he finished third with 3.5, behind household names Jonathan Lucroy (4.5) and Buster Posey (4.0). Of the top eight catchers ranked by fWAR, only Realmuto (1.2) and Steven Vogt (0.8) were positive contributors while running the bases. For the old-fashioned baseball fan, Realmuto finished third among qualifying catchers in batting average — his .303 was only slightly behind co-leaders Wilson Ramos and Yadier Molina at .307. Realmuto did this well despite a tumultuous season in which he hit in every possible spot in the batting order.

  J.T. had a .343 on-base percentage in 2016, 7th best for any catcher in MLB. And his 12 stolen bases were first among all catchers (who played 50% of games as a catcher).

• As much as Realmuto is an athletic freak, in the context of his family he’s practically normal. His father, David, and sisters, Ryan and Amanda, played collegiate baseball/softball. And his mother, Margaret, is the oldest of 10 siblings in the Smith family that is royalty in the world of American amateur wrestling.

  John Smith, Oklahoma State’s wrestling coach and a six-time world champ (including two-time Olympic gold medalist), is one of Realmuto’s uncles. And Smith is convinced Realmuto could have been as accomplished as his cousins had he not given up wrestling as he entered his teenage years.

  “This guy was as competitive as he ever was on a baseball field when he was on a wrestling mat,” Smith said. “He was tough and he was mean. He’s a very polite young man, but when he was on the mat, he was a mean wrestler.”

  Smith’s favorite memories of Realmuto the youth wrestler are from holiday get-togethers. Realmuto has about three dozen cousins on his mom’s side. The family would gather around the living room and pit the cousins against each other in tournaments. Realmuto held his own against those closest to him in age, including future NCAA champions Mark Perry Jr. and Chris Perry.

  Realmuto and his cousin-opponents grew up, but now his cousins’ children have living-room showdowns. "We still do it,” Realmuto said. “All the adults get around and watch the little kids wrestle. It’s awesome.”

  Realmuto said his childhood wrestling helped groom him as the well-rounded athlete he is today. Now, that foundation allows him to play a little first base on the side.

  “Wrestling is one of the best sports you can do as a kid. Balance, strength, athleticism,” Realmuto said. “I still believe to this day that wrestling is a huge part of me being athletic.” (Thealey - sunsentinel.com -March 22, 2017)

• May 12, 2017: As a multi-sport athlete growing up in Del City and eventually Midwest City, Okla., J.T. was continually on the go. Whether or not he was playing baseball, his mother, Margaret, was by his side.

  "My dad always coached my older sisters in softball, and I was the youngest," Realmuto said. "So my mom always got stuck with me, dragging me to the ballpark in Little League. Going to basketball games, football, she was the one always taking care of me."

  Now that Realmuto is one of the top catchers in the Majors, Margaret watches all of his games on television at home in Oklahoma. Realmuto's mother and father, David, were on hand for their son's big league debut on June 5, 2014, at Tampa Bay. That day, they saw J.T. go 2-for-4 with three RBIs.  (J Frisaro - MLB.com - May 12, 2017)

• June 28, 2017: Realmuto has a reputation as one of baseball's most athletic catchers, and perhaps that's because he hasn't always been a catcher. When Realmuto was drafted by the Marlins in 2010, he was listed as a shortstop, where he'd played on a state championship team in high school. He also had opportunities to play quarterback at Division I football factories; instead, he chose baseball, and now he's developed into one of the better young starting backstops in the Majors.

  FAST RUNNER

• The latest Statcast metric is called Sprint Speed, and it measures how many feet per second a player covers in his fastest one-second window. The slowest runners average about 23 ft/sec and the fastest hit 30 ft/sec, making the Major League average 27 ft/sec. Realmuto, at 28.7 ft/sec, easily tops every other catcher. He tops shortstops like Corey Seager and Zack Cozart. He tops center fielders like Jon Jay and Joc Pederson. J.T. Realmuto is baseball's fastest catcher, and it's not even close at all.

  Realmuto recently talked to MLB.com about how his multi-sport background helped him. "I've always been fast, from playing football, basketball," said the Miami catcher. "It didn't matter, whatever sport I was playing, I was always running. I tried to do my best to keep my athleticism with where it's at. "Even when I wrestled back in the day, my footwork, I feel like all that has contributed to my speed. I have other athletes in my family who were fast too. It has a lot to do with genetics, but I think, growing up in those sports, and being around it all the time, it's helped."

  Since 2015, Realmuto's 23 stolen bases are the most of any catcher, and that's a decent proxy for foot speed, but we've always known we can do better than that. Steals are based in part on opportunity, reactions, and the willingness of management to give the green light. What we're interested in here is the actual skill of speed, and Realmuto isn't merely baseball's fastest catcher. Other than Dee Gordon, there's no other regular Marlin faster than Realmuto, who is essentially tied with outfielder Christian Yelich (28.6 ft/sec). 

  Realmuto was also the fastest catcher in 2015 and tied for fastest in 2016, so this isn't a one-year thing. It's impressive enough when you compare him to other positions, but it really does take on an entirely different dimension when you compare him only to his fellow backstops. Looking just at catchers, the average drops from 27 ft/sec to only 25.9 ft/sec, making Realmuto nearly three feet per second faster than others at his position. If that doesn't sound like much, think about what that adds up to over six or eight seconds running the bases. It's a big deal. (Mike Petriello -MLB.com) 

• Realmuto is so fast, in fact, that it actually takes opponents by surprise when he beats out hits. "I get it from infielders all the time," he said. "If I beat out a ground ball at the shortstop, every now and then, playing a new team, they'll take their time in throwing me out. They'll either just get me or sometimes I'll beat it. I'd catch them by surprise. The next time, they'd come into the box, they're like, 'Man, you are fast for a catcher. I didn't know you were that fast.' So it's still catching guys by surprise, guys I haven't played before."

  Realmuto's athleticism manifests itself in other ways, too. While he's never been a strong framer, he's got truly elite pop time—that is, he gets the ball out of his glove and to the infielder faster than just about any other catcher. Last year, of 57 catchers who had at least 10 steal attempts of second against them, Realmuto's average pop time of 1.89 seconds was the best in baseball, where the MLB average was 2.02 seconds. This year, his 1.91 second time is second only to San Diego's Austin Hedges, at 1.88 seconds. When he nailed Philadelphia's Odubel Herrera trying to steal on April 27, he did so with a 1.38 second pop time that was the fastest ever tracked by Statcast on a steal attempt of second or third.

  "Obviously, with catching, I'm going to slow down over time," said Realmuto. "I'm going to be less and less athletic the longer I catch. But my offseason is geared towards trying to stay as athletic as I can. In the weight room, I'm not trying to put on too much weight. I'm not trying to get too bulky. I'm trying to keep as athletic-fit as I can."

  It's true. This won't last forever, because it can't. The demands of the position simply don't allow it to happen long-term. But for now, and for the last few years, the Marlins have a catcher unlike any other, one who has hit .298/.344/.438 (eight points better than league average) over the last two seasons. He's not baseball's best catcher, not when Buster Posey is around. But he's almost certainly the most athletic, and the numbers back it up. (Mike Petriello -MLB.com) 

• July 2018: Realmuto was selected to play reserve in the MLB All-Star game.

• July 9-July 12, 2018: J.T. was on the paternity list. His first child, Gracie Laine Realmuto was born on July 10.

• Nov. 2018: Realmuto was on the MLB roster for the Japan All-Star Series with Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB).

• 2018: Realmuto had the highest current WAR (13.1) of any Marlins player.

• In 2019, the Phillies traded for J.T., believing they were getting a top-flight catcher. He has lived up to the billing.  Not only has Realmuto thrived in the middle of the Phillies' batting order, but he has shown leadership and attention to detail in his pregame scouting and in-game pitch-calling.

  That was evident after the Phillies’ 6-0 loss to the Cardinals on May 6, 2019. Starter Vince Velasquez gave up three homers, two of which came after he shook off Realmuto.  Manager Gabe Kapler was impressed with the way Realmuto handled the situation after the game, talking to Velasquez in the clubhouse instead of reacting in the heat of the moment.

  “I thought J.T.’s observations were spot on, and I’m really glad that he illuminated what he illuminated,” Kapler said. “It’s nice to have veterans in the clubhouse that can address that -- address something like he addressed last night—and as sensitively as he did, with a lot of awareness and a lot of accuracy. And I think Vince did exactly what he should have done, which was acknowledge that that was the case. It’s really helpful when those guys handle those sorts of things in the clubhouse.”

  Realmuto said after the game that it was the first time he and Velasquez had trouble navigating opposing hitters together.  “It definitely affected the game,” Realmuto said. “It’s surprising. I don’t really know, just for some reason we couldn’t get on the same page.”  (Harris - mlb.com  5/7/19)

• July 2019: Realmuto represented the Phillies in the MLB All-Star Game.

• July 9, 2019: Realmuto couldn’t find his Phillies batting helmet before the Midsummer Classic at Progressive Field in Cleveland, and it remained missing throughout the game. But when Realmuto’s turn to bat came in the seventh inning, he stood tall and proud in the batter’s box with that familiar, stylized “P” on his helmet, representing the Phillies, their fans and the city of Philadelphia.

  How did that happen? Well, as Realmuto related, he managed to secure a Phillies sticker and apply it to the helmet belonging to Cardinals shortstop Paul DeJong, whose headgear he borrowed. Few, if anyone, noticed that when DeJong was on base in the eighth inning, Realmuto wore Brewers catcher Yasmani Grandal’s helmet when he was on deck.

• July 16, 2019: Realmuto received the MLB Players Alumni Association Heart and Hustle award for the Phillies. This esteemed award honors active players who demonstrate a passion for the game of baseball and best embody the values, spirit and traditions of the game. 

• 2019 Season: Realmuto's first season with the Phillies was a success, which is why the club is expected to sign the 28-year-old catcher to a multiyear contract extension before next season. Realmuto, who is currently set to hit free agency after next season, batted .275 with 25 home runs, 83 RBIs and an .820 OPS. He finished with a 5.7 fWAR, which ranked seventh among NL position players, 15th among position players overall and first among catchers.

  He joined Johnny Bench and Jorge Posada as the only three catchers in history with 90 runs, 35 doubles, and 25 home runs in a season.

  Realmuto was also stellar on defense and was rewarded with the first Rawlings Gold Glove Award of his career. He finished the season as the most valuable defensive player in baseball at 27.8 Defensive Runs Above Average, according to FanGraphs. He ranked fifth among NL catchers in Runs Extra Strikes (eight), a catcher-framing metric from Statcast. Realmuto had the fastest average pop time (1.88 seconds) among all catchers. His max-effort throws averaged 88.4 mph, which were the fastest in baseball among catchers with a minimum 15 attempts to second base. (Todd Zolecki - MLB.com - Nov. 5, 2019)

• Nov. 10, 2019: Baseball had never before had an official star squad that salutes a full season's worth of work the way other major professional sports do. But the results of the voting for the first All-MLB Team finally arrived at the Winter Meetings. The Phillies Realmuto was named the first-team catcher.

• Jan 8, 2020: Realmuto is not only the class of the NL East behind the plate, but he is also arguably the best all-around catcher in the Majors. The 28-year-old earned a second consecutive NL All-Star team selection in 2019 while also racking up his second straight NL Silver Slugger Award and first career NL Gold Glove Award. 

• If Juan Soto of the Nats looks like he is more talkative during his at-bats when the Nationals play the Phillies, that’s because he is. Soto has already formed a friendly relationship with J.T. in his young Major League career.

  “He’s one of my favorites because he’s always happy,” Soto said. “He just tries to do his job behind there. Some catchers, they’re always mad, they always try to get you. That’s why I don’t talk with everybody, I just try to be nice with them. But Realmuto, he’s a really nice guy.”  (Camerato - mlb.com - 9/1/2020)

•  2020 Season: The Phillies pitching staff is quantifiably better when J.T. is behind the dish — despite the great strides Knapp has made defensively. Take in mind, too, that this analytics based argument cannot account for the parts of J.T. Realmuto that are truly immeasurable — the game calling, leadership, and confidence instilled in his teammates when he is on the field.

  The story starts and in some ways ends with pitch framing, an art at which J.T. is a savant and Knapp is rapidly improving. The ability to turn pitches on the outer edges of the strike zone into strikes is paramount in keeping pitch counts low and pitchers in the game. For a team that carries only three sure starters into next season and absolutely zero known bullpen pieces, the development of young pitchers will be critical. What do young pitchers often struggle with?

  Throwing strikes and combating high pitch counts. In 2020, J.T. ranked second among all catchers with a 51.9% strike rate — a total of the called strike percentage he accumulated when framing pitches in non-swing zones. He also ranked 2nd in runs extra strikes with 3 runs generated from his successful frames on a rate of .125 run/strike. Knapp on the other hand generated -1 runs from extra strikes and produced only a 45% strike rate on non-swings on the edge of the strike zone. Knapp’s framing is by no means poor, but simply cannot compare to the level of Realmuto. 

   Furthermore, the pitching staff pitched better under Realmuto, posting a 4.92 ERA, than with Knapp behind the plate, where they had a 5.21 ERA. Additionally, Aaron Nola, Zach Eflin, and Zach Wheeler all performed better when throwing to Realmuto. Is it just Realmuto’s pitch framing that boosts these numbers or is there something intangible about his presence that imbues confidence in Phillies pitchers. Say, his game calling or the fact that they were throwing to the Gold Glove winner in 2019?

  A deeper look into the numbers creates even more disparity between Knapp and Realmuto’s defensive impact. When Realmuto was in, the team’s batting average on balls in play or how effective the defense was at turning balls into outs was better, even if just marginally so, than when Knapp was catching. Even more telling was the drop in opposing hitters’ slugging percentage when Realmuto was in as opposed to Knapp. Realmuto’s presence behind the plate lent itself to fewer hard-hit balls and extra base hits, a byproduct of both his pitch calling, pitch framing, and blocking skills. 

  Lastly, there is the difference in arm strength. The 2020 season was a down year for Realmuto in throwing out runners — he threw out only 5 out of 15 base-stealers. Still, runners ran with a fear of Realmuto’s arm — only risking it when they absolutely had to — a 1.72 on the stolen base leverage scale opposed to Knapp’s 1.15. More importantly, Realmuto caught runners when the team needed it most, posting a 2.19 on the caught stealing leverage scale to Knapp’s 1.68.

  As strong of a season Knapp posted last year, it pales in comparison to the impact Realmuto made on the team’s defense and pitching. (Dylan Campbell - Jan. 4, 2021)

• July 4, 2021: Realmuto was chosen to represent the Phillies in the All-Star Game.  J.T. received his third career All-Star nod as a reserve catcher for the National League. Because of an injury to Buster Posey, Realmuto started in the game.

•  2021 Season: When the Phillies re-signed J.T. Realmuto to a five-year deal at the end of this past January, he joined Bryce Harper as the core of the franchise for the foreseeable future.

  However, much like the overall Phillies season, Realmuto’s play was largely inconsistent in 2021.

  Realmuto started the season on fire, recording six multiple-hit games in April, and finished the month hitting .329 with five doubles, two home runs, 11 RBI, and an OPS of .932. He went 7-for-16 over a four-game stretch from May 7–May 11 but struggled to a woeful 3-for-29 with 12 strikeouts for the rest of the month.

  Although Realmuto hit safely in 15 games during June, his overall totals for the month of .229 average with three home runs, 10 RBI and a .693 OPS were far less than expected from arguably the best catcher in the National League. Despite the struggles at the plate, Realmuto was named to his third All-Star team.

   July was a better month for Realmuto, recording five multiple-hit games. His power numbers improved to four home runs, 13 RBI, and an OPS of .732, despite batting just .242.  Similar to Harper, Realmuto picked up his offense during the “dog days of summer”, hitting .291 with three home runs and 16 RBI during August.

  Realmuto was solid, but not spectacular the rest of the way, hitting three home runs and 15 RBI over his last 105 at-bats.  As well as seeing most of his time behind the plate, Realmuto also saw time at first base and designated hitter. For the season, he hit .263 with 17 home runs, 73 RBI, and an OPS of .782. His batting average was his lowest since 2015 and OPS was lowest since 2016.

  While certainly not his best offensive season at age 30, Realmuto battled injuries, played stellar defense, and still showed he’s among the elite catchers in the game.  (Kerry Kauffman - Oct. 20, 2021)

• Aug. 2022: Realmuto committed to play for Team USA in the 2023 World Baseball Classic. 

  STILL A FAST RUNNER AT AGE 31

• J.T. does not remember when he made his proclamation. It was sometime early this season — well before the summer debates percolated and fizzled about how he’d age. He reached base and turned to Paco Figueroa, the Phillies’ first-base coach, during a game.

  “I’m going to get you 20 this season,” the 31-year-old catcher said.

  It was audacious. Twenty stolen bases? “Half kidding,” Realmuto later said. “But not really.” In the last 129 years of Major League Baseball, the list of catchers in their 30s who have stolen 20 bases is two entries long — both by one man: John Wathan. His son, Dusty Wathan, oversees the Phillies catchers and coaches third base.

  “He was smart,” Dusty said of his dad. “He could fly, too, though.”

  This is why Wathan has particular pride in watching Realmuto work this season; he loved his father’s style of baseball. People might appreciate good baserunning, but the nuances are often unnoticed. Factor what he does behind the plate, and there may not be a player in the entire sport right now who affects the running game more than Realmuto.

  “I mean, you look at him, you wouldn’t think he’s 31,” Wathan said. “He’s in great shape. He’s aging really well. He takes care of his body and does everything necessary to stay out there every day.”

  Realmuto has eliminated 27 would-be stolen bases with his arm — more than any catcher in the majors. The Phillies are known throughout the league for having some of the slowest pitchers to the plate, but teams have attempted the eighth-fewest stolen bases against them. Realmuto has not permitted a passed ball in 90 consecutive games — the longest such streak for a Phillies catcher since 1942.

  And Realmuto, using his own legs, has stolen 17 bags without being caught once. He is one of two catchers in their 30s to have a season with 15 stolen bases and 15 homers. The other: Carlton Fisk in 1985.

  He has done all of this while having caught 93 innings — or 10 games’ equivalent — more than the next catcher.

  “J.T.’s been playing fantastic baseball in every facet of the game,” Phillies interim manager Rob Thomson said. “In my mind, I think he should be, at this point, maybe in the MVP conversation. That’s how important he is to our ballclub.”

  Catchers are not wired like other players. They are trained to fixate on the smallest details. They are asked to sacrifice personal quests for the team’s greater good. With that, comes more physical strain than any other position. Catchers, in theory, should be good base runners because they are smarter and pay attention to it. But the physical limitations prevent that — for most.

  Not Realmuto. Base running is an art, measured in more than stolen bases. Much of it is unquantifiable. But Realmuto, as tracked by a metric developed by FanGraphs, is having the greatest base-running season for a catcher in baseball history.

  “He’s a freak,” backup catcher Garrett Stubbs said.

  Realmuto has tested the limits of the typical aging curve for a catcher. He’s the first catcher to begin a season 17-for-17 in stolen bases since “caught stealing” became an official statistic in 1951. He has accumulated the third-most steals without being caught in a single season among all players — not just catchers. Only Chase Utley (23 in 2009) and Paul Molitor (20 in 1994) had more without being erased.

  “I take a lot of pride in it,” Realmuto said. “To me, that’s a part of the game that not enough people pay attention to. You don’t have to be the fastest guy on the field to be a good base runner. A lot of it is instincts and just caring about the game. It’s something that goes unnoticed, but it’s something that helps the team a lot. It doesn’t get talked about. It’s not in the box score. But it changes games.”

  Most catchers have those instincts. They just don’t have the athleticism — especially into their 30s — that Realmuto does. It is an uncommon mix.

  “I’ve never thought of that side of it,” Realmuto said. “That might be a reason why I have better instincts. I’m constantly thinking about it on the other side of it. It probably helps. Just the preparation and the anticipation of plays. I can go first-to-third or second-to-home. Whatever it is. I’m just constantly trying to force the issue. I want to make aggressive mistakes.” (Gelb-TheAthletic - Sept 8, 2022)

• Sept 30, 2022: Don’t run on J.T. Realmuto.

  But Realmuto just might run on you. He stole his 19th, 20th and 21st bases of the season in the Phillies' 5-1 victory over the Nationals at Nationals Park. Realmuto became just the second catcher in AL/NL history to hit 20 homers and steal 20 bases in a season. Ivan “Pudge" Rodriguez is the only other catcher to do it. He hit 35 home runs and stole 25 bases with the 1999 Rangers.

  “He’s been everything for us,” Phillies interim manager Rob Thomson said. “Big hits, controlling the running game, the way he runs the game. I’ve said all along that he should be in the MVP conversation. I mean, that’s how important he is to this club.” (T Zolecki - MLB.com - Sept 30, 2022)

• 2022 Season: (.276/.342/.478, 6.5 fWAR)  Our best player list kicks off with J.T. Realmuto, the catcher for the new National League champion Philadelphia Phillies. Ever since he made his debut in 2014 with the Miami Marlins, Realmuto has turned heads. In 2022, he did the same, posting the second highest total bases mark of his career (241). He had the second highest wRC+ (128) and wOBA (.354) among catchers with at least 400 plate appearances. His defense was excellent as well, as his dWAR of 19.8 ranked behind only Dansby Swanson, among all position players in the National League. One of the best to wear a mask in today’s game, Realmuto definitely earned his spot here.  (Caleb Begley | November 5, 2022)

   

  Realmuto's durability is above league average for a catcher. In 2022, he caught 133 games. The next closest was the newly acquired Atlanta Braves backstop, Sean Murphy, at 116 games.
  
  Realmuto, defensively, had a stellar 2022 season. He only allowed two passed balls in more than 1,100 innings caught. He also threw out 44 percent of potential base stealers, which was tops in Major League Baseball. According to FanGraphs, Realmuto finished 11th with a 6.5 WAR.  

  Realmuto is invaluable to the Phillies. While he is the most durable catcher, he will still require some days off to stay healthy. Luckily, the club has found a solid backup catcher in Garrett Stubbs.  (Eric Moratelli - Feb. 8, 2023)

  
  
  
  
  TRANSACTIONS

• June 2010: The Marlins drafted J.T. in the third round, out of Albert High School in Midwest City, Oklahoma. Scout Steve Taylor signed him for a bonus of $600,000. It was a tough decision for J.T., who turned down a baseball scholarship to Oklahoma State.

• Feb 2, 2018: The Marlins won their arbitration case against J.T., who will earn $2.9 million in 2018.

• Jan 11, 2019: J. T. and the Marlins avoided arbitration, signing a one-year agreement for $5.9 million.

• Feb. 7, 2019: The Phillies made a big splash by acquiring Marlins catcher J.T. Realmuto; acquiring top prospect Sixto Sanchez, catcher Jorge Alfaro, pitching prospect Will Stewart, and $250,000 international slot money.

• Feb 21, 2020: Realmuto, whose base salary in 2019 was $5.9 million, will make $10 million in 2020—an arbitration record for a catcher. He was asking for $12.4 million.

• Oct 28, 2020: JT elected free agency after rejecting the $18.9 million qualifying offer from the Phils.

• Jan 26, 2021:  J.T. and the Phillies agreed to a five-year, $115 million contract. The deal set a record average annual value for a catcher at $23.1 million per season, besting Joe Mauer’s $23 million per season in his eight-year, $184 million deal with the Twins. And J.T. gets $1 million if he is traded.

• Realmuto has an unorthodox batting style, going into a very deep crouch and holding the bat parallel to the ground. After signing J.T., the Marlins got him to start earlier and calm the loading of his hands.

  But he still falls into the habit of opening up too soon and pulling off the ball. When he’s going well, he’ll use a more athletic, line-drive swing and stay up the middle.

  J.T. does his best hitting when he focuses on a shorter swing and all-fields approach. His bat stays in the zone longer.

• J.T. consistently makes hard contact. And he hits to all fields.

• Realmuto does not get beat on really good fastballs.

• J.T. gets in trouble at times expanding his strike zone.

• 2014 Season: Realmuto improved every area of his game in his repeat season at Jacksonville, earning two callups to the Marlins and positioning himself as their catcher of the future.

  J.T. toned down his swing and aggressiveness to flourish at the plate, making more contact, drawing more walks and hitting for more power than he did in 2013. He projects to have an average hit tool, and he can drive early-count mistakes for power, translating into perhaps fringe power.

• September 8, 2015: Realmuto became the first catcher to hit an inside-the-park home run and a standard home run in the same game since Gary Carter back in 1980.

• In 2018, Realmuto won his first Silver Slugger Award.

• Sept. 13, 2019: Realmuto joined Mike Lieberthal (31 home runs in 1999), Benito Santiago (30, 1996), Darren Daulton (27, 1992) and Stan Lopata (32, 1956) as the only five catchers in Phillies history with 25 home runs in a season.

• In 2019, J.T. won his second straight Silver Slugger Award. This can go on his trophy shelf, right next to his 2019 Gold Glove.

  In his first season with Philly, the 28-year-old backstop, considered the best all-around catcher in the game, slashed .275/.328/.493 with 25 home runs in 593 plate appearances.

• 2019 Season: Realmuto posted career highs in homers (25), RBIs (83), doubles (36), runs (92), walks (41) and slugging percentage (.493) in his first season with the Phillies.

• Dec 9, 2020:  J.T. Realmuto was named to the All-MLB Second Team. 

  Realmuto, a First Team selection on the inaugural All-MLB squad in 2019, ceded that spot to Kansas City’s Salvador Perez in 2020. Still, Realmuto posted a career-high .840 OPS in the shortened season, with 11 home runs and 32 RBIs in 47 games.

• As of the start of the 2021 season, J.T.'s career Major League stats were: .278 batting average, 95 home runs with 358 RBI in 2,699 at-bats.

• Oct. 15, 2022:  J.T. became the first catcher to hit an inside-the-park home run in postseason history, circling the bases when his drive in Game 4 of the NL Division Series bounced off the angled wall and Atlanta right fielder Ronald Acuña Jr. failed to back up the play.

  It was the 18th inside-the-park homer in postseason history and first by a Phillies player, according to ESPN Stats & Info.  

• 2022 Season: Already widely considered the best catcher in the game as he entered the 2022 season, all Realmuto did was have the best season of his career, both by OPS+ (129) and Baseball Reference WAR (6.5), which was two full wins higher than his previous career-high in both 2018 and ’19. Add on top of that his role in helping the Phillies win the NL pennant, and you’ve got yourself a tough act to beat if you want to be the best backstop in baseball. (M Randhawa - MLB.com - Feb 3, 2023)

• J.T. has quick feet, good agility and soft hands to receive the ball. He is an above-average defender back there.
  
  
• In 2012, Florida State League managers rated Realmuto as the best defensive catcher in the league.
  
  

• Realmuto was primarily a shortstop in high school, but the Marlins happened to scout one game were he was filling in at catcher and liked his raw potential. Some parts of the job came naturally to Realmuto, who has a strong arm and quick feet. 

  "Blocking pitches in the dirt was the hardest," he said in 2014. "I'm still working hard on that."

          THROWING OUT BASE-STEALERS

• J.T. neutralizes the running game with an arm bordering on double-plus. His arm is rated a 70 on the 20-80 scouting scale. He has pop times of 1.85 consistently, some even lower than 1.8 seconds. That is a very good arm!

  In 2011, J.T. was second in the South Atlantic League after throwing out 42 percent of base-stealers.

  In 2012, he threw out 36 percent of Florida State League base-stealers.

  In 2014, he gunned down 39 percent of base-stealers with consistent pop times of 1.85 seconds on throws to second base.

  In 2015, Realmuto threw out 27 percent of attempting base-thieves in the Majors. And he was one of only eight catchers (and the only rookie) with more than 1,000 innings at the position.

  In 2016, J.T. nailed 35% of runners — 28 of 79 who tried to steal.

  In 2017, Realmuto gunned down 32%, 25 of 78 base-thieves.

• He is an intelligent player who has always been a winner. He exhibits leadership ability.

• Realmuto needs to improve at blocking balls and handling tough pitches. He receives well but tends to pick at balls he should body up and block.

  J.T. also needs to improve at framing pitches.

• A former high school quarterback, he also has the leadership qualities you like behind the plate. J.T. handles pitchers well and calls a very good game. He has a plan for every hitter that comes to the plate. Handling pitchers remains Realmuto's priority.

  "A catcher and a pitcher have to have a special bond," he said. "If I'm fortunate enough to catch them in the Majors, I want to make sure they have confidence in me."

  Marlins' manager Mike Redmond was impressed with Realmuto's pitch-calling.

  FRAMING PITCHES

• March 18, 2016: About the only area of J.T.'s game that needs more development is framing pitches. According to Baseball Prospectus, Realmuto's receiving cost the club 15 runs in 2015.

  "Last year, I know the metrics on him on his framing and stuff were down," Mattingly said. "I think that's something we probably put more time on this spring and made sure he sees video and things like that, and make sure he knows what that's all about."

  Realmuto spent much of his offseason and the first month of Spring Training working on it.

  "I'm getting there," Realmuto said. "We still have two more weeks to work, obviously. I already feel 10 times better right now than I did at the end of last year. I've kind of gotten rid of some of the bad habits I've created, which I think are going to help me a lot with my receiving."

  The changes behind the plate are subtle, and the adjustments are coming naturally. By his own admission, Realmuto did some things that created "bad habits" in his positioning. To correct himself, he's getting in the proper pre-pitch position and staying there.

  "[Before] I would be in the right position, and then move my glove and put myself in a bad position, which made me late to pitches," Realmuto said. (J Frisaro - MLB.com - March 19, 2016)

• Run at Your Own Risk 

  In 2019, J.T. has begun his yearly dominance of the catcher pop-time leaderboards. Always one of the fastest arms in the league behind the plate, Realmuto is showcasing that elite tool for his new team. In the past week alone, the Phillies backstop has recorded four of MLB's five fastest caught-stealings at second base this season.

  Realmuto caught runners with pop times of 1.77 seconds (Charlie Blackmon), 1.81 seconds (David Dahl), 1.83 seconds (Juan Lagares), and 1.84 seconds (Raimel Tapia).

  "Pop time" on steal attempts is pretty straightforward. It's the time it takes from the pitch hitting the catcher's mitt to the moment his throw gets to the fielder at the base. League average pop time to second base is 2.01 seconds.

  The difference between Realmuto's pop times and an average catcher's is night and day. He's leading the Majors in average pop time in the early goings of 2019 by a wide margin. He led the Majors in 2018. In the five seasons of Statcast tracking, he's never been outside the top three catchers. (Adler - mlb.com - 4/23/19)

• When the Phillies traveled from Colorado to Citi Field, Realmuto broke out another excellent throw to catch Lagares in the eighth inning. The standout number here was Realmuto's arm strength: 88.4 mph, his strongest throw of the season so far. And his strongest throw on any caught stealing since Statcast started tracking. (Adler - mlb.com - 4/23/19)

  GOLD GLOVE

• In 2019, Realmuto of the Phillies won his first career Gold Glove. J.T. threw out a remarkable 43 attempted base-stealers—16 more than any other catcher.

• In 2021, Realmuto was excellent defensively. He committed just one error and had a fielding percentage of .999, both best in the National League. He threw out 26.3 percent of would-be base stealing, which ranked 4th in the NL. (Kerry Kauffman - Oct. 20, 2021)
  
  
• 2022 Gold Glove winner - Catcher: J.T. Realmuto, Phillies
  Before impressing with his prowess behind the plate and, more prominently, at the plate during this postseason, Realmuto turned in yet another great defensive campaign for Philadelphia. The 31-year-old led all qualified MLB catchers with a 44 percent caught-stealing rate, the second time he’s led the Majors in that department (also in 2019, 47 percent). He also led all NL catchers with 11 DRS. This year’s honor is Realmuto’s second career Gold Glove (also 2019), and he’s the only Phillies player to receive the award since shortstop Jimmy Rollins in 2012.

• J.T. is faster than most catchers.
• In 2015, he stole 8 bases for the Marlins. 
• In 2016, Realmuto was the only catcher in baseball with double-digit home runs (11) and steals (12).
• In 2019 with the Phils, he stole 9 bases.
• But he is a little slow out of the box due to a big follow-through on his swing.
  
  
• July 8, 2021:  With one out and runners at the corners in the second inning, Didi Gregorius took off for second as Alec Bohm struck out swinging.  Cubs catcher Robinson Chirinos threw the ball to second but Gregorius beat the throw, and as that was happening, J.T.  stole home to put Philadelphia ahead, 1-0.  In doing so, Realmuto became the first Phillies catcher to steal home since Carlos Ruiz on June 26, 2007.

• June 1-18, 2011: Realmuto was on the D.L. with a laceration to his left hand.

• March 27-April 17, 2018:  J.T. was placed on the DL with a bruised lower back.

• Sept 27, 2019: Realmuto had season-ending meniscus cleanup in his right knee. Realmuto injured his knee running to first base in Cleveland. He felt popping in the knee as he squatted behind home plate for a couple innings before leaving the game.

• Sept 12, 2020: Realmuto suffered a strained left hip flexor. And he will probably miss at least the next couple days.

  “Then we’ll go day by day, and we’ll have to see what his workload is after that,” Girardi said.

  Sept 21, 2020: Realmuto has not played since Sept. 12 because of a strained left hip flexor. Girardi said they felt Realmuto was 80-85 percent healthy. Maybe one more day could bump him to 90 percent and another day could bump him close to 100 percent.

  “We also know the risk,” Girardi said. “If he comes back too early and he re-injures it, he’s out for a while. I think that’s why we’re choosing maybe to give him tomorrow as the first day as opposed to maybe doing it today. We’ve just got to make sure he’s going to be OK.”

• February 2021:  J.T. fractured the base of his right thumb when he tried to block a ball in the dirt at Carpenter Complex in Clearwater, Fla. Realmuto said that he hopes to be ready by Opening Day on April 1, but he will know more in two weeks, because his thumb is being immobilized in a hard cast. 

  March 5, 2021: J.T. took another step in the recovery from his fractured right thumb. He had the hard cast removed, following an examination with doctors. Realmuto’s thumb has been placed in a splint, which allows for mobility in the fingers and thumb. He cannot hit or throw yet.

  March 12, 2021: Recovering from a fractured right thumb, J.T. received what manager Joe Girardi called good news, as Realmuto was cleared to begin taking part in baseball activities. Girardi said Realmuto made about 40 throws, took 10 dry swings and 20 swings off a tee, reporting no issues with the thumb.

  “Everything was good,” Girardi said, adding that Realmuto will continue to wear a protective splint on his thumb when he’s not on the field.

  March 19, 2021: Girardi said Realmuto’s thumb is stable and continues to heal. Realmuto remains on course to start on Opening Day on April 1. (Editor's note: J.T. started on Opening Day and went 2 for 4 with an RBI.)

• May 13-14, 2021: J.T. was on the IL with left hand contusion.

• May 18-29, 2021: J.T. was on the IL with a bruised left hand. The doctors found nothing structurally wrong. 

• Aug 11, 2021: Realmuto left the 8-2 loss at Citizens Bank Park in the first inning after he got struck in the head twice by consecutive foul balls. He entered concussion protocol.