J.T. Realmuto’s Hot Streak Providing Huge Boost To Phillies Lineup
Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire
It may be time to revive the #SignJT trend.
Seven years ago, the Phillies made their biggest splash move in years, trading for Miami Marlins catcher J.T. Realmuto. It was a huge deal at the time, as the Phillies were moving in the right direction out of a rebuild and were acquiring one of the game’s best at the position. At the time, it cost a hefty price to acquire Realmuto as the Phillies traded their then-young starting catcher Jorge Alfaro, minor league pitcher Will Stewart, and former Phillies top prospect, right-handed pitcher Sixto Sanchez.
It was a gamble for the Phillies, as Realmuto was already an All-Star, was coming off his best season as a pro, and only had two years remaining until he was a free agent. Realmuto was expected to become the highest-paid catcher of all time when he hit the open market, and many people thought that the Phillies were going to let him walk.
However, the newly signed president of baseball operations, Dave Dombrowski, eventually worked out a deal with Realmuto, making him the highest-paid catcher in the MLB, and more importantly, keeping him behind the plate in Philadelphia for five more years.
Five years have nearly passed, and despite what some people say, Realmuto’s contract has been worth every single penny. He’s been a huge part of every single Phillies team over the past half-decade, making two All-Star teams, three All-MLB teams, finishing top 15 in MVP voting twice, and has called over 700 games behind the plate.
However, Realmuto’s play, especially at the plate, has wound down since he entered his mid-30s. His 2024 season was his worst, not only as a Phillie but a pro overall. He recorded a .266 average, a .322 on-base percentage, and a .429 slugging percentage, as well as only 14 home runs and 47 RBIs.
His power was down, and Realmuto went from being someone hitting in the top half of the Phillies lineup to someone who has turned into a liability near the bottom of the order. With him going into the final year of his deal, the consensus has been that the Phillies will likely look to replace Realmuto next season.
While the beginning of the 2025 season didn’t go the way Realmuto had hoped, it seems as though the Phillies’ catcher is finally hitting his stride. Since June 1st, Realmuto is hitting .336 with a .369 on-base percentage and a .450 slugging percentage.
He also has 51 hits and has grounded into just one double play over the past 39 games, compared to posting only 40 hits and hitting into 10 double plays over his first 48 games of the season.
His month of July, especially, has been outstanding as he’s recorded 27 hits and has come up with multiple clutch hits, including a three-run bomb Friday night to break a 3-3 tie against the New York Yankees.
On the defensive side, Realmuto remains towards the top of runners thrown out, and still holds the top pop time in the league at 1.83 seconds. He calls incredible games as it’s been shown through the fantastic starting pitching, not only this year from the Phillies, but also since he’s been acquired. Rarely do pitchers call off signs from Realmuto, and when he’s not calling great games, he’s making impactful plays at the plate.
The Phillies’ offense has seen its fair share of struggles throughout the season, but like Realmuto, the rest of the team seems to be hitting its stride. While the team is still likely to add another right-handed bat at the upcoming trade deadline, Realmuto’s hot streak has given the team something to think about.
Matt Brown
Matt has been a Philadelphia sports fan all his life and spent four years at Penn State University majoring in Broadcast Journalism and minoring in Sports Studies. He previously covered Penn State’s field hockey, men’s and women’s basketball, and baseball teams while writing for a Penn State blog called Onward State. He has now covered the Phillies, Eagles, and Sixers for Philly Sports Reports since October 2024 and wants to pursue a career in Sports Journalism.
Get new articles emailed right to your inbox.
