The Philadelphia Phillies’ star catcher JT Realmuto is widely regarded as the best player at his position in today’s MLB. He is a coveted five-tool player in the game, known for being strong on both sides of the ball, even running well for a catcher. The 2021 season has unfortunately exposed the inconsistent side of JT Realmuto’s game.
Philadelphia originally acquired Realmuto in a 2019 offseason deal – a big offseason for the Phillies as they landed superstar outfielder, Bryce Harper, in addition to the star catcher. Realmuto came from Miami in exchange for former Philadelphia minor league property, Sixto Sanchez, who has shown a promising repertoire in a few starts for the Marlins. And when Realmuto’s contract expired last year, Philadelphia fans were not happy at the prospect of letting Realmuto go due to pay cuts after what they’d given up. A 5yr/$115.5M contract satisfied Realmuto – the largest ever for an MLB catcher. He was back in Phillies pinstripes for the 2021 season with big expectations.
As Realmuto had been solid in his defensive position for the previous two seasons, Phillies fans expected the same in 2021. But in many games this season, Realmuto has been caught getting lazy behind the plate. He hasn’t been framing the ball properly, frustrating Phillies pitchers when they don’t get a close pitch called a strike. Realmuto also registered a fielding percentage of only .923%, his lowest mark by a significant amount in his entire career. Phillies fans became accustomed to seeing Realmuto gun down base-stealers after a fantastic performance in 2019, throwing out 43 in 92 opportunities. But over the last two seasons, he’s experienced a steady decline in his throw-em-outs, going only 14 of 54. Many argue fewer base-stealers have been taking off on Realmuto due to his reputation, but the numbers point otherwise as of recently.
On the offensive side of the ball, Realmuto’s numbers have not been outrageous. He’s hitting for his lowest average since 2015 at .264, and carrying his lowest OPS number since 2017 at .800 currently. Although, Realmuto did accomplish something noteworthy at this year’s All-Star game in Colorado. He hit a home run in the midsummer classic, as the first Phillies catcher ever to do so, and the first Phillie to homer since Mike Schmidt did it in Cleveland in ‘81. 
It was Realmuto’s third all-star appearance and second with Philadelphia, but one could easily make the argument Realmuto did not deserve to be there this season. It was more of a nod to the name. Realmuto’s talent is still rare in the game today, particularly offensively, and Philadelphia recognizes and appreciates that. But Phillies fans know Realmuto may have a bit more to offer than what he’s shown in 2021.