The Phillies have re-signed their catcher of the last seven years in J.T. Realmuto! They signed him to a three-year, $45 million deal. It's great having him back on the roster. He's as steady as it gets behind the plate or at the plate. Of course he's well known to be a good leader as well.
He is getting on the older side a bit as this contract will be played while Realmuto is aged 35-37. But I still think he's playing well and he's been pretty durable. He's played in about 73% of his possible games as a Phillie which is pretty good.
According to mlb.com's all-time Phillies' stats, J.T. Realmuto ranks in the following categories for All-Time Phillies CATCHERS:
- 3rd in home runs with 121
- needs 30 home runs to become all-time leader (Mike Lieberthal - 150)
- Realmuto must average 10 homers a season over this contract to accomplish this
- needs 30 home runs to become all-time leader (Mike Lieberthal - 150)
- 6th in hits with 811
- needs 327 to become all-time leader (Mike Lieberthal - 1,137)
- Realmuto must average 109 hits a season over this contract to accomplish this
- needs 327 to become all-time leader (Mike Lieberthal - 1,137)
- 2nd in OPS with .778
- 0.01 behind all-time leader (Mike Lieberthal - .788)
- 5th in doubles with 165
- needs 91 doubles to become all-time leader (Mike Lieberthal - 255)
- Realmuto must average about 30.333 doubles a season over this contract to accomplish this
- needs 91 doubles to become all-time leader (Mike Lieberthal - 255)
- 4th in RBI with 434
- needs 203 RBI to become all-time leader (Jack Clements - 636)
- Realmuto must average nearly 68 RBI a season over this contract to accomplish this
- needs 203 RBI to become all-time leader (Jack Clements - 636)
- 2nd in stolen bases with 73
- needs 60 stolen bases to become all-time leader (Red Dooin -132)
- Realmuto must average 20 stolen bases a season over this contract to accomplish this
- needs 60 stolen bases to become all-time leader (Red Dooin -132)
- 5th in batting average with a .265 BA
- tied for 1st with Mike Lieberthal in slugging percentage at .450
- 7th in triples with 19
- needs 35 triples to become all-time leader (Red Dooin - 53)
- 9th in games played with 833
- needs to play 392 games to become all-time leader (Red Dooin - 1,224)
- Realmuto must play in about 131 games per season over this contract to accomplish this
- needs to play 392 games to become all-time leader (Red Dooin - 1,224)
So overall, J.T. is already an all-time great Phillies catcher. Plus, if they happen to resign him after this contract expires he has a chance to REALL solidify himself.
I think he can easily crack the top three in many categories. He has a strong chance to become #1 in homers, hits, RBI and games played. He has a respectable chance at being #1 in doubles as well.
Hopefully he can stay healthy and break some of these records! Cheers to a few more summers of Realmuto behind the plate!
Ranger Suárez heads to Boston after 8 seasons with Philly
I also just wanted to mention that reliable starter Ranger Suárez has departed in free agency up to New England to become a member of the Boston Red Sox. He got a nice 5-year, $130 million deal to join the American League club.
Ranger was overall a really solid pitcher for the Phillies. With a lot of injuries and doubt about the roster throughout the past few seasons, Ranger was often very clutch.
Ranger concludes his Phillies career with the following solid stats:
- 53-37 record
- 46th most wins in Phillies history
- 3.38 ERA
- 1.270 WHIP
- 705 strikeouts
- 19th all-time in Phillies history
- 762 IP
- 61st in Phillies history
Ranger is still only 30 years old so he can still add onto his overall legacy up in Boston. Thanks for the memories Ranger!
It's absolutely frigid in the Philadelphia area. Thinking about baseball is nice during harsh January nights like this! Spring can't come soon enough.
