J.T. Realmuto has been huge this season for the Philadelphia Phillies. The star catcher is enjoying a strong campaign as he looks to get his team into the playoffs. The 31-year-old is impacting the game not just at the dish and behind it but also on the base paths.
After racking up two steals against the Washington Nationals on Friday, Realmuto became the second catcher ever to record 20 home runs and 20 steals in the same season. Only Hall-of-Famer Ivan Rodriguez was able to do so. He accomplished the feat in 1999 but did not show the efficiency that the Phillies star has. While Rodriguez got caught 12 times in 37 attempts, Realmuto is a perfect 20/20.
J.T. Realmuto joins Hall-of-Famer Ivan Rodriguez (1999) as the only catchers in MLB history with a 20 HR/20 SB season.
— PhilliesNotes (@PhilliesNotes) September 30, 2022
Realmuto's offensive production has been terrific this year. The Phillies' backstop is fifth in wRC+ among catchers with 400 plate appearances, per FanGraphs, and has 134 hits, 82 RBI and 21 home runs. Even more impressive than Realmuto's offense is his defense. He is almost impossible to get a steal off of, as he has the fastest pop time in baseball and the best caught-stealing percentage at 42 percent.
The Phillies have benefited tremendously from Realmuto as they look to remain in the playoff race. They could be a wild-card team but they have to keep winning after going on a brutal cold stretch.
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