J.T. Realmuto has returned to form as a key player for the Philadelphia Phillies, both offensively and defensively. After a slow start to the season, Realmuto is now one of the top hitters in Major League Baseball over the past three months.
Realmuto has been instrumental in managing one of baseball’s strongest starting rotations and leads all catchers in pop time behind the plate. He has also adapted quickly to working with new closer Jhoan Duran.
Earlier in the season, Realmuto struggled at the plate, particularly against left-handed pitchers. By the end of May, he was batting .222 with a .361 slugging percentage, ranking last among regular Phillies hitters. His difficulties against left-handers were unexpected given his previous success against them; he hit just .107 (6-for-56) versus lefties through May.
However, since June 1, Realmuto has turned things around, hitting .305 (18-for-59) with a .475 slugging percentage against left-handers. His overall average since June 1 is .326, leading the Phillies and ranking third across MLB.
Realmuto attributes his earlier struggles partly to bad luck and partly to inconsistent at-bats: “Honestly, there was quite a bit of bad luck involved with the lefties stuff,” Realmuto said. ” … But also, I wasn’t taking quality at-bats all the time. So, really just trying to hone in my approach against them and find the barrel more often — and I’ve been able to do that the last couple months.”
Phillies manager Rob Thomson praised Realmuto’s recent performance: “He’s really swinging the bat well,” Thomson said. ” … He’s using the field, he’s pulling the ball in the air — he’s really having good at-bats.”
Despite playing nearly every day and handling extensive responsibilities as catcher—including preparing for games with pitching coach Caleb Cotham and fellow catcher Rafael Marchán—Realmuto continues to excel on both sides of play.
“It’s really impressive, but it’s a tribute to him because he stays in such great shape, he’s so tough,” Thomson said. “He’s just a gamer. He goes out there every day and competes.”
Since joining Philadelphia in 2019—even after missing significant time last season due to injury—Realmuto has caught more innings than any other major league catcher during that span.
“He really doesn’t want a day off,” Thomson added. “We have to kind of, at times, force him. But he’s honest with us, so we’ll get him the days off when it’s needed.”
With free agency looming for Realmuto after this season—as well as teammates Kyle Schwarber and Ranger Suárez—the veteran says he remains focused on helping his team win: “It’s definitely in the back of your head, but for me, I just try to focus on winning,” Realmuto said. “I’ve been here a long time. Obviously, I’ve enjoyed my time here.
“As long as we have a good season and we go win a World Series, everything will take care of itself.”
