The Philadelphia Phillies must prepare for the future at catcher. This is because J.T. Realmuto won’t be able to play there indefinitely. Realmuto has had a couple close calls behind home plate during the last week. The first incident occurred against the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday, when he was struck in the throat by a Zack Wheeler fastball. Garrett Stubbs took his position when he exited the game. However, Realmuto returned to play the next day. Then, on Friday against the Pittsburgh Pirates, the 33-year-old catcher was hit in the wrist by a fastball that he and Yunior Marté miscommunicated about. This time, Realmuto stayed in the game. He had a pre-planned day off after the next game. Stubbs typically catches during day games that immediately follow night games.
JT Realmuto just took 98 MPH straight to the wrist pic.twitter.com/v7jhRRBwqT
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) April 13, 2024
The Phillies should plan for the future at catcher. Realmuto should reduce catching duties.
In each of his four full seasons with the Phillies, Realmuto has caught at least 115 games. In 2022 and 2023, he caught 133 games and had 130 starts as catcher. Realmuto last started a game in the field other than catcher on October 3, 2021, when he made his most recent appearance at first base. Realmuto played first base 16 times that season, a career best. He is now 33 years old and will most likely be unable to catch this many games in a season for the foreseeable future. His other defensive experience includes 51 appearances (27 starts) at first base and 21 as a designated hitter (19 starts).
While Realmuto should remain the regular catcher, the Phillies should explore limiting his catching appearances. Having him play first base more frequently than he does now might be beneficial to his long-term prospects. This would require Bryce Harper or Kyle Schwarber to play in the outfield on occasion. It’s unclear whether Harper will play outfield again after going to first base last season, and Schwarber isn’t a strong defender, which is why he’s the Phillies’ designated hitter. Interestingly, both Harper and Schwarber were catchers in college before transitioning to other positions in their professional careers.
Looking at Phillies Catching Prospects.
Three of the Phillies’ MLB Pipeline Top 30 prospects are catchers. Eduardo Tait, the team’s ninth-ranked prospect, is the top-ranked of the trio. Meanwhile, Caleb Ricketts and Kehden Hettiger are placed 21st and 22nd, respectively. Ricketts is expected to reach the majors first in the group. He is currently anticipated to make his big league debut next season. Ricketts currently plays for Double-A Reading, while Hettiger is in Single-A Clearwater. Tait competed in the Dominican Summer League last season. Ricketts appeared at three different levels in 2023, having previously played for Class-A Clearwater in 2022. Hettiger spent the 2023 season with the Phillies’ Florida Complex League rookie team.
Tait, 17, appears to have the best long-term potential of the three. Last season in the Dominican Summer League, he hit.333/.400/.517 with three home runs and 36 RBI in 44 games. However, Tait is not expected to reach the majors until 2028. In addition, Hettiger is not expected to reach the majors until 2027. This means Stubbs and possibly Ricketts will see more playing time at catcher if Realmuto reduces his catching duties, at least until Tait reaches the majors. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but the Phillies could improve their backup catcher situation. Aside from Realmuto and Stubbs, the Phillies have only one other catcher on their 40-man roster. Rafael Marchán is presently on the injured list. Marchán made 21 big league appearances throughout the 2020 and 2021 seasons.
