DEFENSE 

During his tenure Realmuto has been an early adopter of many so called “new school” adaptations such as one knee down stances and the many variations of receiving that comes along with it. Arguably, the position of catcher has been effected by the influence of defensive metrics more than any other position in the game and has led to the evolution of skill changes at the position. There is no doubt in my mind that JT has evolved his elite defensive skills across his career and has positively impacted results for his pitchers and his team.  As mentioned earlier, the Just Baseball Pod rankings heavily favoured offensive, but when looking at the 2025 season it is not surprising why JT fell out of their top 10. Coming off the back of a Gold Glove season in 2022, seasons ’23, ’24 & ’25 were defensively the worst of his career across framing and blocking, these two skills Realmuto has always been an early adopter of and executes at a high level.  What is interesting is that prior to this years All Star break, his numbers are quietly rebounding.  

Something that doesn’t track in a metric line is a catchers ability to nullify the running game on the bases. Not just a pop time or a single throw, it’s the aggregation and perception to runners on base to be aware of a back pick, a clean pick and throw on a short hop, which shows solid game awareness and is a big part of a veteran catchers game. Realmuto’s base stealing controls equate to opponents not running on him as much, even when they do he is still converting and an above average league rate. Pop time measures the process, caught stealing measures the outcome, and veteran catchers influence both. Controlling the running game isn’t just about throwing runners out its about stopping them from running in the first place. JT does this with the best and is a part of the game that amplifies his value to the Phillies. While there are subtle signs of reduced lateral mobility, the overall defensive evidence suggests that the 2 x Gold Glove winner remains one of baseball’s elite catchers and that age has had far less impact on his defense than his offensive production.