Realmuto has big fan in Hall of Fame catcher

This story was excerpted from Todd Zolecki’s Phillies Beat e-newsletter. To learn the total e-newsletter, click on right here. And subscribe to get it commonly in your inbox.

Johnny Bench could be the best catcher in baseball historical past. 

Consider the resume: Hall of Famer, two-time National League MVP, 14-time NL All-Star, 10-time Gold Glove winner, the 1968 NL Rookie of the Year, two-time World Series champion and the 1976 World Series MVP. Bench, whom I sadly bear in mind extra from internet hosting “The Baseball Bunch” than for being a key cog within the Big Red Machine, hit 389 dwelling runs and slashed .267/.342/.476 in his 17-year profession with the Reds. His 75.1 WAR is the best amongst all catchers in baseball historical past, based on Baseball Reference. 

So, it was attention-grabbing final week to listen to Bench gush about Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto, whom he considers the very best catcher in baseball right this moment. 

“J.T. does so many good things, bats in the middle of the lineup, does what he has to do every day, but the durability, you also have to go with durability,” Bench mentioned. “He caught 1,100 innings or something like that, that’s phenomenal. To try to see a guy catch 100 games, to think I caught 13 consecutive years of 100 games or more, you really didn’t have a day off.”

Realmuto caught 1,131 2/3 innings within the common season final yr, 127 2/3 greater than second-ranked Sean Murphy. 

Realmuto caught 1,281 1/3 innings total, together with the postseason. Only two catchers have caught extra innings than that previously 14 years: Salvador Perez (1,389 2/3 innings in 2014, and 1,334 1/3 innings in 2015) and Yadier Molina (1,309 innings in 2011). 

Realmuto’s 29.7 profession WAR ranks thirty eighth all time amongst catchers. He averaged 4.7 WAR over the previous 5 non-pandemic shortened seasons. If Realmuto, 31, maintains that degree of manufacturing over the subsequent 5 seasons — it’s an “if” contemplating Realmuto’s age and the damage and tear at that place — he would have 53.1 WAR. The common Hall of Fame catcher has 53.7 WAR.

• Realmuto, No. 1 (catcher) 
• Zack Wheeler, No. 8 (beginning pitchers) 
• Trea Turner, No. 1 (shortstops) 
• Rhys Hoskins, No. 10 (first basemen) 
• Bryce Harper, No. 3 (proper fielders) 
• Kyle Schwarber, No. 3 (left fielders)