JT Realmuto HOF'er?

jayshum · #1 05-26-2023, 11:35 AM

From the Jason Stark column mentioned in a different thread, he has Realmuto as a possibility but not close enough to give him a good chance right now.

J.T. REALMUTO � I came really close to including Realmuto in the �On a Path� Club. I couldn�t quite get there. On one hand, he�s 32 and still has accumulated �only� 31.0 WAR. On the other hand, that feels too low.

How long has he been in the Best All-Around Catcher in Baseball debate? Five years? Eight years? There�s not much argument that he has been the best defensive catcher in the sport for most of those years. He�s also among the best offensive catchers in the sport. And he goes to the post so much, no other catcher is within 100 games caught of him over those last eight seasons.

I�m not sure why WAR has always been an imperfect way to measure catchers. But that feels especially true in his case. What Adley Rutschman aspires to be, Realmuto already is.

todeen · #2 05-26-2023, 11:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jayshum

From the Jason Stark column mentioned in a different thread, he has Realmuto as a possibility but not close enough to give him a good chance right now.

J.T. REALMUTO � I came really close to including Realmuto in the �On a Path� Club. I couldn�t quite get there. On one hand, he�s 32 and still has accumulated �only� 31.0 WAR. On the other hand, that feels too low.

How long has he been in the Best All-Around Catcher in Baseball debate? Five years? Eight years? There�s not much argument that he has been the best defensive catcher in the sport for most of those years. He�s also among the best offensive catchers in the sport. And he goes to the post so much, no other catcher is within 100 games caught of him over those last eight seasons.

I�m not sure why WAR has always been an imperfect way to measure catchers. But that feels especially true in his case. What Adley Rutschman aspires to be, Realmuto already is.

Realmuto has been in the Top 3 Argument since 2016, and officially became #1 catcher in 2018. He is certainly at his peak for 2-3 more years. When he hits 34/35 yo, we will see him start to slip. I really hope with the new baserunning rules we see him reach the 30/30 standard. Wouldn't that be something.

jayshum · #3 05-26-2023, 12:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by todeen

Realmuto has been in the Top 3 Argument since 2016, and officially became #1 catcher in 2018. He is certainly at his peak for 2-3 more years. When he hits 34/35 yo, we will see him start to slip. I really hope with the new baserunning rules we see him reach the 30/30 standard. Wouldn't that be something.

His career high for home runs is 25 so getting to 30 seems unlikely as he ages.

todeen · #4 05-26-2023, 03:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jayshum

His career high for home runs is 25 so getting to 30 seems unlikely as he ages.

It's a stretch. But Votto proved that players can change their approach at the plate for more power. I think that was in 2021. So Realmuto could give up something for more power. Of course that might affect his SB. Regardless, it would certainly be interesting.