(Photo by Stephen Brashear/Getty Images)
1. Philadelphia Phillies
J.T. Realmuto / Andrew Knapp
This is not just because of J.T. Realmuto … who am I kidding, yeah it is! The Philadelphia Phillies weren’t exactly bad at catcher in 2018, as they ranked third in the NL East with a 2.8 fWAR overall at the position.
However, the addition of Realmuto no longer requires the Phillies to have to be cautious of the risk that the young Jorge Alfaro may not live up to expectations.
And that really isn’t much of a cause of relief, being that Alfaro was actually great in 2018. But who wouldn’t love to just simply not have to worry about production at a position, especially such a value-lacking position as catcher?
Because the fact of the matter is this: J.T. Realmuto may not be a lock to put up last season’s numbers, but he is a sure bet to provide more value at the position than the Phillies received in 2018.
J.T. Realmuto is a career .279 hitter in five major league season and has averaged 15 home runs, eight stolen bases, a .328 OBP and 132 games over his last four seasons. Those numbers may not absolutely jump off the page, when considering his 2018 season, but they’re certainly above-average.
Just compare Realmuto’s last four seasons to future Hall of Famer, Yadier Molina, and it will put them in the proper perspective.
Molina has averaged 12 home runs, five stolen bases, a .325 OBP and 136 games over his last four seasons. So as you see, Realmuto is the real deal, even if you believe that his 2018 isn’t repeatable.
A Back-up Even Needed?
To answer the sub-header, yes. Even though J.T Realmuto is the best of the best at the catcher position, and not just in the NL East, but all of Major League Baseball — he will not play 162 games in 2019, or any season for that matter.
It’s not because he physically couldn’t, but no competent major league manager would ever do such a thing.
So yes, the best catcher in the world must require a back-up. Realmuto’s back-up in 2019 will be 27-year-old Andrew Knapp, a second-round selection by the Phillies in the 2013 MLB Draft.
He was also drafted in round 41 of the 2010 MLB Draft by the Athletics out of high school, but decided to forgo Major League Baseball and play college ball at the University of California Berkeley.
Knapp was worth 0.1 fWAR in 84 games last season, posting below-average numbers even for him. His .198 batting average and 68 wRC+ aren’t indicative of his career norms, a .226 average with a 81 wRC+.
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Once again, the ZiPS projections were released before the addition of a primary player at the catcher position, so they aren’t accurate when predicting playing-time for Andrew Knapp.
With Jorge Alfaro as the starter, Knapp was predicted to play 91 games in 2019, but with Realmuto holding down the catching duties now, Knapp will never see that many games unless there’s an injury.
If we go by Realmuto’s average of around 130 games, I think it’s safe to say that Andrew Knapp could handle the rest, as there’s no other option at the moment for the Phillies at the major league level.
Although, the playing-time of Andrew Knapp will most likely not carry much weight in terms of the Phillies value at the catcher position.
As conveyed above, when the 2019 season is over, the Philadelphia Phillies will be ranked first in catcher production, and they can gladly thank J.T Realmuto as he will be the primary reason why.
My 2019 Projections
- Philadelphia Phillies — 4.8 WAR
- Washington Nationals — 4.0 WAR
- New York Mets — 3.0 WAR
- Atlanta Braves — 2.0 WAR
- Miami Marlins —1.8 WAR
The catcher position will certainly be competitive in 2019, and nothing is ever as it seems on paper. Please let us know what you think in the comment section below!