There is a headline that I never thought I would actually type. The Philadelphia Inquirer and Marcus Hayes posted an “opinion” piece behind a paywall today stating that “JT Realmuto should be the Phillies’ left fielder sooner or later.” I know it’s Saturday morning and you’re probably trying to get your weekend off to a nice start, so I’ll be quick with this one. This article is essentially click bait. I’m definitely not paying to read garbage but was able to screenshot a quick piece of it before the ad pop-ups took over.

Here are some quick bullet points from Marcus Hayes on why Realmuto would be an excellent outfielder:

• Here’s the reasoning that Marcus Hayes provides:
• He’s an excellent catcher. He will be an excellent outfielder.
• He was an All-State high school state champion quarterback.
• He won two state titles playing shortstop in high school.
• Realmuto only switched to catcher to increase his draft value

Jesus Christ. Hayes continues to sound like an idiot when saying that playing left field wouldn’t be a challenge for Realmuto, but rather a “vacation” and that JT “deserves one.”

Realmuto could have played better last season. He hit .263 with 17 home runs in 134 games with the Phillies. Still, those numbers are solid and will only get better if the Phillies can add other pieces to their lineup to provide more protection for him and Bryce Harper in the middle of the order. Hayes continues to make a baseless assumption that if the Phillies did put JT in left field, he would all of the sudden hit .285 with 28 home runs and 100 RBIs over 155 games.

The entire article is a joke. I guess that’s why they hid it behind a paywall, on a Saturday, under the “opinion” column.

There’s a very good chance that if the MLB and MLB PA reach a deal on a new CBA, that the designated hitter will be coming to the National League. Also, JT Realmuto has spent time at first base when Rhys Hoskins needed a day off or when Hoskins had season ending surgery last year.

Moving Realmuto to first place or the designated hitter spot would be more likely than moving him to left field. The Phillies are in the market to sign big name free agent outfielders this offseason. They have bene linked to Starling Marte, Michael Conforto, and Kris Bryant as possible options for the outfield.

Marcus Hayes saying that the Phillies need to find ways to keep Realmuto’s bat in the lineup while giving him a rest behind the plate is valid. Pretty much any team in the MLB that has an above average catcher offensively will tell you the same. But for the love of God, Marcus, at least provide some sound reasoning for a move to left field, or look at other ways that have worked in the past for the Phillies with a designated hitter or the option to slide him in at first base throughout the season.

It’s a Saturday and Philly sports news has been crawling all week. Cheers to the weekend.

You can vote for JT Realmuto to be selected to the All-MLB team as a catcher here >>

Mandatory Credit: MLB.com