Heat Check: JT Realmuto quietly turning up at the plate is a great sign for the Phillies

Drew Smith
July 11, 2025
Phillies
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I put this one on the back burner over the past few weeks but now, we have enough data to officially slap a “heat check” on JT Realmuto.

JT Realmuto has been sneaky-hot since June 1st. Over his last 28 games, he’s slashing .318/.360/.383 (.743 OPS) with 9 RBIs. That’s not just respectable. It’s exactly what you want from your catcher when the weather heats up in the Dog Days and the postseason push begins.

Obviously, JT Realmuto isn’t the same guy he once was at the dish. He’s not going to bat .300 the rest of the year. We know that. Right now, he’s up to .258 on the season, and believe it or not, that ranks 4th among ALL MLB catchers in batting average.

Heat Check: JT Realmuto

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Not fourth in the NL. Fourth in baseball.

You throw in his elite defense including a 1.87 pop time that ranks third in MLB — and you’ve got a guy who’s doing everything you can reasonably ask for at the most demanding position on the field.

JT Stop The Steal Realmuto >>

Realmuto’s bat had some cold stretches earlier in the year, sure. If he’s giving you this kind of steady offensive output with elite defense and veteran leadership that the Phillies’ starting rotation absolutely loves, you’re in a very good spot.

No complaints. No concern. JT Realmuto is doing his job and then some. It should also give the Phillies some peace-of-mind on how to handle things this offseason. Realmuto is a free agent and looking for one final contract before hanging up the cleats.

I’m thinking a two-year contract to bridge the gap until Eduardo Tait is ready for the The Show would be perfect for this team. If JT Realmuto continues to trend upwards, ideally that contract will be a hometown discount and there won’t be many (if any) free agents available that are better.

That of course, is assuming that Tait is still here. No prospect is untouchable, but I wrote about that yesterday on the link below.

Burn the Kingdom: No Phillies prospect is untouchable if it means building a postseason monster

Either way, elite defense and a top 5 batting average at catcher is something that the Phillies desperately needed to happen, even more so from the right-side of the plate. It’s a certified win ahead of the deadline.