Veteran catcher J.T. Realmuto of the Philadelphia Phillies has been underperforming offensively, with his power numbers declining for the fourth straight season.
Still, he remains firmly in the starting lineup due to his defensive value. While his hitting and baserunning are below average, he continues to shine behind the plate, boasting a Fielding Run Value of +4, placing him in the 89th percentile.
According to Baseball Savant, all his defensive metrics are above average. He ranks in the 100th percentile for pop time at 1.85 seconds, and his caught-stealing above average sits at +3, good for the 96th percentile.
Phillies pitchers greatly enjoy working with Realmuto, who remains one of the game’s premier defensive catchers. Rookie starter Andrew Painter, in particular, benefited from their partnership during a challenging MLB debut.
Andrew Painter’s rough MLB debut
As reported by MLB’s Paul Casella, Painter posted a 3.89 ERA over 34.2 innings when throwing to Realmuto. In contrast, with Rafael Marchan or Garrett Stubbs behind the plate across 18.2 innings, his ERA ballooned to 9.16.
Colin Newby of 97.5 The Fanatic shared a quote from Painter on X, expressing complete faith in Realmuto’s pitch-calling:
“You see that happen enough times where you’re like, I’m not going to shake. I’ll just throw everything that he calls and throw it with conviction.”
In his most recent start against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Painter gave up two home runs immediately after Realmuto left the game due to injury and was replaced by Marchan.
While it’s clear Painter relies on Realmuto behind the plate, even the veteran’s presence hasn’t been enough to get the young righty back on track. In a game against the Chicago White Sox with Realmuto catching, Painter was once again hit hard.
He lasted just 4.2 innings, surrendering six earned runs on eight hits and two walks, with four strikeouts. Home runs continued to plague him, as he allowed solo shots to Colson Montgomery (his 16th of the year) and Jacob Gonzalez (his first career MLB homer).
It was another deeply disappointing outing for Painter, which is becoming an alarming pattern early in his career. He now has seven losses on the season, along with a 6.21 ERA and a 1.57 WHIP.
Entering the year as a top-ranked prospect, Painter has so far failed to meet expectations. The Phillies shouldn’t abandon him, but clearly adjustments are needed because the current approach isn’t working.
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