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There’s little debate that the Philadelphia Phillies have one of the best all-around catchers in MLB after witnessing the unique skill set that J.T. Realmuto has showcased over his six seasons in a Phillies uniform.

Before heading to the IL for right knee surgery, Realmuto had been slotted into the No. 2 spot in the batting order and had been doing a remarkable job at the dish filling in for Trea Turner.

2024 has been a resurgent season for the 33-year-old backstop. In 207 at-bats, Realmuto is batting .261 with 54 hits, seven home runs, and 20 RBI. In 2023, it took him a while to get hot at the plate, but he eventually put together his third season with 20-plus home runs in a Phillies uniform and stole 16 bases, the second-highest mark of his 11-year career after he stole 21 bags in 2022. How many catchers are a threat on the base paths like Realmuto?

It’s not just Realmuto’s contributions as a hitter that have earned him near-universal praise as one of the game’s premier catchers. A two-time Gold Glove Award winner (2019, 2022), Realmuto has the ability to handle a pitching staff, control the running game and provide elite defense. Phillies fans got a nice reminder recently when Realmuto helped execute a difficult 1-2-3 double play last week against the Milwaukee Brewers.

Is Phillies’ J.T. Realmuto a Hall of Fame catcher?

J.T. Realmuto’s play during the last home stand created quite a buzz after his impressive double play, the excellent tag he placed on a hard-sliding Oliver Dunn at the plate in the 10th inning to save a run, and the unfortunate foul ball that he took off his protective cup that caused men in Philadelphia to collectively wince in horror. Realmuto once again proved he is as tough as they come and stayed in the game.

Is Realmuto a future Hall of Famer? This very question circulated on local sports talk radio and social media last week. Looking at his career numbers as they currently stand, the answer is no.

But the thought of Realmuto going to Cooperstown becomes an interesting case when you look at his 162-game average per Baseball Reference and plug in the numbers for an additional five seasons using his current career statistics as a starting point.

Realmuto doesn’t look like he’s going to slow down or let himself go anytime soon, so for this exercise, we’ll calculate his future numbers and see where they would rank against a list of Hall of Fame catchers. As of right now, Realmuto is a career .272 hitter with 1,190 hits, 161 home runs, 598 RBI and 95 stolen bases with a bWAR of 34.6.

If he were to match his 162-game averages for an additional five seasons, he would wind up with 2,000 hits, 271 home runs, 1,003 RBI and 160 stolen bases.