Phillies J.T. Realmuto turning things around at the plate

One of the Phillies biggest offseason acquisitions has finally turned things around.

Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto was one of the biggest acquisitions in baseball last offseason, but the looming Bryce Harper deal buried the usual excitement that comes from a deal of that magnitude.

Philadelphia fans knew Realmuto was one of, if not the, best catchers in baseball, but even that deal couldn’t dampen the unending Harper-mania.

So while Harper got all the bright lights and attention, Realmuto was introduced in a room reminiscent of an elementary school cafeteria with bland walls and a fraction of media in attendance.

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Realmuto’s bat was just as quiet as his introduction to Philadelphia. In his first 14 games the star catcher hit a measly .234 with just two extra-base hits.

Through his last 15 games, however, Realmuto has picked it up with a .333 average and seven extra-base hits, three of which are home runs. Quietly, Realmuto’s 1.2 WAR is the Phillies best through 30 games.

Philadelphia has gone as Realmuto has gone, losing 6 out of 10 games in which Realmuto didn’t have a hit, and winning 12 of 19 in games where he had at least one. They’ve won seven of nine games in which Realmuto has a multi-hit game.

Injuries were a big part of Philadelphia’s struggles late in April and Realmuto was called upon to step up without Odubel Herrera, Jean Segura, and Scott Kingery producing. His production and consistency as a catcher are especially important with Andrew Knapp struggling and no other options available.

Now that the pieces are starting to come back healthy, the offense is churning around Realmuto. The Phillies have won five of their last seven, and in that stretch, Realmuto has hit .318 with a .969 OPS.

Philadelphia’s offense is either at or above league average in every offensive category this year, and again that’s with major pieces of the lineup missing. If everything starts to click as it did in the first six games of the season, look out.