Phillies: 38 player milestones to watch for in 2020 season
By Matt Rappa
Blake Parker
(291) – 300 games
(288.0) – 300 innings pitched
Eight-year veteran Blake Parker recently joined the big-league roster for the first time in 2020, after having his contract purchased from the Phillies alternate training site in Lehigh Valley.
While the right-hander posted a 5.04 ERA in 2019, so far, he appears to have improved one year later. Through two appearances, Parker has tossed 2 1/3 scoreless innings while striking out four of his nine batters faced.
Parker needs just nine more appearances to reach 300 for his career, as well as 12 more innings to reach the same 300 mark. Both could be accomplished around the same time if manager Joe Girardi uses him for longer than one inning in each appearance.
J.T. Realmuto
(92) – 100 home runs
(346) – 350 RBI
(5,494.0) – 5,500 innings fielding as catcher
Just as Aaron Nola is doing on the mound, catcher J.T. Realmuto is putting up eye-catching numbers so far in the 2020 season.
The perennial All-Star catcher’s eight home runs through the Phillies’ first 15 games tied him with Hall of Famer Gabby Hartnett in 1925 for the most by a primary catcher through as many games since 1920 (Live-Ball era).
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Realmuto needs just eight more home runs to reach 100 for his career, as well as four RBI to reach 350. The latter of the two could be achieved by as early as the two-game road set against the Boston Red Sox at the historic Fenway Park. If Realmuto homers at least eight more times in 2020, that would give him an impressive 16 across just a shortened 60-game season.
In addition, Realmuto needs just six more innings fielding as a catcher to reach the even 5,500 mark for his career.