The catching position has long been a strength for the Philadelphia Phillies, as J.T. Realmuto wore the mantle of best catcher in baseball for more than half a decade. Unfortunately, the now-35-year-old has lost a step, and his backups were even worse in 2026.
J.T. Realmuto: D-
Realmuto has been steadily declining since his career-best 6.5-bWAR 2022 season, but he fell off a cliff in 2026. The Oklahoma native slashed a paltry .205/.283/.331 across 467 trips to the plate this past year, with just 30 extra-base hits. On top of that, Realmuto's once-top-shelf speed (for a catcher) has greatly diminished, as he stole just three bases and hasn’t nabbed more than 10 in each of the past three seasons.
The two-time Gold Glove Award winner was once among the sport’s best defenders behind the dish, but that aspect of his game has also taken a hit in recent years. Realmuto has posted a negative Fielding Run Value according to Statcast each year since 2023, and this past season was no different, with a -3 mark.
One small consolation is that Dombrowski recently claimed that he’d like to reduce Realmuto’s workload in 2027. Hopefully that sparks a bounce-back campaign.
The catching position was a black hole in 2026
Garrett Stubbs: F
Garrett Stubbs has occupied a role as Phillies' chief vibes officer since his arrival back in 2022, but he hasn't been a positive on the field since 2022. The 33-year-old owns a career .208/.284/.292 slash line across 232 games with just seven home runs and 27 extra-base hits.
Unfortunately, Stubbs had the worst season of his career with a .153/.215/.153 line in 35 contests. He was able to add a bit of versatility to the team by suiting up at first base, third base and left field (as well as five appearances on the mound), and pinch-running, but that was not enough to save this dismal season from a failing grade.
Rafael Marchán: F
Stubbs was terrible, but his fellow backup Rafael Marchán was somehow even worse. The 27-year-old was once a prospect of some note, but those days are long gone. In 34 games with the Phils in 2026, Marchán slashed a putrid .099/.137/.165 with two homers.
The Phillies seem to like Marchán’s defense (and justifiably so), but not even Yadier Molina could have made a .302 OPS work. If Dombrowski is serious about getting Realmuto more time off his feet in 2027, he’ll either need to find a real backup catcher this offseason or pray Marchán can turn things around at the plate.
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