During the 1999 international free agency period, the Philadelphia Phillies inked a deal with a young catcher from Panama who ended up being a huge part of the franchise in their first World Series win since 1980, and now it looks like they may be onto another.
From Carlos Ruiz to now 18-year-old international prospect Eduardo Tait, the Phillies may have found a new backstop for the future. Ranked as Baseball America's No. 93 prospect in its Top 100 (subscription required) for the 2025 season, Tait has an overdeveloped bat for his position and age. With slightly below-average fielding (graded 45 by both Baseball America and MLB Pipeline), it will take work to become big-league ready, but most scouts see the young Panamanian hitting his way onto a MLB roster.
Eduardo Tait was a beast this season
— Phillies Player Development (@PhilsPlayerDev) December 28, 2024
The 18-year-old No. 4 Phillies prospect showed off his powerful bat and arm in 2024 for the FCL Phillies and Clearwater Threshers pic.twitter.com/kxzriooPxR
Baseball America absolutely loves Eduardo Tait, Phillies' newest Top 100 prospect
Baseball America's Josh Norris included Tait in his 10 players primed to rise in the Top 100 (subscription required) this season, writing a glowing review of the lefty-hitting catcher.
"Tait signed with the Phillies in 2023 for a small bonus and immediately set to work detonating the competition in the Dominican Summer League in a season played almost exclusively before he turned 17 years old. He took a little while to get adjusted to the Florida Complex League, but by the time the Florida heat reached full blast he had returned to making the kind of contact that gives pitchers whiplash."
There's no doubt that the kid can hit.
During his 123 career professional games across Rookie ball and Single-A, Tait had an OPS of .868 and crushed 14 homers while driving in 109, putting him on a 162-game pace of 143 RBI! All this while also batting .313 with a .371 OBP.
While his defense is in need of work to be in the category of reliable behind the plate, Tait still showcases plus arm strength, which directly led to his 35 percent caught stealing rate and would have placed him third in MLB in 2024.
The Phillies are coming up to an interesting time for their catching position. Star catcher J.T. Realmuto is entering the final year of his five-year contract extension he signed in 2021, and there is little to no movement on another extension.
One of the Phillies' prized possessions, Rafael Marchán, has shown glimpses of MLB-ready talent but has been unable to stay on the field consistently. Finally, the underwhelming and underperforming "vibes leader" of the clubhouse, Garrett Stubbs, signed a one-year contract that does not guarantee him time at the MLB level.
Tait could realistically hit himself into a backup or even a starting catching role in the next few seasons if his body continues to develop and can fill out the six-foot, 175-pound frame. For an initial signing bonus of $90,000, the Phillies might have found themselves a gem.