3) Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto has been a major disappointment this season
Has J.T. Realmuto been bad this season? No. Has J.T. Realmuto lived up to the lofty expectations he had entering the year as one of, if not the best catcher in baseball? Absolutely not.
This season, Realmuto is slashing .250/.310/.454 with 15 home runs and 50 RBI. His .764 OPS isn't bad, especially for a catcher. He is, however, having his worst offensive season in a very long time.
Realmuto has a 101 WRC+ this season. He's been just a tick above average, and that's his worst mark since the 2015 season. It's been nearly a decade since he's hit at practically a league average level. He's striking out more than he ever has, he's walking less, and he's even getting a bit lucky thanks to a .312 BAbip.
Last season, Realmuto's absurd second half helped him finish seventh in the NL MVP balloting. He's gone from an MVP-caliber player to merely an average one.
When Realmuto's bat has struggled in the past, his defense has always been something he could hang his hat on. Even that's taken a step back this season. He's been worth -3 DRS (11 last season) and is in the 35th percentile in pitch framing (61st percentile last season). He went from winning the Gold Glove last season to a catcher who I'd argue has been below-average defensively.
Realmuto trails players like Freddy Fermin and Gary Sanchez with his 1.3 fWAR. He's behind Danny Jansen with his 101 WRC+. Again, this is a three-time all-star we're talking about here. He is 32 and always has a heavy workload which is tough for a catcher, but the Phillies have expected and need more from their backstop.