Five Things the Miami Marlins Need to Learn Before the End of the Season

J.T. Realmuto

We have always expected a lot of J.T. Realmuto. After getting drafted in the third round back in 2010 at just 19-years-of-age, he reported directly to the GCL Marlins. He quickly worked his way up through the system, spending 2011 with the Grasshoppers, 2012 with the Hammerheads, and 2013 with the Jacksonville Suns. He split his time between the Miami Marlins and the Suns in 2014, going seven-for-29 in his first 11 games.

Since then, Realmuto has honed his approach at the plate. He put up a .259/.290/.406 slashline in his first full major league season, over 126 games with the Marlins in 2015. In 2016, he bumped that up to a .303/.345/.428 in 137 games. In 2017, although his slashline regressed slightly, to .278/.332/.451, he increased his power to smack 17 homers and collect 65 RBI.

Realmuto’s “barrel” percentage has increased over each of the last three seasons, from 4.1 in 2016 to 6.3 in 2017 to 8.4 this season. He’s delivering the ball off the bat at an average velocity of 89.6 MPH, a full MPH faster than his previous best. He’s also brought his launch angle from a career average of 9.5 percent up to 13.4 this year, which promises more home runs.

Realmuto has taken another step this season, it’s plain for even casual baseball fans to see. He earned his first all-star selection, and is slashing .296/.353/.511 with 15 round-trippers and 58 RBI. He should easily eclipse his previous career highs in those categories, set last season.

Defensively, Realmuto is near the top in the majors in “pop time.” That’s the time it takes from when the pitcher’s delivery hits his glove until it arrives in the mitt of the second baseman (or shortstop, or third baseman).

His 1.94 seconds ranks second in the majors, and he’s been a top three guy in that metric since Statcast started tracking it. He’s also the fastest catcher in the game today, ranking first overall in every season on the base paths. He’s at 28.8 feet per second, which ranks in the top fifth in all of baseball.

Realmuto is often mentioned as a possible trade for contenders looking for an upgrade, but the Miami Marlins should consider him indispensable. His skillset is just not available elsewhere from behind the plate.

Although he’s free agent eligible in 2021, He can file for arbitration this season. It’s been mentioned that the Miami Marlins management group is planning to offer him a long-term extension. I think somewhere in the neighborhood of five-years, $100 million will get the job done. The only question is, are the Marlins willing to go that high?