Remembering a former Miami Marlins catcher

Do you remember an infamous trade in Miami Marlins history? That trade didn't go very well for The Fish to say the least. The gist of that trade was C JT Realmuto being traded to the Philadelphia Phillies for mainly starting pitching prospect Sixto Sanchez. Sixto's career has sadly been a complete failure to this point. Not so much for Realmuto in Philly of course.

JT Realmuto had a nice career with the Miami Marlins.

JT Realmuto debuted with the Miami Marlins in the 2014 season. He batted .241/.267/.345, with no home runs and 9 RBI in 11 games and 29 AB. He was worth 0.0 WAR and -0/1 dWAR that season. It wasn't a great debut, but he was just a rookie at that point. The following season, he batted .259/.290/.406, with 10 home runs and 47 RBI in 126 games and 441 AB. His defense massively improved as he was now worth 1.5 dWAR. He was also worth an above average 2.4 WAR.

Realmuto was clearly turning into a key player for The Fish at this point. In 2016, he batted an impressive .303/.343/.428, with 11 home runs and 48 RBI in 137 games and 509 AB. He was worth a worse 0.0 dWAR, but a better 2.6 WAR. He wasn't an offensive machine to say the least, but he was one of the better catchers in the game. He wa sa clear building block for the team.

In 2017, JT Realmuto batted .278/.332/.451, with 17 home runs and 65 RBI in 141 games and 532 AB. His dWAR improved to 1.2 and he was worth 4,4 WAR this time. Basically double what he was worth the previous season. He was truly an elite catcher at this point. In his final season in 2018, with the Marlins, he batted .277/.340/.484, with 21 home runs and 74 RBI in 125 games and 477 AB. He was worth 0.7 dWAR and 4.5 WAR.

The Miami Marlins didn't want to give JT Realmuto and extension and so sent him on his way to the division rivals. The trade was a disaster and a sad part of the team's history.