The Phillies have long treated catcher like a premium spot, and for years J.T. Realmuto made that easy to believe.
In 2026, though, the position fell apart fast. Realmuto slipped, and the players behind him couldn’t pick up the slack.
Realmuto gets a D- after a rough 2026 that looked nothing like the peak version of the 35-year-old backstop. He’s been trending down since his career-best 6.5-bWAR season in 2022, but this year was a steep drop.
Across 467 plate appearances, the Oklahoma native hit just .205/.283/.331 and managed only 30 extra-base hits. Even the part of his game that used to separate him from other catchers has faded; he stole only three bases, and he hasn’t reached more than 10 in any of the last three seasons.
The defense wasn’t the safety net it once was, either. Realmuto, a two-time Gold Glove winner, has seen his work behind the plate erode in recent seasons, and Statcast has credited him with a negative Fielding Run Value every year since 2023. That continued in 2026 with a minus-3 mark.
There is at least one reason for some optimism. Dombrowski recently said he’d like to cut back Realmuto’s workload in 2027, and that kind of breather could help him rebound.
The bigger problem is what happened behind him. The Phillies’ catching depth was a disaster.
Garrett Stubbs earns an F after his worst season yet. He’s been around since 2022 as the team’s chief vibes officer, but the on-field production has never matched the personality.
In his career, the 33-year-old owns a .208/.284/.292 line over 232 games, with seven home runs and 27 extra-base hits. This past season was his low point: .153/.215/.153 in 35 games.
He did bounce around the diamond a bit, logging time at first base, third base and left field, plus five appearances on the mound, and he also chipped in as a pinch-runner. None of it was enough to rescue the year.
Rafael Marchán was somehow worse. The 27-year-old once carried some prospect buzz, but that’s well in the rearview now.
In 34 games with Philadelphia in 2026, he hit .099/.137/.165 with two home runs. The Phillies clearly value his defense, and that makes sense, but even the best glove can’t cover up a .302 OPS.
If the Phillies really want Realmuto to spend more time resting in 2027, they’ll need a legitimate backup catcher this offseason. If they don’t find one, they’ll be asking a lot from a position that was a black hole in 2026.
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