JT Realmuto is ranked as 2nd best catcher in MLB

J.T. REALMUTO RANKED 2^ND ON MLB NETWORK’S COUNTDOWNTOP 10 CATCHERS RIGHT NOW!

Chase Utley Featured on Top 10 Second Basemen of the Live Ball Era

January 25, 2020 – Philadelphia Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto was ranked second on MLB Network’s annual Top 10 Catchers Right Now! program earlier tonight. Realmuto, who also ranked second on last year’s countdown, finished one spot ahead of the Chicago Cubs’ Willson Contreras and one spot behind the Chicago White Sox’s Yasmani Grandal. In addition to Realmuto, the Phillies’ Bryce Harper ranked sixth on Top 10 Right Fielders Right Now! last week.

Hosted by MLB Network’s Brian Kenny alongside MLB Network analysts, each Top 10 Right Now! ranking considers player performance over the last two seasons, with an emphasis on 2019. Offensive, defensive and Statcast metrics, plus expert analysis by the MLB Network research team, are also taken into account when determining each ranking.

On tonight’s countdown, MLB Network analyst and 13-year MLB catcher Dave Valle said to Kenny, “You mentioned Yadi Molina and Buster Posey, J.T. reminds me of these guys a number of years back because he does everything well. He hits, he catches, he leads his pitching staff, he can run the bases, he can even steal a base if you need him to. But this is a guy that’s just so well-rounded in every aspect of the game, that I’m not agreeing with The Shredder at this point, at this number. To me, he is a top catcher in the game of baseball.”

The complete ranking for MLB Network’s top-10 catchers is listed below and available at mlb.com/top10rightnow.  

Top 10 Catchers Right Now!

1.            Yasmani Grandal, Chicago White Sox

2.            J.T. Realmuto, Philadelphia Phillies

3.            Willson Contreras, Chicago Cubs

4.            Mitch Garver, Minnesota Twins

5.            Gary Sánchez, New York Yankees

6.            Wilson Ramos, New York Mets

7.            Robinson Chirinos, Texas Rangers

8.            Buster Posey, San Francisco Giants

9.            Yadier Molina, St. Louis Cardinals

10.          Omar Narváez, Milwaukee Brewers

Now in its tenth season, MLB Network’s Top 10 Right Now! series features analysis from MLB Network on-air personalities and roundtable discussions with The Ringer’s Ben Lindbergh, and MLB.com writers Mike Petriello and Sarah Langs. As 2020 marks the 100-year anniversary of the Live Ball Era, each episode will include a new segment called “Top 10 of the Live Ball Era,” featuring Brian Kenny and Christopher “Mad Dog” Russo discussing and debating the best players at each position over the last 100 years. Former Phillies second baseman Chase Utley ranked seventh on Kenny’s “Top 10 Second Basemen of the Live Ball Era” ranking, finishing one spot ahead of Hall of Famer Frankie Frisch and one spot behind Hall of Famer Craig Biggio.