J.T. Realmuto becomes second catcher in MLB history to accomplish this feat

J.T. Realmuto made history in the first inning of Game 1 of a doubleheader against the Washington Nationals Friday.

The Philadelphia Phillies’ catcher singled off of Erick Fedde in his first at-bat Friday, before stealing both second and third base.

While Realmuto was ultimately stranded on third base, he reached the 20 stolen base mark for the first time in his career. As Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer noted, Realmuto is now just the second catcher in MLB history to steal 20 bases and hit 20 home runs in a season. The only other one to ever do it was Iván “Pudge” Rodríguez, who homered 35 times and stole 25 bases in 1999, when he won the American League MVP.

Realmuto isn’t going to win the National League MVP in 2022, but he certainly deserves some down-ballot support. Realmuto’s 6.0 WAR is tied with Dansby Swanson and Trea Turner for the 10th-best mark among all position players this season, according to FanGraphs. It’s a new career high for Realmuto, who has reasserted himself as the best catcher in baseball in 2022. The only catcher in Phillies history to post a higher mark in the category was Darren Daulton, who posted a staggering 7.2 WAR in 1992.

For what it’s worth, Realmuto has stolen 20 bases in 20 attempts. Rodríguez’s 25 stolen bases in 1999 came in 37 attempts.

Realmuto, 31, still faces an uphill battle towards joining Pudge in Cooperstown one day, but he’s unquestionably making a case to be the greatest catcher in franchise history.

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