Washington Nationals: Where Derek Norris Ranks Among NL East Catchers
By Chris Lacey
1. J.T. Realmuto (MIA)
2016 Stats: 137 G, .303/.343/.428, .771 OPS, 154 H, 11 HR, 60 R, 48 RBI, 12 SB, 28 BB, 100 SO and 2.6 bWAR
Realmuto established himself as one of the best catchers in the Senior Circuit last season. He joined Ramos and Yadier Molina as the only backstops in the NL to hit over .300 and appear in more than 130 games.
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The terrific campaign by Realmuto wasn’t a surprise considering he did compile a .259 average and .696 OPS with 10 homers and 47 RBI in the prior season for the Marlins.
The shocking aspect regarding the rise of Realmuto ascending to the upper echelon of catchers is the short period it took. The 2017 campaign will mark just his fourth year in MLB and Realmuto is turning just 26 years old in June.
He improved in every statistical category except triples and strikeouts. However, I’m not expecting a catcher to hit leg out triples and striking out 100 times doesn’t make him a bad hitter.
The one area which separates Realmuto from his peers in the NL East is his defensive skills.He led all NL catchers in assists (80), finished third in putouts (1,069), and was third-best by throwing out 28 base runners attempting to steal against him.
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Realmuto winning both the Gold Glove and Silver Slugger Award are within reach next season as he is phenomenal in the batter’s box and behind the plate.
He excels in all facets that you want in a catcher and deserves to be ranked as the top catcher in the NL East.