Fantasy Baseball 2019: JT Realmuto Joins Philadelphia

JT Realmuto is out of Miami and now in Philadelphia. How does his addition to the Phillies lineup impact his and his new teammates’ fantasy values?

Throughout the offseason, the Miami Marlins were listening to offers for All-Star catcher JT Realmuto. Whether it was trying to get a third team involved or load up on prospects, there were a lot of teams contacting the Marlins about Realmuto.

The Philadelphia Phillies won out as they traded Jorge Alfaro and two pitching prospects. How does this move affect fantasy baseball?

The biggest benefit is that JT Realmuto will be staying in the National League East. He’s familiar with the ballparks and the opposing pitching. His value should go up a bit due to not having to face Aaron Nola and Jake Arrieta and getting to face the Miami pitching staff.

Citizens Bank Park is a very hitter-friendly ballpark. It ranked fourth in home runs and fourth in runs according to ESPN Park Factors from last season. The stadium fell to the middle of the rankings in hits, doubles and triples.

Realmuto will also be hitting in the middle of a better lineup. Roster Resource projects Andrew McCutchen, Jean Segura, Realmuto and Rhys Hoskins as the Phillies one thru four. That is a solid top of the order. They will have plenty of chances to get on base and score runs early.

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Projections have increased since the news was announced. According to FanGraphs, all five of the projection sites have JT Realmuto hitting at least 20 home runs, 71 RBIs and .269. Those numbers would put him as the best catcher in fantasy baseball.

Looking at his contemporaries, Buster Posey doesn’t hit for power anymore. Gary Sanchez won’t reach a .270 average. Sal Perez doesn’t have the support to drive in 70 RBIs. Added into Realmuto’s value is his speed. He can steal 10-plus bases but I think it’ll be closer to six. McCutchen and Segura will be the speed guys in the Phillies lineup.

This move could also lead to more moves from the Phillies. They’ve been at arm’s length on Bryce Harper and Manny Machado. The Phillies have a need at both third base and corner outfield. Adding either one will push the Phillies even further up the World Series favorite chart. At this point into the offseason, I don’t care where either sign but that’s a rant for another day.

Jeff Todd and Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors had a big write-up on the move and his impact with a bat and how much he separates himself from the rest of the catchers in the league.

“Realmuto’s OPS+ (which is adjusted for home park and league) checked in at 139, effectively indicating that he was 39 percent better than a league-average hitter. That’s all the more impressive when considering that catchers, on the whole, were about 10 to 15 percent less effective than a league-average bat…there are few, if any catchers in baseball who could upgrade a lineup more than Realmuto.”

Going to Miami are Alfaro, top pitching prospect Sixto Sanchez and southpaw Will Stewart. Alfaro will take over the catching duties for the Marlins. He will hit at least 10 home runs with a .260 average. Not bad despite his new surroundings.

Sanchez has 100-plus MPH fastball and three good off-speed pitches. The main concern with him is health. He pitched just 46.2 innings last season. He did post a 2.51 ERA, 1.071 WHIP and a 45:11 K:BB ratio in High-A as a 19-year-old. His ceiling is sky high.

Stewart, at 20 years old, posted a 2.06 ERA with 7.1 K/9, 1.7 BB/9 and an excellent 62.9 percent ground ball rate in 113 2/3 innings as a starter in Single-A. Both of these pitchers could be in the Marlins rotation in three years.

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Realmuto is still my top-ranked catcher. This trade makes the gap between him and Sanchez even bigger. I still wouldn’t draft him as early as he’s going in most leagues but if you believe, then he’s worth it.

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