RADIO
J.T. Realmuto 2024 Outlook: Solid Veteran Overpriced Due to Position Scarcity
12 months agoJ.T. Realmuto had a down year by his lofty standards in 2023, hitting .252/.310/.452 with 20 HR and 16 SB over 540 PAs. The good news is that most of his underlying peripherals were virtually unchanged from more productive seasons. His average airborne exit velocity increased from 94.4 mph in 2022 to 95 last season, while his rate of Brls/BBE (11.3% VS. 11.2%) and max exit velocity (110.4 vs. 110.6) were virtually identical. Similarly, Realmuto posted a 28.7 ft./sec Statcast Sprint speed in both 2022 and 2023. The one troubling trend in his profile is plate discipline, as Realmuto's 25.6 K% was five points higher than his career mark of 20.6% while his SwStr% increased by nearly two ticks (12.1 vs. 10.2). Realmuto's biggest problem from a fantasy perspective is that more catchers can hit these days. At an ADP of 71.63, Realmuto is sandwiched between Eury Perez (70.83) and Kodai Senga (71.97), two arms with the ceiling of an ace. A .250 hitter with 20 HR and 15 SB can't compete with that even with catcher eligibility, especially since Realmuto is expected to hit toward the bottom of Philadelphia's lineup.
