It’s National Baseball Hall of Fame voting season, with writers revealing their choices and fans arguing which candidates are deserving of induction in 2024.

It’s National Baseball Hall of Fame voting season, with writers revealing their choices and fans arguing which candidates are deserving of induction in 2024…

While a handful of past Phillies will be eligible for Cooperstown as part of this ballot, this time of year is ideal for looking ahead at future Hall of Fame elections and which current players could reach the 75% barrier in the Baseball Writers’ Association of America’s vote.

Bryce Harper, the two-time National League MVP, is already a lock for Cooperstown, Trea Turner may be on his way there, and Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola may have cases if they finish strong. However, one of the more intriguing prospective situations on this current Philadelphia team would be catcher J.T. Realmuto — MLB’s former greatest backstop during a period of rather poor catching.

Bryce Harper, the two-time NL MVP, is already a certainty for Cooperstown, Trea Turner could be on his way, and Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola could have cases if they finish strong. However, one of the more intriguing potential situations on this current Philadelphia club is catcher J.T. Realmuto – MLB’s past best backstop during a time of awful catching.

Realmuto posted 20.3 WAR (remember, 2020 was only a 60-game season) with an.814 OPS and 119 OPS+ from 2018 to 2022, firmly establishing himself in the star-level category in terms of output. In 2022, he finished eighth in the NL MVP voting with an.820 OPS and 130 OPS+, 22 homers, 26 doubles, and 21 stolen bases, and a 6.5 WAR total.

From 2018 to 2022, Realmuto posted 20.3 WAR (remember, 2020 was only a 60-game season), an.814 OPS, and 119 OPS+, firmly putting himself in the star-level category in terms of performance. He finished eighth in the NL MVP voting in 2022, with an.820 OPS and 130 OPS+, 22 homers, 26 doubles, 21 stolen bases, and a 6.5 WAR total.

Realmuto was more trustworthy, durable, and productive during that span of five seasons than any other catcher. Realmuto took centre stage before the emergence of younger catchers Will Smith and Adley Rustchman, who appear to have overtaken the Phillies’ longstanding backstop this year, with catchers like Buster Posey, Jonathan Lucroy, and Yasmani Grandal on the decrease.

The problem for Realmuto’s prospective Hall of Fame candidature is that, while he was the finest catcher in the game at the time and extremely valuable, his overall play didn’t match up to the absolute best, cream-of-the-crop players in the majors. Realmuto’s five-year prime likely required him to push for additional MVPs in order to make a more competitive case for Cooperstown. Posey and Joe Mauer, who arrived before Realmuto but had relatively shorter primes, won MVPs and were the finest players in the game when they were at their best; those two will make serious noise on future ballots. Realmuto’s resume falls a little lacking.

Realmuto’s best path to Cooperstown would be to follow in the footsteps of former Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina, who has a career WAR of around 20 wins less than the typical Hall of Fame catcher (56.3). Molina never reached the heights that Realmuto accomplished, but his 19 years of production — and plenty of team success — will almost certainly earn him a plaque in the Hall of Fame. Of course, catchers do not age well, but Realmuto has already demonstrated that he is not like most catchers. He has appeared in at least 134 games in each of the last three seasons after turning 30. Staying on the field and contributing as he approaches his 20th season in the majors might help him establish a Hall of Fame case. Some further team success to go along with the postseason success he’s already had wouldn’t hurt either.

Still, he’s unlikely to match Molina’s longevity, which isn’t always a bad thing. Realmuto may be a long shot for the Hall of Fame, but he will go down as a Phillies legend, with a retirement ceremony and Wall of Fame induction at Citizens Bank Park on the horizon.