Over the past year, there have been too many people to count that I’ve seen, talked too, that think Yasmani Grandal is a better catcher than J.T. Realmuto. Probably just about every baseball fan knows that there is currently an ongoing battle about who is the best catcher in the MLB? Yasmani Grandal, or J.T. Realmuto? I’ve always believed that Realmuto is better. It’s not just that I’m a Phillies fan and Realmuto is a Phillie, it’s that statwise, J.T. Realmuto is a better player.
Yasmani Grandal was born on November 8, 1988 in La Habana, Cuba. He is currently 31 years old and plays for the Milwaukee Brewers. He previously played for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Last year Grandal hit .246, with 28 homers, and 77 RBIs. He had a good on base percentage, .380, and an OPS of .848. Grandal has a lifetime batting average of .241, 141 career home runs, and 416 RBIs. His lifetime OPS is .794.
On to J.T. Realmuto. Realmuto was born on March 18, 1991, in Del City, Oklahoma. He played his first four seasons with the Miami Marlins, and has been on two all-star teams. In 2019 with Philadelphia, Realmuto had a batting average of .275, with 25 home runs, 83 RBIs, and a whopping 9 stolen bases (which is a lot for a catcher). Along with that he slugged .493 and had an OPS of .820. Throughout his career he has a .278 batting average, 84 home runs, 326 RBIs, 40 stolen bases, and an OPS of .779.
As you know I would go with Realmuto every single time. Here’s why. Yes, Grandal does have more power than Realmuto, as he has a lot more home runs than J.T. in his career. Last year Grandal beat Realmuto by only three in that category though, 28-25. Realmuto had more RBIs, 83, compared to Grandal’s 77. Though Grandal has more power, Realmuto hits much better for average than Yasmani. Realmuto has a lifetime .278 batting average as opposed to Grandal’s lifetime average of just .241. And even last year Realmuto hit .275 and Grandal could only muster an average of .246. Realmuto also has a higher slugging percentage, stolen base number, wins above replacement, and higher hits. Though Grandal does lead in OPS, I think Realmuto won in enough categories last season to be considered the best catcher in baseball.
You know my opinion now, but what do you think? Who would you take? Realmuto or Grandal? You can vote on my Instagram or Twitter today (both are @philliesnews_) so other people can hear your opinion!
Philadelphia Sports Chronicle 
The production of both catchers is comparable, but I still prefer Realmuto. He’s a proven all-star and leader who has shown nothing but consistency throughout his career. Philadelphia is lucky to have him.
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I respect the data you gave in order to back up Realmuto’s abilities and why he’s better than Grandal. I would agree that J.T. is better than Yasmani however I don’t understand your use of batting average and R.B.I.’s as a way to show player quality. If you’re going to report on baseball, begin to use more modern stats such as WAR, OPS+ and wRC+.
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