Jacob Tyler Realmuto is an American professional baseball catcher for the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball (MLB). From 2014 and 2018, he played in MLB for the Miami Marlins.
Realmuto was born in Del City, Oklahoma, into an athletic family. He played various sports as he grew up, helping both the baseball and gridiron football teams of Carl Albert High School win state championship titles. Although he served as the baseball team's shortstop throughout his high school career, a scout for the Miami Marlins encouraged Realmuto to become a full-time catcher. The Marlins selected him in the third round of the 2010 MLB Draft, and Realmuto chose to sign with the team rather than honor a commitment to playing college baseball at Oklahoma State. He spent the next several seasons in the Marlins' farm system, building strong relationships with pitchers and working on picking off attempted base stealers.
After starting catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia suffered a concussion, Realmuto made his MLB debut in June 2014. His major league appearances were brief until 2015, when Saltalamacchia was designated for assignment and Realmuto replaced him as the Marlins' starting catcher. Realmuto's strength and speed, both as a catcher and batter, helped take him to his first All-Star appearance in 2018. That same year, Realmuto won his first Silver Slugger Award.
The Marlins traded Realmuto to the Phillies in February 2019, and he received his second All-Star and Silver Slugger awards that year. Additionally, Realmuto received his first career Gold Glove Award for his performance in the 2019 season. When he became a free agent after the 2020 season, Realmuto's Phillies teammates and fans began using the phrase "Sign J. T." to pressure the Phillies into signing him to another contract. In January 2021, Realmuto and the Phillies agreed to a five-year, $115.5 million contract, the largest for any catcher in MLB history.
