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We did not see him play on Monday because Joe Maddon gave Willson Contreras a rare night, but the two best baseball receivers are currently in this Phillies-Cubs series.
Contreras is about to start a MVP caliber, hitting .321 / .426 / .627 with 11 home runs and 29 RBIs across 162 appearances at the plate. It has already exceeded last year 's circuit total and has reached one of the best baseball clips.
Contreras recruited 8 of the 18 core stealers, a success rate of 44%, well above the MLB average (28%).
Then there is J.T. Realmuto, who was the key figure of the Phillies, wins two games in a row. On Sunday, he scored two shots for a draw against the Rockies before Bryce Harper's long ball put the Phils forward for good.
And then, Monday night at Wrigley Field, Realmuto started a run with a single in the center, before hitting the winning race in two runs.
Realmuto hit 0.27 / 0.333 / 0.453 this season with 10 doubles, six homers and 29 RBIs in 177 selections. He started 39 of the Phillies' 47 games, a pace that would lead to 134 starts, nine more than his career-high.
Last week, I noted here that Realmuto had provided the Phillies with everything but the power of the house. He had averaged, cashed with riders in the standings (.311), ran better than any other catcher, threw more base thieves than any other catcher, blocked and was a soothing and beneficial presence for Phils launchers.
Then, after three weeks without a win, Realmuto played two games in a row. He has nine more shots in his last 70 goals.
Gabe Kapler mentioned last week, before the two home runs, that he could feel that Realmuto was about to break through in a powerful way based on his hard contact. Realmuto was heading straight for the center, moving steadily towards the center, hitting low line commands that could have been extra-base strikes with a higher trajectory. Now we see this prediction being played.
Realmuto is not the type of hitter trying to hit circuits. He just tries to make a solid contact and when he places it with a bat path conducive to a home run, the ball can take off. It sounds like the way Jean Segura hits his home runs.
Realmuto has a difficult contact rate of 44%, well above the 37% average of the league. It's also by far his best unprecedented contact rate, well ahead of his career rate of 33%.
The Phillies get value for money through the trade. They probably get more than what they paid for. This offense would not be as diversified without Realmuto's five-hole course production capabilities or strong contact skills in high-leverage situations.
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