It’s pretty safe to say that although he’s played better of late, J.T. Realmuto is no longer the Best Catcher in Baseball™. Cal Raleigh has clearly taken over that title, but as recently as one year ago, many people would have said it was Adley Rutschman of the Baltimore Orioles.
Rutschman burst on the scene in 2022, finishing second in Rookie of the Year voting when he matched strong defense with an .806 OPS. He followed that up by winning the Silver Slugger award and finishing ninth in AL MVP voting in 2023.
He looked poised to earn even more hardware after a strong first half in 2024, but then he went into a slump in the second half.