Globe iconLogin iconRecap iconSearch iconTickets icon

New Phillie J.T. Realmuto is so fast, he once hit an inside-the-park homer in his new ballpark

Throughout the offseason, the Phillies have reportedly been active in pursuing superstar free agents Bryce Harper and Manny Machado. They've traded for Jean Segura and signed Andrew McCutchen and David Robertson. It's been a busy and exciting offseason for the team.
On Thursday, it got even better: Philly made a big splash by acquiring Marlins catcher J.T. Realmuto in exchange for top prospect Sixto Sanchez, catcher Jorge Alfaro, pitching prospect Will Stewart and international slot money. Realmuto is one of the best catchers in baseball and has also spent his entire career in the NL East, so Phillies fans may be familiar with him already.
Plus, the image of a catcher rounding the bases on an inside-the-park home run is not one fans are likely to forget quickly:

That wasn't Realmuto's first inside-the-park home run. He hit a remarkably similar inside-the-parker as a rookie in 2015:

It may seem surprising that Realmuto, a catcher, has two inside-the-park home runs to his name, but it shouldn't be. You see, he's fast -- and not just for a catcher, either. (By the way, that's Alfaro just to the left of Realmuto on that graph.)

So, while anticipation continues to build around Harper and Machado, Phillies fans can already start to get properly excited for the 2019 season. They just landed the very fastest -- and best -- catcher in the game. 

BarberJordan
beephero
AP_702417634020
NYC