Batting average .257 Role Baseball player Home runs 10 Nationality American | Runs batted in 56 Weight 98 kg Name J. Realmuto Salary 482,540 USD (2015) | |
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Jacob Tyler Realmuto (born March 18, 1991) is an American professional baseball catcher for the Miami Marlins of Major League Baseball (MLB).
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Early life and education
Realmuto was born in Del City, Oklahoma. His parents are both blue-collar workers. His father played college baseball at Southwest Missouri State.
Realmuto attended Carl Albert High School in Midwest City, Oklahoma, where he was a three-sport stand out in baseball, football, and basketball. In his senior year, he set a national high school record with 119 RBI in 42 games; his batting average was .595. He also won state championships as a shortstop and quarterback. A Florida Marlins scout saw him playing catcher, a position he occasionally played when the regular catcher was called on to pitch, and asked if he would be interested in playing that position professionally. Realmuto agreed, and gave up his baseball scholarship to Oklahoma State in favor of signing with the Marlins for $700,000.
Professional career
Realmuto was drafted by the Marlins in the third round of the 2010 Major League Baseball Draft; he was the 104th overall pick. The Marlins converted him from shortstop to catcher in their minor league clubs in North Carolina, Jupiter, Jacksonville, and New Orleans. Realmuto was added to the Marlins' 40-man roster on November 20, 2013.
Realmuto was called up to the major leagues for the first time on June 1, 2014. He batted .241 with 9 RBIs in 11 games. On June 5, he recorded his first career hit off of Jake Odorizzi against the Tampa Bay Rays in an 11-6 win.
While Realmuto joined the Marlins for spring training, he was sent to Triple-A to start the season. In the second week of the season, he was called up to fill in for injured catcher Jeff Mathis, and went 2-for-3 in his first season appearance on April 13 in a 2-3 loss to the Atlanta Braves. At the end of April 2015, the Marlins designated catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia for assignment and promoted Realmuto to the starting catcher position.
Realmuto was named the National League's Player of the Week for the week of April 2-April 9, 2017, the opening week of the 2017 MLB season.