Jacob Tyler Realmuto was born in Del City, Oklahoma. J.T.’s Realmuto’s paternal great-grandfather Salvatore Philip Realmuto was born in 1890 in Mezzojuso, Sicily. He immigrated with his parents Pietro Realmuto & Anna Trapani to America in 1895 (FamilySearch)

The Florida Marlins selected Realmuto in the third round of the 2010 MLB draft. He made his MLB debut in 2014 with the Miami Marlins and has also played for the Phillies. To date, JT has already won three Silver Slugger Awards, has appeared in three All-Star games (2018, 19, 21), and has won two Gold Glove Awards. He is also a leader and a plus defensive catcher with strong throwing arm.

On July 3, 2016, he secured a unique distinction for himself when he hit a home run off Tyrell Jenkins of the Atlanta Braves to lead off the 9th inning in a 5-2 win. The game was the only one ever played at temporary Fort Bragg Field, in Fort Bragg, NC, and as his long ball was the only one hit that day, it is the only major league home run ever hit in the state of North Carolina.

Realmuto cemented his reputation as the best catcher in the National League in his first two seasons in Philadelphia. In 2019, he made the All-Star team, won both a Gold Glove - his first - and a Silver Slugger Award and finished 14th in the MVP voting. He hit .275 in 145 games, scored 92 runs, slugged 36 doubles and 25 homers and drove in 83 runs.

In 2020, for his part, J.T. had another solid year, hitting .266 in 47 games - the season was shortened to 60 games by the Coronavirus pandemic - with 6 doubles, 11 homers and 32 RBIs. His OPS+ was a sparkling 123, even better than the 109 he had put up in his first season in the city of brotherly love.

In 2022, JT earned his 2nd Gold Glove Award and his 3rd Silver Slugger Award, finishing the season with an exceptional 129 OPS+ while leading the Phillies with 21 stolen bases for the year. JT was instrumental in the Phillies run to the World Series.

JT is active on Twitter @JTRealmuto.

(excerpted from Baseball Almanac, BR Bullpen, and Wikipedia)