Carl Albert High School alum, JT Realmuto has proven once again that he is at the top of the list when it comes to the best catchers on the planet. The backstop was named as a finalist for the 2023 Rawlings Gold Glove Award (Patrick Bailey of San Francisco and Gabriel Moreno of Arizona are the other 2 finalist in the National League).

Known as one of the best offensive catchers in the game, Realmuto is just as good behind the plate. In 2023, he led all catchers with 133 games at the position. Realmuto led the league in putouts (1190). He was 2nd in fielding percentage (only .001% behind Salvador Perez) and 2nd in Total Zone Runs (a metric used to see how many runs saved by a player based on every play).

Realmuto also had 33 assists and threw out 23 would be base stealers in 104 attempts (28%).

If Realmuto were to win the 2023 Gold Glove it would be his 3rd award. He previously won Gold Gloves in 2019 and 2022.

Carl Albert Titans

Before he found success in the Major Leagues, Realmuto was a standout athlete at Carl Albert High School in Midwest City. The 2010 grad was a 3 sport athlete for the Titans: football, basketball, and baseball.

During his senior season on the diamond, Realmuto hit .595 with 21 HRs, 119 RBIs (a national record), 22 doubles, and a total of 88 hits. He was named the American Baseball Coaches Association National Player of the Year for 2010. He was also named the top male high school scholar athlete in the Greater Oklahoma City area by The Oklahoman and the Jim Thorpe Association.

Primarily a shortstop in baseball, a scout for the the Miami Marlins was at a game when Realmuto caught because the starting catcher was pitching. The scout thought Realmuto had a better future at catcher than shortstop. Miami selected Realmuto in the 3rd round (104 overall) of the 2010 MLB Draft.

To see the criteria for the Rawlings Gold Glove, click here.

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*Main article image by Rich Schultz/Getty Images