5 Things to know about newest Phillies catcher Garrett Stubbs

Garrett Stubbs is the newest Philadelphia Phillies catcher

The Philadelphia Phillies made several under-the-radar moves before Major League Baseball went into lockout on December 2, and haven’t been able to make anything big-league moves since.

Until the lockout ends, those low-level moves are our bread and butter, so let’s talk about Garrett Stubbs. The Phillies acquired him via trade from the Houston Astros on November 19, and he’s set to be J.T. Realmuto’s backup in 2022.

Here are five things to know about Stubbs…

1. Stubbs felt “stuck” with the Astros

Earlier this month, Stubbs described feeling “stuck” with his former team, as there wasn’t much room for upward mobility there. The Astros have Martín Maldonado under contract, so Stubbs wasn’t getting a lot of playing time.

Hopefully, their loss is the Phillies’ gain.

2. Stubbs’ younger brother is a catcher in the Astros system

Speaking of Astros catchers, Stubbs’ younger brother CJ is one, too.

Both brothers played ball at USC. After drafting the elder Stubbs in 2015, they drafted the younger Stubbs in 2019, the same year his brother made his big-league debut.

3. Stubbs has postseason experience

Stubbs brings something to the table that most of his new teammates don’t have: postseason experience. In fact, now that Kyle Seager has retired, Jean Segura leads MLB players in career games played without playing in the postseason, and J.T. Realmuto is his runner-up. Hector Neris leads pitchers in the same category, though, ironically, now that he’s signed with the Astros, that will probably change.

In fairness, Stubbs has never had a postseason at-bat. However, he’s experienced the playoff atmosphere firsthand, and most of the Phillies don’t even have that.

4. Stubbs made history as a Jewish ballplayer in the World Series

In October 2021, we experienced the most Jewish World Series ever, which was personally thrilling for me, as a Jewish woman in baseball.

Between the Atlanta Braves and Houston Astros, the Fall Classic had four Jewish players: Max Fried, Joc Pederson, Alex Bregman, and Stubbs. It was a thrill for Jewish baseball fans everywhere.

5. Stubbs can do more than catch

Stubbs’ versatility makes this trade look better by the day, as the MLB lockout continues to prevent the Phillies from actually signing any free-agent outfielders.

Over 51 big-league games between 2019-21, Stubbs has made 33 appearances as catcher, 12 in left field, and one in right. He also moonlighted as a pinch-runner eight times, so he must have some good wheels on him.

The Astros called Stubbs “the ultimate hype man,” so hopefully, he brings that energy to the Phillies clubhouse, too.