Phillies catcher gives brutally honest NSFW assessment of early problems
Backup catcher Garrett Stubbs has had a rough time with the bat, and he knows it.
The Philadelphia Phillies have been hit pretty bad with the injury bug of late as Trea Turner (hamstring), Brandon Marsh (hamstring), and J.T. Realmuto (right meniscus tear) have all spent time on the IL over the last month.
With the Phillies planning to be without Realmuto for at least four weeks, the team will have to try to get by with the tandem of backup catcher Garrett Stubbs and Rafael Marchán, who was recently recalled from Triple-A Lehigh Valley to take Realmuto's spot on the 26-man roster.
Losing Realmuto has been a rough development for a team that was already without it's everyday number two hitter after losing Turner to injury in May. Filling Realmuto's spot behind the plate and offensively is something the Phillies will hope Stubbs and Marchán can provide as Realmuto rehabs his way back to the everyday lineup in the coming weeks.
Phillies catcher gives brutally honest NSFW assessment of early problems
There's little doubt about the fact that Garrett Stubbs has become a key member of the team and an important voice in the Phillies clubhouse over the last few seasons. His antics and epic celebrations after playoff victories have afforded him cult status in Philadelphia, with fans paying tribute to his playful character by wearing overalls to Citizens Bank Park and on the road. Phillies fans and Stubbs have proven to be a great match in the personality department.
In all fairness, Stubbs is a backup catcher who plays sparingly with Realmuto averaging 135 games per season as the primary backstop. Not known for his bat, this current period with Realmuto on the shelf will afford Stubbs more playing time than he has previously had during his six-year MLB career. Currently hitting only .188 with 12 hits, zero home runs, and three RBI to his name in 64 at-bats, will Phillies fans continue to be enamored with him if he continues to provide next to nothing offensively?
Stubbs seems more than aware of his predicament as he prepares to play more in the coming weeks. According to Alex Coffey of The Philadelphia Inquirer, Stubbs had an interesting way of describing a conversation he and hitting coach Kevin Long had recently regarding his struggles at the plate (subscription required).
"I mean, to put it bluntly, I told him [Long], 'Hey, I'm being a (expletive) right now. So, I need to stop being an (expletive),’”explained Stubbs, per Coffey.
According to Coffey, Stubbs feels he has been pressing at the plate, and that added pressure has resulted in a rough start in the batter's box through his first 64 at-bats of the season. Being a bench player comes with the difficulty of trying to get locked in quickly even if it's been more than a week without a plate appearance.
“It’s tough not to feel that way, because over the last few years, I’ve gotten 120 (at bats),” said Stubbs. "So one AB [for me] is a lot more than the next guy. But I want to have good offensive numbers because I want to help the team.”
Stubbs finds himself in a platoon with Marchán until Realmuto makes his way back to the Phillies sometime in July. Marchán got the start on Friday, and hit his first home run since the 2021 season during a thrilling 5-3 extra-inning victory over the Baltimore Orioles. It will be interesting to see if the 25-year-old shows enough to force the front office to make a difficult decision when Realmuto is ready to return next month.
manual