For the past couple of seasons, the Philadelphia Phillies have had Garrett Stubbs firmly entrenched as the backup catcher to J.T. Realmuto. Stubbs may be lacking a bit in terms of production with his bat, but whenever he has been called upon, no matter how sporadic, he can always be counted on for his defensive play and calling behind the plate. On top of that, he is also a popular figure in the Phillies clubhouse.
However, Stubbs’ prime backup spot could be in jeopardy when the 2025 season rolls around, as another promising catcher, Rafael Marchán, is in line to supplant him in the role.
Phillies all but crown J.T. Realmuto’s backup catcher for next year
Following Realmuto's knee surgery in early June, Marchán was summoned from Triple-A to work in tandem with Stubbs during Realmuto’s absence. Marchán got an extended cameo with the club, and he certainly took full advantage of it.
In 17 games, he batted a solid .294 with an .894 OPS, eight runs scored, four doubles, three home runs and six RBI. It may just be a small sample size, but over a full season’s pace, that would mean 76 runs scored, 38 doubles, 29 home runs and 57 RBI worth of production. Those are numbers that Stubbs can only dream of.
Marchán also showed that he can hold his own defensively, which is crucial for a backup catcher in the major leagues. He registered a respectable .985 fielding percentage along with throwing out 33 percent of attempted base stealers.
Once ranked No. 5 in the Phillies Top 30 prospects by MLB Pipeline, frequent injuries have hindered Marchán's growth and development the past few seasons, and he dropped off the list completely. However, his recent promising showing definitely has raised his stock again in the organization.
With Marchán being sent down following Realmuto's reinstatement from the IL, manager Rob Thomson explained that the organization's goal is to get him as much playing time as possible, per Destiny Lugardo of Phillies Nation.
“He showed us everything we needed to see,” Thomson said, per Lugardo. “But he needs to play. He needs to be ready to play every day. We just thought that was a smart thing to do ... Marchan needs to play and that’s the number one factor.”
As Lugardo insightfully suggests, if Marchán can demonstrate that he can finally put his health issues behind him and have a productive final two months in 2024 in the minors, it could pave the way for him to become the full-time backup in 2025.
“If he stays healthy, he’s a big league player,” Thomson said of Marchán.
So there you have it. It appears as though Marchán will have a more important role with the team in the not-so-distant future.