Lehigh Valley, PA – It was not the same shade of red, white and blue Garrett Stubbs is used to wearing. Standing at his locker in the Lehigh Valley IronPigs clubhouse on Wednesday, the catcher was wearing a navy blue IronPigs hoodie with the sleeves cut off speaking with the media. What was the same, however, was Stubbs’ demeanor that has made him a fan favorite. Upbeat and personable.
The 31-year-old received word last Thursday that he was optioned to Triple-A, a level he has not played at since 2021 when he was a member of the Houston Astros organization.
Despite being in a different clubhouse, Stubbs said he intends to be in touch with many of his big league teammates throughout the season.
“Right when we landed in Philly, (Kyle) Schwarber called me to shoot the breeze. So I’m going to be talking to him all the time and other guys on the team,” he said.
The former backup to J.T. Realmuto said when the IronPigs aren’t playing, he will be watching every game, checking the box scores and more importantly, providing total clarity with the coaching staff regarding the young pitchers who will take the mound with the Triple-A squad.
“The coaching staff has guys here that they want to be able to produce at the big leagues. So as far as the pitching staff goes, make them comfortable and have an open line to make sure they are ready for when they get up there.”
Some of those young pitchers to start the season include a trio of top 30 prospects according to MLBPipeline.com. Led by the eighth-best prospect in the system Mick Abel, who is looking to put a tough 2024 season behind him, 12th-ranked Seth Johnson now in his first full season with the organization after coming over in the Gregory Soto trade with Baltimore and Michael Mercado, the 22ndranked prospect in the system who had a cup of coffee with the big league club last season making five total appearances including two starts.
Stubbs has the most experience playing at the major league level on the IronPigs roster, playing in 198 career games. The next closest, Jose Cuas, the former hitter turned reliever, has played 132 games with the Royals, Cubs and Blue Jays.
A new approach for Garrett Stubbs
Stubbs looks to serve as a sound board for all his teammates, especially the pitchers. He will do it though in his own way.
“I’m not a pusher. I’m not going to go up to a Mick (Abel), or any of the young pitchers on our staff and try to insert wisdom upon them. If they have a question, if they want to know something, I certainly have had my fair share of time in the big leagues, if they want some of the insight with some of the things I’ve experienced, I’m an open book. Always will be.”
It could be comprehensible for Stubbs to be a closed book. One that isn’t easily readable or provides insight. He could be standoffish and out of touch with his younger teammates wanting to solely focus on getting his backup job back in the cushy big leagues. He is after all the oldest player on the roster, just ahead of newly added Koyo Aoyagi who is just shy of six months younger than his catcher.
But that’s not how Stubbs is wired.
“It’s not something you necessarily learn, but I think in general whether it’s baseball or in my regular life, just try to be a good person. Try to take care of the people around me and they will take care of me in return,” Stubb said.
Stubbs’ compassion is reciprocal with his teammates up in the big league clubhouse.
“We just saw I get demoted, and I get texts and guys coming up to me. They care about me in the way that I care about them,” Stubbs said.
The backstop has the flair for creating a fun atmosphere within the clubhouse. Unsure if there will be IronPig overalls in the clubhouse this season, he expects to play a role in unifying the team in some type of entertaining way.
“Those kinds of things just come organically. Whether it’s me or someone else, I know they had the piggy hat last year which was pretty fun. I’m sure there might be someone, or it might be me, but we will create a good vibe in the locker room. There’s a lot of good guys who like to have fun and a lot of winners.”
Stubbs is aware of the passion the Lehigh Valley shares for the IronPigs. The club ranks atop all of MiLB in attendance each of the last two seasons, and he is ready to experience it.
“Obviously, Philly fans travel far and wide. I’m looking forward to seeing the fanbase in Lehigh Valley. Obviously it will be less people than Citizen’s Bank Park, but I can’t imagine they’re any less electric than the fans at CBP because if you know any Philly fans, they will bring it 100% no matter where they are at.”
With his own personal goal to return to Philadelphia, Stubbs understands what he can provide to the younger players who are yearning for that day they get the same news as Stubbs, finally becoming a big leaguer.
“I’m here as a resource. I want to help every single guy in this locker room whether it’s a pitcher, position player or one of our other catchers. I’m here more as an open book. I’m never going to try and insert myself into somebody’s career. I would love to help anyone I can.”
Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
