From the second the Philadelphia Phillies made the decision to begin the season with Rafael Marchán as the backup catcher over Garrett Stubbs, the question persisted as to whether it was the right move for the franchise. Marchán was out of options and would have needed to be designated for assignment while Stubbs had an option remaining but was also a key component of a positive clubhouse culture since joining the Phillies in 2022.
The battle between the two catchers has been of much interest this season as the Phillies have claimed to put an emphasis on managing starting catcher J.T. Realmuto’s load better. The veteran catcher, who is in a contract year, has been attempting to stave off any injury flareups in his age-34 season. Or at least that is the narrative the team has pushed. As my colleague Matt Watson recently told, the Phillies have not made as many attempts to manage his workload in the first stretch of the season, starting 34 of the Phillies’ 40 games thus far.
Recapping the saga
In order to tell this tale correctly, it is important to go back to the beginning. Marchán, then the seventh-best prospect in the Phillies’ system, made his debut in September 2020. Just getting his feet wet in a few games during the COVID-shortened season, Marchán sought to make his mark with the Phillies in 2021. The third catcher in the depth chart behind Realmuto and Andrew Knapp, Marchán had brief stints with the Phillies that season, starting 13 games behind the backstop while filling in for injuries.
Following the 2021 season and the Phillies’ first winning record since 2011, it seemed like Marchán may have earned the backup job as Knapp packed up and shipped out in free agency. Two weeks after Knapp elected free agency, however, the Phillies made a trade with the Houston Astros, sending outfielder Logan Cerny to the Astros for Garrett Stubbs. The 28-year-old had finished his third season of making appearances for the Astros as needed. Instead of becoming the backup to the Best Catcher in Baseball, Marchán instead found himself with the Lehigh Valley IronPigs.
Forced to wait for his next opportunity, Marchán continued to develop his game with the IronPigs, appearing in 125 games with the club over the next two seasons. Meanwhile, Stubbs quickly ingratiated himself with the Phillies’ clubhouse, becoming known as the clubhouse DJ and “Chief Vibes Officer. Serving as the backup catcher behind prime J.T. Realmuto, Stubbs only appeared in 91 games over the next two seasons, primarily to give a rest day to Realmuto.
Proof is in the pudding?
In 2024, Realmuto only caught in 99 games for the Phillies as he struggled to stay healthy. During his stint on the injured list, the Phillies had to rely on both Stubbs and Marchán to get the job done behind the plate. The pair of catchers had pretty comparable seasons, though Stubbs had the larger sample size as the number two catcher.
With the same pitching staff to work with, games in which Marchán caught yielded a team ERA of 4.12 while Stubbs landed at 4.48. The pair both landed in the top-10 in the league in average pop time as well. Marchán’s one major advantage over Stubbs, with less than one third of the at bats, Marchán hit three home runs to Stubbs’ one while hitting for a significantly better batting average (.294 to .207).
The pair had very similar Spring Trainings as both were given their chance to earn the Opening Day roster slot. Eventually, with comparable performances and a lack of options for Marchán, the Phillies made the better business decision to not risk losing Marchán to the waiver wire while optioning Stubbs to AAA Lehigh Valley.
Where the two stand now
As things stand now, Rafael Marchán is the backup catcher. Currently ranking with the sixth best pop time in the Majors this season (Realmuto clocks in at fourth), Marchán is getting his feet wet calling for Big League pitchers. In his six starts, Marchán has caught Aaron Nola four times, Jesús Luzardo once, and Taijuan Walker once. Overall, the Phillies are 1-5 in Marchán’s starts. One could make the argument that Marchán has simply not been calling a good game behind the plate, but between Nola’s struggles and the bullpen’s inconsistencies, it is hard to square the blame for that on Marchán.
His bat, however, is a different story. Classified as a better better than Garrett Stubbs, Marchán has only recorded two hits with a batting average of .087 on the year. Surely Stubbs, who barely remained over the Mendoza line with .207 average in 2024, is not doing much better? With a grain of salt that it is at the AAA level, Stubbs is batting .313 with 22 RBI so far for the IronPigs.
If you combine Marchán’s lack of results with Stubbs’ performance and the added factor that Stubbs was a great “clubhouse” player, the evidence is mounting that the Phillies need to make a move soon. The issue, of course, is that a strong defensive catcher like Marchán will most certainly find a home on the waiver wire if he were to be designated for assignment.
So what should the Phillies do?
For now? Nothing!
Garrett Stubbs is actually serving in a very important role for the Phillies right now. As the primary catcher for the IronPigs, Stubbs is working very closely with top pitching prospects like Andrew Painter and Mick Abel. Painter will, barring setbacks, make his Major League debut as a starting pitcher this season while Abel is priming up to fill a much-needed hole in the bullpen. Having a catcher who has been in the Phillies clubhouse, competed through multiple postseasons, and has all the knowledge that comes with working with pitchers such as Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola (not to mention J.T. Realmuto) is an amazing resource.
“I’ve had some really incredible experiences in the big leagues that I get to bring here and, you know, advice, teach, whatever you want to call it, but just kind of instill a little bit of wisdom,” said Stubbs to Philly Sports Network’s Cory Nidoh earlier this week.
Stubbs’ major league experience is coming at the perfect time to help prepare the young pitchers to make the next transition into the Majors as seamless of one as possible.
“It’s awesome,” said Abel on working with Stubbs, per Nidoh. “You know, he’s been up with the team for a while now. Whether it’s preparation or how he goes about his business during the game, just watching. It’s really fun. I’m taking my fair share from him.”
There is no doubt that Stubbs would rather be at the Major League level but he has accepted the role of mentor to the Phillies’ prospects and is thriving in it. Until such a time as Abel and Painter are ready to be brought up, the Phillies should keep Stubbs with Lehigh Valley to work with the pair. When they both join the Phillies’ roster, however, it will be time for Stubbs to rejoin the team and help the pair get acclimated to the Show.
“No one wants to be here,” said Stubbs to Nidoh on being in AAA. “Everyone wants to be in the big leagues. But seeing the older guys and the younger guys taking that desire to be in the big leagues and not turning into bitterness but turning it into how do I get better to get back there or to get there for the first time has been a lot of fun for me.”
Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
