Phillies catching depth shines through adversity

Philadelphia is home to the best team in Major League Baseball to this point in the season. They recently became the first team to reach 60 wins on the year — and the second fastest Phillies team ever to reach that benchmark. They have one of the best pitching staffs in the Majors, and a star-studded lineup, sending seven players to the All-Star Game. That’s the most in one season in franchise history, and the most of any team this season. Through all of that success, however, there have been several moments that caused fans of the team to hold their breath.

The Phillies have seen injuries to two starting pitchers, their starting shortstop, first baseman, designated hitter/lead-off man, and maybe most importantly, their starting catcher. And yet, the lineup hasn’t missed a beat. Maybe more important than that, without a catcher of J.T. Realmuto’s caliber, the pitching staff hasn’t either.

Phillies catching depth shines offensively

Realmuto may be the best all-around catcher in baseball – a slugger who’s just as good with the glove. And the thing he might be best at is handling his pitching staff. He’s slashing .261/.309/.411 with seven home runs and 20 RBIs, and he moved from the middle of the lineup to the top when others were out.

Garrett Stubbs and Rafael Marchán followed his lead, and have been great since Realmuto went down. After J.T. was added to the injured list on June 11, Stubbs recorded a hit 10 of his next 11 games, and Marchán has tore the cover off the ball — posting a .936 OPS with four doubles and three home runs.

Combined, the back-up back stops have slashed .263/.295/.434 with five doubles and four homers. If you were to extrapolate those numbers to match the amount of plate appearances Realmuto has, they would be performing better than the three-time Silver Slugger.

In an exclusive, Philly Sports Network spoke with Realmuto prior to Thursday night’s victory over the Dodgers and he spoke about their impact during his absence:

“They’ve been awesome. Both of them, everyday they play they seem to have a good day at the plate or contribute somehow with the bat,” Realmuto said.  

Defensive specialists

The book on Stubbs and Marchán is their defense. Their impact behind the plate and working with pitchers cannot be overstated. Realmuto spoke with an excitement in his voice about how great they’ve been behind the plate:

“They’ve played great defense, they’ve thrown runners out, they block the ball well. And most importantly, they’ve called good games and worked well with our pitching staff. They’ve just played great baseball the whole time.”

Realmuto has stayed around the big league club while rehabbing, and he’s made sure to work with Stubbs and Marchán closely. 

“He’s a veteran presence, for sure,” Manager Rob Thomson told Philly Sports Network. “He helps out with the game planning and puts his two-cents in. He’s really smart and he’s been doing it for a long time, so he helps out a lot.”

J.T., however, gave all the credit to the guys donning the protective vests for how they’ve handled themselves, saying the biggest impact they’ve had is the way they call a game and handle the pitching staff — a staff that’s allowed the least amount of runs in the entire MLB in 2024.

When asked what fans might not know about newcomer Marchán, and what he brings that you might not see on the field, Realmuto perked up:

“He just shows that he cares. Like the first day he got here, he was already asking questions. He was asking me a lot of questions, he asked Stubbs a lot of questions, he talks to the starting pitcher and just tries to communicate. That’s the best way for a catcher to build a relationship with a pitcher is to be able to communicate with him, and ask questions, and not be scared to be wrong some times. He showed that right away that he was coming up here for them and to help those guys and not for his own ego.”

Based on how these players have performed in relief of Realmuto – a little bit of ego would be understood. They have held down one of, if not the most, important position on the field with poise and production.

Updates on JT

Realmuto will be an integral part of the Phillies if they are to go on a deep postseason run. He was on the field hitting and doing catching drills last week.

“(He’s feeling) Great. He’ll be going to Clearwater during the break and keep working out down there at the complex and then we’ll see what we have after the break,” Thomson said.  

With both Stubbs and Marchán producing, the Phillies skipper has another tough roster decision on his hands whenever he is ready. Until then, the duo will continue to follow what the rest of the team has done all season long — win games.