PHILADELPHIA -- Garrett Stubbs has had a lot of roles during his time in the big leagues and with the Philadelphia Phillies - backup catcher, clubhouse DJ, Chief Vibes Officer, leader of the daycare - the list goes on. One he's added this season, and thrived in, is mentor.
Stubbs spent the entirety of the season prior to September serving as the primary catcher at triple-A Lehigh Valley for the Iron Pigs. He was able to get regular at-bats again and work on some things from a baseball perspective before receiving the call to rejoin the big league club when rosters expanded on September 1. More importantly, he became a bridge for the Phillies organization - bringing the winning attitude and culture the club has developed at the major league level with him to the minors.
In previous eras of Phillies baseball, it felt like there was different messaging in the big leagues than there was throughout the rest of the organization - each stop being its own entity. Since bringing in superstar Bryce Harper, in 2019 and even before when John Middleton became the controlling owner back in 2016, there has been a culture shift.
Garrett has been a big part of the years that changed that. While he wanted to stay with the big league club, he knew there was an opportunity to do more than just back up J.T. Realmuto - an opportunity to help the next generation of Phillies players
"(When at triple-A) It was really good to be able to get in the mind of some of the younger players and be able to kind of give them some insight on the things that need to be done to perform at this level," Stubbs told me prior to Wednesday night's game against the New York Mets.
If you heard players like Otto Kemp and Weston Wilson speak during the season, you didn't need to hear from the catcher himself about his impact. Coaches and players have spoken highly about Stubbs and what he has done for not only the Iron Pigs, but for the growth of the organization.
Look no further than what outfielder Brandon Marsh had to say during his postgame interview of NBC Sports Philadelphia after the team's September 6 victory. Scott Franzke, the Phillies play-by-play broadcaster, asked Marsh if there was anyone he wanted to shout out for helping him when he was rehabbing in triple-A after some early season struggles."I know everyone talks about this guy in a lot of good ways, but Stubby, man," Marsh revealed. "When I went down to Lehigh for those rehab games, he just got my head back in the game. He just leveled me out, and that's what guys like that do. He's an incredible asset to this team, and he helps out more than anyone knows. So yeah, shout out to Stubby."
A high compliment from one of the key offensive players on this Phillies roster, and whatever they discussed worked. Since his return on May 3, Marsh has a better batting average than Trea Turner, a better on-base percentage than Kyle Schwarber, and a better slugging percentage than anyone not named Harper, Schwarber, or Turner. An incredible turn around, and he credits Stubbs with getting him right.I asked Garrett what a compliment like that meant to him. "It's huge," Stubbs said, beaming with pride. "That's my guy and for him to be able to say that unprompted on his postgame, it feels good to be able to know that there are guys that feel that way. Without getting into too many details, we just talked about him as a person, him as a baseball player, and understanding that when things get tough like that, that doesn't necessarily define you just with those couple of ABs or that month."
The 32-year-old explained that, while no one wants to say it out loud, the long season combined with the outside noise can really wear on you. Having someone you can trust and talk to about your mentality is sometimes more important than a tweak in mechanics.
"In order to have that success going forward, you got to have guys in the locker room that are there for you. And so it's not always tweaking your hands in your swing or your wind up as a pitcher. Sometimes it really is between the ears and just figuring out that 'relax' moment, and going out there and playing the game and not necessarily thinking about the results."
As a catcher, Stubbs had a big hand in helping the young pitchers in the organization get to the next level through adjustments and teaching. J.T. Realmuto has praised him in the past for how he handles the pitching staff. Realmuto explained to me last year how much Garrett helped his eventual replacement this season, Rafael Marchán, adjust to the big leagues.
Part of building that culture is bringing a certain feeling or "vibe" to the ballpark every day. When fans call Stubbs the Chief "Vibes" Officer, they think of the guy in the overalls, curating the celebration playlist the team has enjoyed in the postseason the last few years. What his teammates think of when it comes to those vibes, is completely different. That being said, Garrett thinks there's room for both - and they are both important.
When it comes to the part his teammates see and praise him for, he was quick to point out that having the best talent in the world doesn't guarantee victory. Staying even-keeled is just as important. "I mean you look at our lineup, it's the best or one of the best lineups in all of baseball, but sometimes those kinds of things don't necessarily translate to wins," the catcher explained.
"So for me, in my opinion, and I try to take on that role of the day to day piece of - sometimes when the team's going good, there might be one guy that's not going so good," Stubbs expounded. "To make sure that guy's still doing well either mentally, or if he needs help in the cage, or whether it's a pitcher who needs to throw a side (session) - it's little things like that. And just knowing that there is a guy on the team that's there for anybody at any time, rookie or veteran, to be able to - I don't know (about) necessarily lean on, but just know that they're gonna be there for you."
While he may have developed into a guy that players can lean on during times of need, he did not forget that you need to have fun and stay loose. Baseball is still a game, at the end of the day.
"The having fun part - I think that's huge in this game," Stubbs said, perking up with a broad grin on his face. "This is the reason why you start when you're a kid. You love it, you enjoy it, you like having fun out on the field. I think that when people watch our brand of baseball, it's the hard-nosed piece, it's the gritty piece, it's that 'you're gonna go out there day in and day out and lay your (self) on the line,' but then also that you're out there enjoying it."Why is enjoying it so important? "Because the fans connect with that, and kids connect with that, and the city as a whole," the catcher stated. "When you combine all those things, I think (fans) really love watching our brand of baseball, and I'd like to think that I have a hand in that. It's been a lot of fun and I hope to continue it for years to come."
