Rafael Marchán tends to fly under the radar. He’s not a three-time All-Star like J.T. Realmuto, and he’s not a beloved master of locker room ceremonies like Garrett Stubbs. He stepped into a larger role this year for the Phillies, but still occupied only a small part of the Phillies faithful’s collective consciousness. Those of us who love the Phillies owe some gratitude to anyone who plays a role for our beloved ballclub, but perhaps especially so to the backup catcher, whose role is both unheralded
and rather tough on the knees. Let’s take a minute and ensure that Marchán’s contributions to the 2025 Phillies don’t go unrecognized.
2025 stats
118 PA, .210/.282/.305, 2 HR, 13 RBI, 14.4 K%, 8.5 BB%, 65 wRC+, 0.3 fWAR.
What went right:
Called up to the backup catcher role to replace Garrett Stubbs, the Phillies hoped that Marchán wouldn’t have to play often, and that he’d provide reasonably solid performance at the plate, as well as behind it, when he did. Marchán played in 42 games, relieving Realmuto for the occasional rest day as well as taking over when the BCIB was out with a knee injury. Marchán proved an able enforcer of basepath law, putting out 10 of 32 would-be stealers. Per Statcast, an average catcher facing the same attempts would’ve put out just 6 of them. Marchán was aided by an elite pop time, ranking in the 96th percentile. That’s a dropoff from Realmuto, but not much of one.
What went wrong
Despite having more than twice as many plate appearances as he had in any previous season, Marchán didn’t do terribly much at the plate. That’s to be expected for a backup catcher. Still, it would’ve been nice if he had shown some signs that he might be able to step into a bigger role for the team going forward.
The future with the Phillies
Marchán will be arbitration-eligible going into 2026, and won’t hit free agency until 2029. With Realmuto’s contract up, the Phillies backstop picture is in flux. Whether or not Realmuto returns, Marchán doesn’t look like a candidate to take on the full-time job. A return to the backup role for 2026 seems more likely. He’s not likely to make waves in that role, but he’ll still contribute. He’ll cost the Phillies slightly more next year, though not to a degree that’ll break the bank. The backup backstop isn’t the most crucial role, but you’d rather not be caught without a solid one, especially if your primary catcher is on the older side. Marchán offers reasonably able performance, and now a little more experience. That’s not glorious, but it is appreciated.
