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Meet the 2025 Philadelphia Phillies: C Rafael Marchán

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Mike Ostrowski | Last updated Mar 11, 2025 6:00 AM ET

The 2025 MLB season is almost upon us, and so is a crucial year for the Philadelphia Phillies. Fresh off an NL East title, but subsequent loss in the NLDS, the Fightins are once again hunting for Red October and an elusive third World Series Championship.

Over the next few days, we'll be taking you through each player with a chance at making the Phils' active roster and discussing expectations for all of them. Next up is the favored half of the backup catcher competition...

Name: Rafael Marchán

Number: 13

Position: Catcher

Throws: Right

Bats: Switch

Build: 5'9", 170 lbs.

Age: 26

Acquired: Signed as International Free Agent in 2015

Socials: Instagram

2024 Stats: Slashed .294/.345/.549 with three HRs, four doubles, and six RBIs in 17 games (51 ABs) with the Phillies. He was called up to fill in for the sidelined J.T. Realmuto but otherwise battled his own injuries down at AAA Lehigh Valley, appearing in 34 games for the IronPigs.

2025 Projections: Marchán should be the second catcher on the Phillies roster - "should" being the key word. He's out of minor league options, while the incumbent Garrett Stubbs has one remaining. For the interest of preserving some insurance for the major league club, Philadelphia should send their "vibes guy" down to begin the season.

"He throws as well as anyone (and) catches the ball great," Phillies manager Rob Thomson told NBC Sports Philadelphia's Corey Seidman. "He's done a lot of homework, and now he calls a really good game... He's not a kid anymore, (he's a) really intelligent person. I have full confidence in him."

Additionally, Marchán has shown a greater hitting ability than Stubbs, something that will be appreciated if Realmuto takes more days off to help lower his re-injury risk. While some in the clubhouse won't love losing Stubbs, it's more likely than not that the Venezuelan backstop wins the backup job.

Highlights from Last Season: