Phillies Facing MAJOR Decision...

Spring training has nearly concluded and opening day is right around the corner for the Philadelphia Phillies. And while most of our expectations have been set and decisions have been made, there is one pretty significant decision weighing over the heads of the Phillies franchise here. I want to break down why the future of JT Romulo is so relevant and why his backup catcher situation may be more telling than anything else here. And I understand why in most situations and with this Phillies organization for these past couple years that you don't carry a lot of weight to the backup catcher position. That it is a guy that is very infrequently in the lineup in an ideal situation. You don't see him even at all over the entirety of a playoff run here. But don't expect that to be the case this year. As JT Romulo progresses to the advanced age of his career, there does seem to be a clear focus from the franchise to get him off his feet more often with the hopes that some of his power numbers or production at the plate can return. I want to break down exactly what the decision needs to be from here. There are options on the table and everything else that has to do with this Phillies team. Now before I dive fully into that, I do want to remind you guys to make sure you are hitting that subscribe button. I hit the wrong button here. 66.6% of you guys watching these videos have not subscribed to the channel just yet. Only 33.4% of you guys watching have subscribed thus far. So let's get those numbers jumping. Let's get this Phillies Digest family growing. It is that time of year that we're going to get in the weeds, down and dirty, talking some baseball. Now before I dive fully deeper into the topic today, I do want to take a quick word from our sponsor. 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And my bracket has been filled out, completed and is in that contest, so make sure you guys hop in and get involved and come compete right against me right there. Now to get back to the topic of this video here, I do want to start off with the article that sort of sparked my attention. The headline for this, shout out to Dylan Sanders, who wrote this, writes Philadelphia Phillies backup catcher battle has only gotten more challenging with the secondary headline that the Philadelphia Phillies have an interesting battle for who is going to be the backup catcher in what could be an important role this season. And to continue on a little deeper on what he wrote here, we will say, quote, While JT Romulo has been one of the sport's best catchers for a long time now, he is certainly not an Ironman. He hasn't played 140 games in a season since 2019 and didn't even play 100 last year. The Phillies have also made it known that they are planning to decrease his workload this season to manage his health, so the backup catcher will be seen quite a bit. The battles between Garrett Stubbs and Raphael Marchand. Now as far as the JT Romulo conversation, to be clear, he had knee surgery in the middle of last season. Like there was like a legitimate injury that he dealt with and some significant time off his feet. I think that goes a little under the radar and JT deserves a lot of credit for being the Ironman that he is. One of the more available players in the sport over the past decade there and a guy who has held the title as best catcher in baseball for stretches. Unfortunately, we're no longer in that stretch and father time waits for no man here. I hope the Phillies are right and I do think it is worth a chance to take this route. But if I'm going to be completely honest here, I think we're fighting a losing battle with some power numbers returning or the production at the plate coming back. It is fair to assess that he did deal with the knee stuff last year, that he was battling through injury and playing through pain and all these kind of things, that it is fair to excuse some down production, but I also think some of this, this hasn't just been an overnight last year he didn't have it, it has been a gradual decrease in production from JT. Notice how over the past couple years how the best catcher in baseball label has quietly disappeared from everyone in the Phillies organization and rightfully so, like I'm not going to argue that he is to this point. But my pushback also to that would be, look around the rest of the major league as well, there's still plenty of catchers that would certainly rather JT or Ludo be the guy behind the plate for this Phillies team then. Now to continue on with the Phillies options here, the article writes right now it could be a coin flip. Marshawn was the favorite entering the spring, but the performances on the field have not made it a simple choice. Stubbs is the incumbent and is a great locker room presence, but the problem is he has been poor at the plate for the last couple years. He has a 206, 287, and 271 slash line, yikes, and 2 home runs over the last 2 seasons which is why there is even a battle in the first place. This spring though, he has been playing at a new level. Over 21 plate appearances at the time of writing, he has 375, 524, and 1.024 slash line with 3 walks and 4 RBIs. To continue on with this here, it writes he has shown the potential as a batter before and hitting is another stride at the right time as he fights for the job. Marshawn was a much better hitter in the majors last year, but in a smaller sample size where he slashed 294, 345, and 549 in 17 games with 3 home runs, but now during spring training he has been in a bit of a slump. His slash line is down to 261, 345, and 304 as he has only hit 1 extra base hit. He has also drawn 3 walks and has 3 RBIs. What ended up making the decision for Philadelphia is the fact that Marshawn doesn't have any options left. And this is the interesting part of this story or I guess conversation behind the scenes that is being had within the Philadelphia organization that I don't think this is as simple as the guy that is playing better has earned this opportunity. And frankly, I am a Raphael Marshawn guy, but I do think that there is something in this talent and when you look at like sort of the book on him or the track record for him as a baseball player, he's been productive every time he's been on the field. The problem has been there are some, you know, inconsistencies with how often that does occur as this is a guy who's dealt with injury issues. This is a guy who's been in and out of lineup, has battled some things that have prevented him from playing his best. Then contrast that with a guy like Garrett Stubbs. I'm not going to wholeheartedly brush away that, you know, locker room camaraderie doesn't matter whatsoever. It certainly does to an extent. You want these guys to like each other, but it's not a reason to just keep a guy on the roster in my eyes. And now with that being said, I think sometimes that is spun that that's all it is with Garrett Stubbs in a way that's unfair to him. He's a fine catcher. He's a major league baseball player. He is. He's not a guy that's going to be winning a gold glove, being in an all-star game or, you know, a guy that we remember decades from now, at least for baseball reasons, but he's like a fine player that he can compete. There are flashes that I'm encouraged defensively. He's a little bit on the smaller side, but like it's fine. It's a passable backup catcher if, you know, with all things created equal there. So I'd want to make that clear about Stubbs. Now, as far as the options conversation, I will pull up this here. Shout out our guy, Philly's tailgate, who says the Phillies better out of options and cannot be sent to the minors without clearing outright waivers. Christopher Sanchez, don't got to worry about that one. Jose Ruiz, Tyler Phillips, Raphael Marchand, Cody Clemens and Mundo Sosa and Buddy Kennedy. And what this means exactly or why this is interesting is if you're going to send this guy down, every other team in the MLB has a chance at him, that it does go through the waiver process that you can try and snag them as a player makes it a little more difficult that Raphael Marchand. I think a thousand percent would get claimed here that I don't think this is a spot in which, like if you tried to send him down, I don't think he's just going to be hanging out in the minors until he's ready again. He's a talented young catcher that has shown some things at the major league level. That is not a guy that is just, you know, other teams aren't going to be interested in. And I think based on the context of that, that is a safer route to send Stubbs down for now. Let Marchand have a chance at this, even if he didn't, you know, have the perception of earning it in spring training. I don't think it is worth the risk to send this guy down and risk losing your potential long term catcher. Now, I don't think he probably turns out to be that anyway. I think if anything, he's a little bit more of a stopgap before some of the younger prospects do grow and develop and are ready for the ultimate role here. And there are some guys in the farm system that are really encouraging as catcher prospects. I know I'm going to butcher one of the names, so I'm not going to bring it up, but there is a guy that I like quite a bit at the catcher spot. The point being, there are guys in the pipeline. You just got to survive for now. And what's interesting about the JT Real Mundo conversation is we've heard a lot of whispers about extension talks this offseason. We've heard some from Ranger Suarez, we've heard some from Kyle Schwarber, we've even heard a little Nick Cassiano's buzz. For JT specifically, it hasn't felt like there has been any sort of legitimate talks, and I think that's pretty calculated on the Phillies end here. I think this is really going to be an evaluation year for JT, that if he can return some sort of power production. Let's not forget that when he was first brought to Philadelphia, we were talking about him being the protection in the lineup for guys like Bryce Harper. Him hitting with legitimate power as a guy that was high up in the order. That has not been the case in recent years, and most specifically last year. And can he return to any semblance of that? I'm not asking you to return to the best catcher in baseball. I think we have to acknowledge that those days are likely behind us. But can he be a guy that is serviceable for at least this season and possibly beyond? That is the conversation that will be interesting to say. See, I'm very curious how much the Phillies lean on in this plan, because I think the greatest value in JT is his management of pitchers, the way he calls a game, just being an Ironman behind the plate, still one of the best defensive catchers in baseball. So I'm very curious how this plays itself out. But they do ultimately have a decision to make for how they do round out that roster and what that secondary catcher option will be. I think it should be Raphael Marchand, and I understand Stubbs has played better in spring training, but it's also spring training, man, and I've been more encouraged on the repetitions at the Emmet Lee level for Marchand than a guy like Stubbs, who I think we can acknowledge he is who he is at this point. If push comes to shove and Stubbs ends up the better backup catcher option at the season's conclusion or midway through the year, I can absolutely live with that. I'm not going to be heartbroken that Marchand is not ready, but I do think there's more upside to giving him a chance in the short term without the risk of losing him and just seeing what he can do. I think being around real deal major leaguers like the guys on the Phillies who do have a legitimate pedigree, the Kyle Schwarbers, the Bryce Harpers, the Trey Turners, the Nick Cassianos, we know these names, that it is important to see how they go about their business, how they handle their day-to-day, what tips and tricks can you pick up being around JT Romero and seeing how he talks to pitchers, all these type of things. Give a guy like Marchand, who could potentially have a bright future, a chance to soak in all that kind of stuff. I think that's the direction the Phillies should go. We will see if they ultimately do decide the same thing here. Now, regardless of what happens, we're going to be all over it, right? I want to once again remind you guys to make sure you are smashing that subscribe button. That's 66.6% of you guys watching this video right now have not subscribed to the channel just yet, so let's get that changing. Baseball season is right around the corner. Opening day is almost here. I'm going to be diving in from start to finish, so I appreciate you guys for tuning into this video here. Drop your thoughts on how you would solve this catcher problem below and what your decision would be if you're Dave Dombrowski and Rob Thompson right now. I'll be back talking to you next time, right here on Phillies Digest.