Rafael Marchan Flashed What Phillies Envision From Him in Electric Performance

The Philadelphia Phillies secured a series win over the Atlanta Braves in Game 1 of their scheduled doubleheader on Thursday.

This was payback for dropping their road set against their NL East rivals back towards the beginning of the season, so getting this result without Bryce Harper or J.T. Realmuto in the lineup was a great sign that the depth on the roster might be better than initially anticipated.

Someone who played a major role in this win was Rafael Marchan, the MVP of Game 1.

Not only did he hit a two-run blast in the third inning to give the Phillies a 2-0 lead, but he also caught two runners stealing -- none more important than in the top of the ninth when he gunned down Ozzie Albies -- and drove in the game-winning run by being hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the bottom of the eighth.

All in all, Marchan had a 1-for-2 day where he hit a longball, walked once, was hit by a pitch to bring in a run and provided excellent defense.

This is exactly what Philadelphia envisions from the talented youngster.

Now 26 years old, it's crazy to think back and remember he debuted at the Major League level six seasons ago.

Injuries have held him back throughout his career, and he made the Opening Day roster in large part because he no longer had minor league options remaining and the Phillies would have lost him for nothing if he wasn't on the team coming out of camp.

So, Marchan has been given an opportunity to show what he can do in 2025.

On paper, it was hard to be impressed with him this year up until Thursday.

Since the backup catcher doesn't play a whole lot based on Realmuto being healthy ahead of him, Marchan had only gotten into 12 games prior to getting the start in the first matchup of Thursday's contests. He had not shown well with just a .129/.270/.129 slash line.

That was a stark difference from what he produced in a 17-game stretch last season that spanned from June 12 to July 14 when Realmuto was on the injured list.

In that time, he put together a slash line of .294/.345/.549 with three homers and six RBI.

The difference likely has to do with Marchan spending large numbers of days on the bench in between appearances, making it hard for him to get a rhythm at the plate.

But that's the life of a backup catcher, and if he's going to add value to this roster, he has to do what he did on Thursday going forward.

Of course, putting together that type of electric performance every time he's on the field is unrealistic, but Marchan has the ability to impact the game from both inside the batter's box and behind the plate.

What he did on Thursday is what this organization believes he's capable of doing whenever he's in the lineup.

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