Latest news with #GarrettStubbs
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Garrett Stubbs Excited to Catch Phillies No. 1 Prospect Andrew Painter
All eyes will be on one man in the Phillies minor league system tonight. For another person in the same ballpark, it's quite literally his job. "I appreciate everyone coming to watch me play tonight," Garrett Stubbs joked to the media. Advertisement Stubbs, the former backup Phillies catcher, isn't the reason for Philadelphia media making the hour trip north to Lehigh Valley. That honor goes to Andrew Painter, Philly's No. 1 prospect who is set to make his first Triple-A start with the IronPigs. Stubbs will be behind the plate as Painter's battery mate, with the job of guiding him through his first taste of major league quality talent. Painter pitched well in his rehab starts but did so against the lowest level of professional competition. Before that, he never tossed an inning above Double-A. Garrett Stubbs spent three seasons as Philly's backup catcher. Now, he pairs up with several of their pitching prospects at Triple-A, using his MLB experience to help them Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images "I'm excited," Stubbs said about catching Painter. "I think everyone's excited... Everyone knows how good he is, how good he can be. So I'm excited for him, mostly. He's had a lot to overcome his first couple years in pro baseball." Advertisement Painter missed two entire seasons recovering from Tommy John surgery. Despite that, he's still considered to be the No. 7 prospect across all of MLB. With a fastball that can reach 100 mph and an above-average slider and changeup, the 22-year-old has the potential to become a front-end starter in what's already a stacked Philadelphia rotation. Stubbs has stayed healthy throughout his career, but the vet knowns how fortunate Painter has been to recover from the injury with his velocity - and pedigree - intact. "To get to this point is tough. I haven't had to go through it, but I know a lot of guys that have. So to get to the point where he's pitching in a real game, especially at this level, is awesome." Painter had thrown three innings in each of his previous three starts with Single-A Clearwater. This time, he's set to go four innings or about 60-65 pitches, according to Lehigh Valley manager Anthony Contreras. Advertisement As for Stubbs, who has quickly become a fan favorite and key contributor for the 'Pigs, he is staying focused on finding his own path back to the majors. Working a little magic with Painter's progression can't hurt his odds. Tonight's game is free to stream on with first pitch at 6:45 EST. Related: Phillies' Trea Turner Reveals New Offensive Approach Amid Recent Hot-Stretch
New York Times
09-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
At Triple A, Phillies' Andrew Painter enters new stage: ‘Think like a big-league pitcher'
ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Andrew Panter walked toward the Lehigh Valley IronPigs dugout after the third inning Thursday night and shook his head in disgust. 'I love,' catcher Garrett Stubbs later said, 'that he was pissed.' That is the whole point of the top Phillies prospect's assignment to the International League. Advertisement It's time to play the game. 'Before the game,' Stubbs said, 'I told him, 'Look, there's going to be at least one time during this game where something doesn't go the way that we want it to. … Something's going to happen and you're going to have to be a man and be a competitor and figure your way out of it. And so that moment happened.' No one will remember the 60 pitches Painter threw Thursday over three scoreless innings in his Triple-A debut against Worcester, putting him one step away from the majors. Most of those 60 pitches were competitive. He featured a sharp curveball. He touched 98 mph. He even threw back-to-back changeups to a hitter. It could have been better; it could have been worse. Painter, 22, has not been a rehabbing pitcher for a few months now. But, as he walked off the mound at Coca-Cola Park, it marked the unofficial end of an arduous recovery from Tommy John surgery, which he underwent in July 2023. Before Thursday, Painter's four appearances this season were about removing the rust from years without facing another team. (His only other game action in the past two years came in the Arizona Fall League in 2024.) He had to establish his fastball. He had to prove to himself he could do the most basic things on a mound. He was doing all of this against inferior hitters in the Florida State League. Now, Painter has to pitch. 'This is the easiest way to say it: He's been, rightfully and intentionally so, me versus myself,' Phillies pitching coach Caleb Cotham said earlier in the week. 'Because there's a progression. There are some limits. And, yeah, he's got great stuff. So he can go do that and get a lot of people out. Now, it's going to start shifting more to me versus you. It's: 'I'm going to do anything I can to win today.' It's progressing to that type of mindset. Finding spots to take the reins off and be like, 'Hey, this is your game. Go beat them.'' Advertisement In the third inning, Painter recorded two quick outs then started to tire. His pitch count rose higher than it's been since September 2022. He walked the bases loaded. The first walk, to touted Boston Red Sox prospect Roman Anthony, was a good fight. The next two walks were not as competitive. With the bases loaded, he ran a full-count to a hitter with 400 career plate appearances in the majors and fired a 95 mph fastball. Painter escaped with a popout to first base. GO DEEPER Top 100 MLB prospects 2025: Keith Law's rankings, with Roman Anthony at No. 1 In an ideal world, Painter would have been more efficient and pitched into the fourth inning. Whatever. The Phillies would rather save the inning for later in the season anyway. 'Worked myself out of a jam,' Painter said, 'and at the end of the day, can't complain about that.' Baseball's top pitching prospect is now at Triple-A. What work of art did @Phillies right-hander Andrew Painter craft in his @IronPigs debut? 🎨 — Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) May 9, 2025 The Phillies are excited to see Painter at this level because, at times, it looked like he was on autopilot while at Low-A Clearwater. He acknowledged it; he was throwing so many fastballs in his four starts there. Hitters, even the youngest ones, figured it out. Even three years ago, before his elbow surgery, Painter was a fastball-heavy pitcher as he ascended to Double A as a teenager. 'It is time, probably starting now, to embrace the art of pitching,' Cotham said. 'Or the art of planning to pitch. That's just another step that everyone has to go through.' Painter often uses his high-powered fastball earlier in counts because he commands it so well. When ahead in the count, he'll go to his breaking balls. Or he'll just throw more fastballs. Painter had thrown a first-pitch fastball to 34 of the 45 batters (75 percent) he faced in his four starts at Low A. He did it to 10 of 13 batters in Thursday's start. Most of them were called strikes. One was a popout. Advertisement Stubbs, considered a strong pitch caller, will be Painter's professor at Triple A. He still called a bunch of fastballs — 45 percent of the time — and the advanced stuff won't come until Painter's second or third start with the IronPigs. In Stubbs' mind, Painter has to be a part of the process. See how hitters react. Learn what works here. Learn what does not. 'We'll learn a lot about him as a competitor,' Stubbs said. 'That's what this is about. We know how good the stuff is.' Painter struck out five in three innings. All five strikeouts came on the curveball. It's a premium pitch when right. He's throwing a slider that he manipulates depending on the count or situation; he can throw it harder with more vertical movement or a little softer — around 87-88 mph — with horizontal run. It might be two different pitches, but Painter is calling it one slider for now. Then, there's the changeup. It's a newer pitch, one that Cotham sees as essential. The Phillies, who rallied to complete a three-game sweep of the Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday, emphasized it during the spring. It remains a work in progress, but it's a pitch Painter can deploy to be less predictable. To begin the third inning, facing Worcester's No. 8 hitter Corey Rosier, Painter went slider, changeup, changeup, curveball. Rosier took the first changeup for a ball, then swung through the next one. Stubbs challenged Painter there. Had he ever thrown consecutive changeups to a hitter? 'I don't think so,' Painter said. 'That's something I've been working on this spring. Still getting used to it, but the only way it's going to get better is with reps.' That's the whole point of this. The Phillies have an elaborate plan for Painter, who has now logged 14 1/3 innings in the minors this season. They are trying to preserve as many innings as they can for the summer when Painter could be in the majors. Right now, there is no rush. The Phillies have a strong and healthy rotation. They have time for Painter to explore the intricacies of sequencing a veteran Triple-A hitter. Advertisement Stubbs saw hints of it Thursday night. At one point, Painter shook off a pitch Stubbs called. The young righty wanted to go changeup. He shook a few more times that inning. 'I love that he was starting to gain some confidence in that third inning and really feeling like he wanted to go to certain pitches,' Stubbs said. 'That just tells me he was starting to think along with the game.' So, by that measure, Thursday was a success. In the majors, the Phillies want their starters to have a balanced portfolio against righty and lefty hitters. There is more planning; Cotham is intentional with how he asks the catchers to lead his pitchers through an opposing lineup. The mission at Triple A, then, is rather straightforward. 'Think like a big-league pitcher,' Cotham said. Painter is not one. Everyone expects him to be one — and soon. For now, a little adversity with three consecutive walks and a rising pitch count is the best teacher. 'I worked myself out of it,' Painter said. 'There's no one coming to get you. So, it's really just you against the hitter.' (Top photo of Andrew Painter: Mike Carlson / MLB Photos via Getty Images)
CBS News
09-05-2025
- Sport
- CBS News
Phillies' top prospect Andrew Painter makes Lehigh Valley IronPigs debut with help from Garrett Stubbs
Andrew Painter said he didn't have that many nerves making his first start for Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Garrett Stubbs called him out on that. "He's a liar," Stubbs said with a smile. "I think he was a little bit nervous...I get nervous before games. I don't care if it's in Triple-A, Double-A, big leagues. It's not scared nerves. That's just wanting to do well. That's part of being a competitor." Painter shows a calm demeanor to the untrained eye, part of why he's able to battle through adversity when it's up against him. That was tested in the third inning of his debut in Lehigh Valley. The Phillies' top prospect retired the first two batters in that third inning before walking three consecutive hitters to load the bases with two outs. The inning could have gone off the rails. "Adversity is something you always want to work yourself out of, "Painter said in a calming voice. "There's no one coming to save you." Stubbs revealed that wasn't the case at that moment. Walking three batters in a row isn't what Painter does. "He was obviously really pissed," Stubbs said. "But before the game, I told him, there's gonna be some time during this game that something doesn't go the way that we want. Something is gonna happen, so you're gonna have to be a man and be a competitor. He was gonna have to figure a way out of it." With the bases loaded, Painter faced Red Sox catcher Blake Sabol with the IronPigs holding a one-run lead. He got into his fourth consecutive three-ball count against Sabol, being down 3-1 before throwing three consecutive fastballs to save the inning. Painter threw a called strike to cut the count to 3-2, then Sabol fouled off a 96.6 mph fastball to extend the at-bat. With the Lehigh Valley crowd on their feet, Painter got Sabol to pop up to first baseman Christian Arroyo on a 95.6 mph fastball to end the inning. He threw four three-ball counts, all in that third inning with two outs. "That was the moment I was talking about where he had to nut up and get through it," Stubbs said. "I told him that when he got into the dugout. I love that he was pissed. I was glad, that's him competing out there." Painter didn't have the dominant outing many have grown accustomed to, yet he was efficient in his first start for the IronPigs. He didn't allow a run in his three innings of work, throwing 60 pitches (34 of which were strikes). The plan was for Painter to either go 60-65 pitches or four innings in his first start. In those three innings, Painter allowed one hit and struck out five, all via the curveball. His fastball touched 98 mph twice in the first inning and hit 97.7 mph in the third. "I thought I did a really good job at locating it down. That's something we've been working on this spring," Painter said. "I wanted to go out there and throw a lot of strikes. Did a good job for eight outs. Then I kinda lost it a little bit." Even though Painter struggled with his command in the third inning, he was able to get out of a bases-loaded jam unscathed. Stubbs made sure that didn't go unnoticed when he was waiting for him at the top of the dugout when Painter got out of the inning. "I think he got tired," Stubbs said of Painter's third inning. "He would probably tell you different, but that's nitpicking. He was awesome today. He threw a lot of strikes, and there was a lot of success out of today." With Stubbs around, the journey towards success in the big leagues will be smoother for a player of Painter's talent. "He calls a great game," Painter said. "I have a lot of trust in good vibes out here. It's just good to have a lot of veterans that have been around the game and played at the highest level of baseball."
CBS News
20-03-2025
- Sport
- CBS News
Phillies' catcher Garrett Stubbs optioned to Lehigh Valley, Rafael Marchan to back up J.T. Realmuto
The Philadelphia Phillies sent backup catcher Garrett Stubbs to the minor leagues on Thursday, which means that Rafael Marchan will back up J.T. Realmuto to start the season. The team announced the news in a post on X . "It's not the first time I've ever been sent down, obviously it's the first time in the last three or four years," Stubbs said. "So getting the tap on the shoulder again is not a good feeling." He said he will spend his time in Triple-A staying prepared and continuing to work to be able to contribute to the major league club — and help prepare other minor-league ballplayers for when they might get called up. Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said Stubbs "has been a really important part of our ball club, and I think he will [be] again before the end of this season." "It's one of the tougher parts of the job, because he's been important for us. He's a quality individual, he's worked hard. There's nothing wrong that he did. It's really the business side of the game," Dombrowski added. Stubbs, 31, established himself as some kind of folk hero among Phillies fans in the 2022 season. Stubbs became the Phillies' de-facto DJ over the years and popularized Calum Scott's Tiesto remix cover of Robyn's " Dancing on My Own ," which became the team's anthem. The Phillies' first regular-season game is a week away. The home opener is March 31.
