Joe Girardi Has Incredibly High Praise for Phillies Catching Prospect Rafael Marchan
Joe Girardi set to kick off his first season as manager of the Philadelphia Phillies. He is looking to lead the team back to the postseason for the first time since 2012 and is getting a good look at his roster in Spring Training.
This includes getting a glimpse at some of the team's top prospects, including Rafael Marchan, who is the Phillies' top catching prospect in the organization. He showed Girardi enough to get the skipper excited about the future behind the plate.
Girardi on Marchan: "He's the block master. The master. That might have been the best exhibition of blocking I have ever seen in one game."
— Matt Gelb (@MattGelb) February 24, 2020
Phillies have split squad tomorrow, then a two-day trip to Fort Myers. There will be many minor leaguers.
Marchan only reached the Advanced-A level in 2019 and is still just 20 years old. But being referred to as "the block master" by a former All-Star catcher is high praise, and Phillies fans should not take these comments lightly.
Rafael Marchan impressing once more, but this time at the plate instead of behind it!
— Alex Carr (@AlexCarrMLB) February 24, 2020
He just ripped a single up the left field line.
Marchan ranks as the organization's No. 13 overall prospect. While he's not touted to be much of a slugger, scouts have rated him very highly in terms of his defense and arm strength. Girardi seems to agree with their assessment, raving about the young backstop.
It may be a while still until we see Marchan climb to the big leagues, but he's done enough to catch the eye of Girardi early on in spring.