Rafael Marchan

Rafael Alejandro Marchan

• Bats Both, Throws Right
• Height 5' 9", Weight 170 lb.

• Debut September 14, 2020

• Born February 25, 1999 in San Cristóbal, Táchira Venezuela

BR page

Biographical Information

Catcher Rafael Marchan made his major league debut with the Philadelphia Phillies on September 14, 2020, after the Phils had to place starting catcher J.T. Realmuto on the injured list. At that point, he had never played above Class A, with 22 games for the Clearwater Threshers of the Florida State League in 2019, after starting the season in low A with the Lakewood Blue Claws of the South Atlantic League. He had started his pro career in 2016 with the DSL Phillies 2, where he hit .333 in 44 games. He had good season in 2018, when he hit .301 in 51 games for the Williamsport Crosscutters of the New York-Penn League, following that with a combined line of .261/.333/.325 in 85 games in 2019.

Because of the Coronavirus pandemic, he was unable to play in any organized games before making his debut in 2020, spending time instead at the Phillies' alternate training site. In his debut, he went 1 for 3 in a 6-2 loss to the Miami Marlins. On September 18th, he played his second game as the starting catcher in the second game of a doubleheader against the Toronto Blue Jays. He had 2 more hits in 3 at-bats in that game, including his first career homer off A.J. Cole in the 4th inning. It came with two runners on base right after Mickey Moniak had hit his first career base hit, and it was his first homer as a pro, as he had not hit a single one in 210 minor league games. It was no cheap shot either, traveling deep into the right field bleachers filled with cardboard cut-outs of absent fans at Citizens Bank Park.

Further Reading

• Todd Zolecki: "850 professional PAs. Then, his 1st homer: Rafael Marchan chose a game-tying 3-run shot for his 1st in the pros", mlb.com, September 19, 2020. [1]

Related Sites

• Rafael Marchan on mlb.com