Rafael Alejandro Marchan is a Venezuelan professional baseball catcher for the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball. He was born on February 25, 1999, he is currently 23 years old.
Marchan joined the Phillies as an amateur free agent in 2015 when he was 16 years old. He transitioned from infielder to catcher and wowed scouts and coaches early in his minor league career with his defensive prowess.
Despite never having played in the minor leagues above the Class A-Advanced level, he entered major league spring training in 2020 and made his major league debut in September 2020, hitting his first career home run on September 18.
Before the start of the 2021 season, he returned to the minor levels and was regarded among the top five prospects in the Phillies’ farm system as of 2020.
Marchan was invited to the Phillies’ 2020 spring training after impressing manager Joe Girardi, who is himself a former catcher. Instead of promoting him, the team used the opportunity to watch him work and give him advice.
For example, while catching bullpen sessions for major league pitchers like Aaron Nola and Ranger Suárez, Marchan’s coaches would watch to see if he was giving away the pitches he called by adopting certain stances.