Garrett Stubbs Bio
Garrett Patrick Stubbs (born May 26, 1993) is an American professional baseball catcher for the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played in MLB for the Houston Astros. A graduate of the University of Southern California (USC), Stubbs won the Johnny Bench Award in 2015 as the nation’s best collegiate catcher. He was selected by the Astros in the eighth round of the 2015 MLB Draft and made his MLB debut in 2019. Stubbs represented Team Israel in the 2023 World Baseball Classic.
Early Life and Background
Stubbs was born in San Diego, California, and raised in neighboring Del Mar by his parents, T. Pat and Marti Jo Stubbs. Born to a Catholic father and a Jewish mother, Stubbs identifies as Jewish, a heritage that would later connect him to international baseball competition. He grew up alongside his younger brother, C.J. Stubbs, and the two boys spent their childhood active in baseball as well as music, art competitions, and theater.
As a child, Stubbs found limited local options for organized baseball, so his father arranged a traveling team so young players could keep developing outside the Little League season. His step-grandfather, Fred Shuey, had been a successful college baseball player and arranged for the young Stubbs to practice his catching technique with former MLB catcher Ed Herrmann. Both Stubbs brothers eventually became catchers, a rare family tradition that would carry them through high school and into professional baseball.
Path to Baseball
Stubbs attended Torrey Pines High School in San Diego, where he stood 5 feet 10 inches and weighed 165 pounds, small for a catcher. Despite his size, he earned two All-California Interscholastic Federation Team honors. During his senior season in 2011, Stubbs batted .391 with 27 runs scored, 13 doubles, and 18 runs batted in (RBIs), adding All-North County and All-Avocado League First Team recognition as both a junior and senior.
Stubbs continued his development at the University of Southern California, where he earned a degree in policy, planning, and development with an emphasis on real estate. He played summer ball for the Peninsula Oilers of the Alaska Baseball League in 2012, and the following summer he suited up for the Plymouth Pilgrims in the New England Collegiate Baseball League and the Cotuit Kettleers of the Cape Cod League, earning a New England Collegiate Baseball League Eastern Division All-Star selection. In 2015, his senior season, Stubbs batted .346, tied for the Pac-12 Conference lead in sacrifices, ranked among the conference leaders in steals, runs, on-base percentage, and doubles, and threw out 52.8 percent of attempted basestealers. That year he won the Johnny Bench Award, was named Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year, and earned First-Team All-American honors from Baseball America, Rawlings, and the Jewish Sports Review.
Garrett Stubbs Career
Early Career (2015–2018)
The Houston Astros selected Stubbs in the eighth round, 229th overall, of the 2015 MLB Draft, and he signed for a $100,000 bonus. He opened his professional career with the Tri-City ValleyCats of the Low-A New York–Penn League before a quick promotion to the Quad Cities River Bandits of the Single-A Midwest League. In 36 games across both clubs, Stubbs batted a combined .263 with seven home runs and 21 RBI.
In 2016, Stubbs began at High-A Lancaster, where he was a California League Mid-Season All Star, then moved up to Double-A Corpus Christi. He finished the year with a .304 average, 10 home runs, 54 RBI, and 15 stolen bases, while throwing out 51 percent of attempted basestealers, and was named an MiLB.com Houston Organization All Star. By 2017, MLB Pipeline ranked him the best catching prospect in the Astros’ system and the organization’s 11th-best prospect overall. He advanced to Triple-A Fresno, and in 2018 he batted .310/.382/.455 with four home runs and 38 RBI, earning a mid-season Pacific Coast League All Star nod. After that season, the Astros added him to the 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft.
Houston Astros Breakthrough (2019–2021)
Stubbs received his first major league call-up on May 26, 2019, his 26th birthday, and made his MLB debut two days later, going on to bat .200/.282/.286 in 35 at-bats while showing positional versatility behind the plate, in the outfield, and as a pinch runner. His 28.0 feet-per-second sprint speed was the fastest of any American League catcher that year. In the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, he appeared in 10 games, and in 2021 he batted .176/.222/.235 in 34 at-bats with Houston, while also producing a strong .265/.418/.363 line at Triple-A Sugar Land with more walks than strikeouts. He was added to Houston’s roster prior to Game 4 of the 2021 World Series, replacing Jason Castro, and appeared in Game 6 as one of a record four Jewish MLB players to feature in that Fall Classic.
Philadelphia Phillies Era (2022–Present)
On November 19, 2021, the Astros traded Stubbs to the Philadelphia Phillies for minor leaguer Logan Cerny. He quickly rewarded the Phillies, hitting his first career major league home run on May 22, 2022, off the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Tony Gonsolin, and following it with his first walk-off homer on June 15 against the Miami Marlins. In 106 at-bats that season, he batted .264/.350/.462 with five home runs and 16 RBI, reaching as high as 1.91 seconds on his pop time to second base, the seventh-best mark among major league catchers. Stubbs made Philadelphia’s 2022 World Series roster, though he did not appear in the Fall Classic.
He continued to serve as a reliable backup and defensive specialist in 2023, batting .204/.274/.283 in 113 at-bats, ranking third in MLB with seven bunt hits, and tying for the second-fastest pop time to second base among major league catchers at 1.87 seconds. In 2024, he batted .207/.296/.262 in 164 at-bats and stole five bases without being caught, while his 4.40-second home-to-first time ranked third among MLB catchers with at least 50 competitive runs. Entering 2025, the Phillies optioned Stubbs to the Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs to begin the year, a roster construction decision made by president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski.
Driving Style and Strengths
Although the term is more common in motorsports, Stubbs’ professional profile mirrors that of a dependable role player. He is widely regarded as a defensive-first catcher with elite pop times to second base, strong pitch-framing grades, and the speed to contribute as a pinch runner. His switch-hitting flexibility and willingness to play outfield, first base, or even pitch in blowouts have made him a valuable utility piece for two contending clubs.
Notable Events and Milestones
Among Stubbs’ signature moments are his first major league homer in 2022, his first walk-off blast later that same season, and his Game 6 appearance in the 2021 World Series with Houston. Off the field, his 2023 World Baseball Classic experience included a game-winning two-run ground-rule double in the eighth inning against Nicaragua. On June 26, 2025, he announced he would again represent Team Israel in the 2026 World Baseball Classic.
Garrett Stubbs Career Wins
Stubbs’ win totals are spread across minor league levels, with no verified major league single-season win totals available, and so a series-by-series wins table is not included below.
MLB Highlights
Although Stubbs has not headlined a major league win column, he has produced several milestone moments since debuting in 2019, including his first career home run in May 2022 and his first career walk-off home run the following month. He appeared in the 2021 World Series with Houston and was on Philadelphia’s 2022 World Series roster, and he was part of an Astros organization that reached the American League Championship Series in 2018 and won the 2022 World Series the year after his trade. His defensive metrics, including a 1.87-second pop time in 2023, have placed him among the league’s most efficient catchers.
Other Wins & Performances
Stubbs’ standout college campaign came in 2015, when he won the Johnny Bench Award as the nation’s top catcher, was named Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year, and earned First-Team All-American honors from Baseball America, Rawlings, and the Jewish Sports Review. He was a 2016 California League Mid-Season All Star, a 2017 Double-A Texas League starting All Star, an MiLB.com Houston Organization All Star, and a 2018 Pacific Coast League mid-season All Star.
Garrett Stubbs Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Stubbs comes from a tightly knit family with deep baseball roots. His parents, T. Pat and Marti Jo Stubbs, raised him in Del Mar, California, and his father organized a traveling baseball team for local youth. His step-grandfather, Fred Shuey, was a successful college baseball player who introduced young Garrett to former MLB catcher Ed Herrmann. His younger brother, C.J. Stubbs, also caught at Torrey Pines High School and USC, was drafted by the Astros in the 10th round of the 2019 MLB Draft, and made his major league debut with the Washington Nationals in 2025.
Personal Life
On December 14, 2024, Stubbs married his longtime girlfriend, Evyn Murray, in Los Cabos, Mexico. During the baseball offseason, he has lived in California with his close friend Matt Chapman, the third baseman for the San Francisco Giants. The couple has no publicly confirmed children.
2025 Season Performance
Garrett Stubbs began the 2025 season at Triple-A Lehigh Valley after the Phillies optioned him in a roster construction decision, even though he did not need to be exposed to waivers. President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski acknowledged that the move was made largely because fellow catcher Rafael Marchán was out of options, leaving Stubbs as the more flexible piece to shuttle to the minors.
Despite the opening assignment, Stubbs remained a key part of Philadelphia’s catching depth and a likely recall candidate given his elite defensive metrics and the wear and tear of a long MLB season. His track record of elite pop times, strong framing, and speed on the bases continues to make him an attractive option as a defensive replacement, pinch runner, or spot starter at catcher, outfield, or designated hitter.
Beyond the Phillies, Stubbs announced on June 26, 2025, that he would again suit up for Team Israel in the 2026 World Baseball Classic, giving him an international stage to showcase his development and extending what has already been a memorable major league journey.