GOING UNNOTICED IS OK WITH STUBBS

You probably won’t even notice Garrett Stubbs no matter how long this National League Championship Series lasts.

But the catcher from San Diego, who was sitting in his family’s seats on the second level at Petco Park the last time the Padres made the postseason, says that’s not really such a bad thing. After all when your job is backing up J.T. Realmuto, considered by Stubbs and many others as the best catcher in baseball, it’s hard to complain.

“You always want to play,” said the 29-year-old Stubbs, following batting practice Saturday before Game 4 of the NLCS at Citizens Bank Park. “J.T.’S the best catcher in the entire league in my opinion and plenty of people say the same.

“It’s fun to watch him. So I sit on the bench and basically try to make sure everyone has the energy to get out there. I try to bring as much energy as I can.”

While being the backup catcher is a somewhat thankless job, there are moments the spotlight shines on you. Like when Stubbs — who played at Torrey Pines High before going to USC — hit a three-run walk-off homer to beat the Marlins back in June. Moments like that may seem relatively small at the time. But considering the 87-75 Phillies only squeezed into the postseason by a game over Brewers, those moments can add up.

“That was pretty fun,” said Stubbs, who wound hitting .264 with five homers and 16 RBIS in 106 at-bats over 46 games, “Since it came down to that last series in Houston where we needed a win.

“So it’s pretty cool to be in this position knowing I had an impact during the year and getting to watch the best catcher in baseball.”

It would be even cooler for Stubbs if just days from now he gets to face his old team — the Astros — in the World Series. Drafted by Houston in the eighth round in 2015, Stubbs reached the majors in May 2019.

But over the next three seasons he had only limited appearances, totaling 77 atbats in just 51 games during which he hit .182 with no homers and six RBIS.

At the same time he did get to the World Series with Houston as a traveling nonroster player in 2019.

He made the roster and got into one game but never hit when the Astros made the ALCS in 2020 and lost to the Rays (a series played at Petco Park), then went in for defense for a World Series game against the Braves last year.

He knows something would have to happen to Realmuto for things to change now — and simply doesn’t want that.

“Having only two catchers on the roster I’m not going to pinch hit or pinch run,” said Stubbs who was acquired by the Phillies in a minor deal last November. “Because if I get used we only have one catcher left.

“So I’ll just try to cheer lead and bring energy any way I can.”

That’s straight from a lesson taught to him by the greatest Padre of all, Tony Gwynn.

“I got a hitting lesson from him in high school or maybe it was before high school, which was pretty incredible,” Stubbs said. “It was when he was at San Diego State. Tony was always the ‘hit it the other way’ kind of guy. He always said ‘Play hard and have fun.’ I take that into my approach when I’m hitting.”

Even if Garrett is not playing, the Stubbs family, which still lives in the San Diego area, is having a ball watching him lead cheers from his dugout perch.

“I was a huge Padres fan growing up and my family had season tickets over in the Toyota Terrace,” he said. “When we were there playing the first two games in San Diego a couple of my family members were sitting there.

“It was cool to look up at them.”

The only thing better would be getting chances to celebrate an NLCS followed by a World Series title.

“Probably my favorite thing in the entire world is popping champagne after we win a series,” said Stubbs, smiling. “There’s really no better feeling.”

In other words, while you may not see Stubbs on the field this postseason, there’s a decent chance you may still hear him.