Meet the other player acquired in the Jesús Luzardo trade: ‘He is a true professional’
READING, Pa. — Paul McIntosh woke up to around 12 missed calls on the morning of Dec. 22, the start of a “super crazy experience” for the minor-league backstop. Teammates, Miami Marlins staffers and farm director Rachel Balkovec had tried to get in touch. When McIntosh called Balkovec back, she delivered the news: He was being traded to the Philadelphia Phillies.
In a move that was finalized later that same day, the Phillies swapped prospects Starlyn Caba and Emaarion Boyd for former Marlins starter Jesús Luzardo in a deal that also included McIntosh. The catcher was excited about the new opportunity and enjoyed the fact that he was coming to his new organization alongside the talented left-hander.
“It was a surreal feeling seeing that Luzardo was also part of that trade,” McIntosh said last week, “and being a part of that trade was just super cool. I was just very excited to get over here and get to work.”
Outside of two blowup starts, Luzardo has excelled in his short time in Philadelphia, boosting a rotation that was already filled with stars. He has a 4.08 ERA in 16 starts with 10.36 strikeouts per nine. The lefty tossed 6 2/3 shutout innings on a national stage on Sunday night at Citizens Bank Park to beat the Mets and help the Phillies reclaim sole possession of first place in the National League East.
McIntosh, the other player acquired in that same trade, has spent this season at Double-A Reading. He missed some time in late April and early May, but he’s largely been a part of the catching mix for the Fightin Phils. In 26 games with the Eastern League club, the right-handed hitter has a .697 OPS with four home runs. He went 2-for-4 with two RBIs and a run scored in his last game on Saturday at FirstEnergy Stadium.
“So far, he’s been great,” Fightins manager Al Pedrique said. “Definitely, since he’s got here, he’s been making some adjustments on his swing. He’s doing some work in the cage, extra work behind the plate defensively. We’ve seen some improvement since he got here.”
A 34th-round pick by the Angels in 2018, McIntosh went on to play college baseball at Motlow State Community College and West Virginia before going undrafted in 2021. He then signed with Miami, where Pedrique was a coach for two seasons and first got to know McIntosh. The catcher rose to Triple-A in 2023 before spending all of 2024 in Double-A.
McIntosh’s calling card is his pop; he hit 14 homers in only 77 minor-league games in 2023. But McIntosh said the Phillies noticed that he had been running a high ground-ball rate for a power hitter, so he’s made changes to lift the ball more. While the results haven’t been perfect, he has lowered his ground-ball rate from 47.4% last year to 39.5% this year (including a three-game rehab stint at High-A). That could allow him to do a bit more damage over the course of the season.
“There’s not many catchers that can hit and then hit with power,” McIntosh said, “so it’s nice to have that in the back pocket.”
After getting some serious time in the outfield as well last year, McIntosh has only appeared as the catcher or designated hitter for Reading. Pedrique said he won’t be moving around the field because the Phillies want McIntosh to focus on refining his abilities behind the plate. Pedrique has been impressed with the strides he’s made in throwing, receiving, blocking and handling the pitching staff.
“He is a true professional,” Pedrique said. “He knows the things that he needs to continue working and getting better, and he’s great in the clubhouse.”
At 27 years old, McIntosh is in his fifth season in the minors. Pedrique trusts him to show teammates how to take care of business off the field while also competing on it.
“He seems like a very quiet guy, but when it’s time to speak up, he’s not afraid,” Pedrique said. “Obviously, he’s been around long enough where he can help the young guys. His work ethic, for me, that’s how you lead by example, and that’s what he does on a daily basis. So as an organization, we’re very happy to have him.”
The feeling is mutual for McIntosh. While he wasn’t the headliner of his trade, he’s glad to have joined the Phillies, a club with a recent run of success that can be felt, at least in some ways, throughout its system.
“This is a fantastic organization,” McIntosh said. “They run the ship well. Obviously, they have a lot of great players, and it’s just an honor and a privilege to be a part of that group.”