Brandon Marsh has quietly been one of the Phillies’ best players since hitless April

Since May 1, Brandon Marsh has the third-highest OPS (.815) among Phillies hitters, behind Kyle Schwarber (.974) and Bryce Harper (.911) (min. 200 plate appearances). 

Marsh has more than just rebounded nicely from the worst slump of his career. If there were questions about Marsh after going hitless in April, he has answered them. At the very least, he has earned significant playing time in the outfield moving forward as the Phillies look to shuffle around moving parts in hopes of finding their best outfield alignment for October. 

There is a lot to like about Marsh’s season at the plate. 

His strikeout rate on the year (24.6%) is way down relative to his career norm of over 30%. It’s a huge development for a hitter like Marsh, who is running a .343 batting average on balls in play. High BABIPs can be a sign of regression to come, but that’s actually a career low for him. When Marsh puts the ball in play, good things happen. 

When he was coming off the injured list in May, Marsh simplified his approach. He focused on hitting pitches he knows he can get to instead of reaching for borderline pitches that he’d either roll over or miss. His direction was to left-center, resulting in a ton of base hits, but not a lot of power. 

“I had a lot of moving parts to start the year,” Marsh said. “The competition out there is pretty dang good. I had to simplify to get to the spot where I wanted to be. It’s kind of the word I’ve been riding for the last couple months, just simplify.” 

Now, Marsh is getting a little more comfortable with pulling the ball in the air. The power is showing up. He has six extra-base hits in his last 18 plate appearances, including three home runs. From May 1 through July 28, Marsh had just 14 extra-base hits. 

The Phillies have rewarded him with a higher spot in the batting order when in the lineup. He has batted as high as fourth and as low as sixth since July 20. 

Could the good at-bats against righties translate to more opportunities against lefties? 

“The at-bats against left-handed pitching when he’s gotten them have been really good,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said recently. “He’s made some pretty good contact. I like what I see with him. He’s another guy. He’s worked hard at it. He’s really left-center oriented in his mind. You’re going to pull balls. As long as you’re thinking that way, then you’re gonna stay on a lot of pitches.” 

If Thomson remains steadfast in his commitment to the platoon advantage, Marsh will probably continue to share time with another right-handed hitter, either Otto Kemp or Weston Wilson. 

After the trade deadline, Thomson continued with double platoons in left and center field. Max Kepler and Wilson started in left against righties and lefties respectively. Marsh and trade deadline acquisition Harrison Bader shared time in center field. That was the plan from Aug. 1 through the end of the most recent homestand.

Thomson said he will communicate a new plan going forward on Friday in Texas. He could continue with the double platoons, as Marsh is not the only Phillies outfielder that has produced since the start of August. The Phillies outfield combined for nine extra-base hits through six games. They had only 12 in the month of July.

The plan that arguably makes the most sense moving forward, with Marsh swinging a hot bat and Bader on board as an even split guy at the plate that provides strong defense in center field, is to move Marsh to left and play Bader nearly full-time in center. That moves Kepler to a bench role. Kemp or Wilson could still platoon with Marsh in left.

But it’s fair to wonder if Marsh could earn everyday at-bats in left field simply by being a much superior defender at the position compared to Wilson or Kemp. In other words, does the platoon advantage outweigh the hit on defense? 

Marsh’s play also has a huge impact on whether or not top outfield prospect Justin Crawford is in the majors this year. If Marsh was struggling, maybe there is a greater sense of urgency to promote the 21-year-old with a .327 batting average in Triple-A. But with Marsh continuing to produce and the addition of Bader, the Phillies don’t have a spot available for Crawford to occupy on a nearly everyday basis. The Phillies only want to call up Crawford if they know the manager is going to give him nearly everyday at-bats.

But check back in two or three weeks. Bader should get a run of playing time. If Bader or Marsh struggles, the Phillies may be inclined to make center field a platoon and open up left field for Crawford. 

But where things stand now, the Phillies can afford to push the Crawford conversation to 2026.  

Either way, Marsh’s improvement is a huge development for a Phillies team that needs more production outside of its top three hitters.