Is Brandon Marsh the Phillies long-term solution to center field?
When Brandon Marsh takes the field at Choctaw Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on March 30th, he’ll become the sixth center fielder to start for the Phillies on opening day in the last six years.
In that time the Phillies have cycled through a patchwork of players including Matt Vierling, Adam Haseley, Roman Quinn, Odubel Herrera, and Aaron Alther, only one of whom (Vierling) figures to be on a major league roster come spring. In Marsh, however, the Phillies brass is hoping they have finally found their long-term solution to the position that has plagued them since Shane Victorino was traded to the Dodgers in the middle of the 2012 season.
A year ago, the Phillies entered the season crossing their fingers that either Vierling or Mickey Moniak would seize the position. When neither one did, they turned to a guy, Odubel Herrera, who they’d probably wished would never appear in a Phillies uniform again after an ugly start to his 2019 season turned even uglier. None of the options the Phillies ran out there were particularly effective.
In the end, GM Dave Dombrowski had seen enough, and he pulled the trigger on a trade-deadline deal with the Los Angeles Angels for Marsh in exchange for the team’s number three prospect, catcher Logan O’Hoppe.
Marsh was well regarded within the Angels organization, which took the three-sport athlete out of Buford, Georgia, in the second round of the 2016 draft. A series of injuries had slowed his ascent to the majors, but the team remained bullish on his defense and believed that the 6’ 4”, 215 pound Marsh would eventually find his groove at the plate. By the time he was called up to the majors in July of 2021, he was the organization’s top prospect.
Sadly, his debut came about three months too late to share it with his father. Jake Marsh had passed away of cancer in April at age 50. Shortly afterwards, Brandon’s best friend, Jacob Cardiello, died unexpectedly of undisclosed causes. When Brandon took the field for the first time as a major leaguer, a group of his family and friends from Georgia were there to support him — along with Cardiello’s football jersey and an urn containing Jake’s ashes. Brandon determined to play that season for his father and his friend.
In 70 games that year, Marsh slashed .254/.317/.356, belting two home runs and stealing six bases. In 2022, while playing all three outfield positions, his numbers declined through 93 games with the Angels as he slashed just .226/.284/.353, although his home run rate did increase to one every 36.5 at bats from one in every 118 at bats in 2021.
Despite his relatively anemic offense, the Phillies liked what they saw in his defense, which was above average speed, smart route running (something Herrera seemed particularly inept at), and an arm that ranked in the 72nd percentile of the league. That, combined with the belief that they had identified a few swing fixes that could tap into his potential at the plate, was enough to convince Dombrowski to make the deal.
Phillies hitting coach Kevin Long immediately went to work on Marsh. He convinced Marsh to eliminate the double toe tap that Long felt was messing up his timing. He also had Marsh widen his stance, crouch a little more, and start with his hands further back so that the bat would remain in the strike zone longer. The gist of his advice? Keep things simple.
Long might not have turned Marsh into the second coming of Richie Ashburn, but the results were promising. On top of his expectedly solid defense, Marsh went 8 for his first 32 (.250) through twelve appearances with the Phillies, including a 2-hit game in a 13-1 romp over the Nationals on August 7.
Then, after a trip on the 10-day disabled list from an injury suffered climbing the wall in Cincinnati and nearly robbing Jonathan India of a home run, Marsh heated up. He stroked .294 in 102 at bats the rest of the way, finishing with a split of .288/.319/.455 with the Phillies — 27, 12 and 29 percent higher, respectively, than he’d hit with Los Angeles.
Marsh had solidified the centerfield position for the Phillies both offensively and defensively. His OPS of .774 was higher than any centerfielder for the team since Scott Kingery’s .789 OPS in 2019. (Yes, the same Scott Kingery who is currently playing for Triple-A Lehigh Valley under a lamentable $24 million contract.)
It was fitting then that when the Phillies clinched the final wild card spot in Houston on October 3rd, ending the longest playoff drought in the National League, it was Marsh who caught the final out, sprinting in from centerfield to catch the ball in stride.
Marsh would hit just .179 in the postseason, though he would manufacture several big moments that endeared him to Phillies fans, including a monster 397-foot home run to get the scoring started in Game 4 of the NLDS against the Braves. He’d then hit another home run in game three of the World Series—a World Series that many believe the Phillies don’t make if not for the contributions of their new center fielder.
THE BRANDON MARSH MOMENT
Originally tweeted by Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) on October 15, 2022.
As important as his on-field exploits will be to the Phillies going forward, Marsh’s fit in the clubhouse will be just as vital to a team that thrives on chemistry and camaraderie. Having just turned 25, he is the youngest player on the team — younger even than Alec Bohm, Bryston Stott, and the other members of the so-called “Phillies Daycare.”
A self-confessed “weirdo,” Marsh comes across as earnest and somewhat shy in media interviews, but around his teammates he is known to rap DMX lyrics, bark like a dog, and even howl like Chewbacca.
Speaking of which, with his long, wild beard (perhaps the longest in the league) and even longer, wilder hair (which he insists on wetting intermittently throughout the game so that it remains consistently damp), he is reminiscent of former Phillies outfielder Jayson Werth, if not Chewbacca himself. Which is to say that he certainly looks the part of a big league baseball player.
But is he the type of player that can lockdown center field for the Phillies for years to come? To do so, he will have to cut back on last year’s strikeout percentage of 34.3%, one of the very worst in the league. That’s a function of both chasing too many balls and whiffing on too many pitches, a deadly combination that afflicts many players as they transition from the minors.
He’ll also have to learn how to hit left handed pitching, especially now that the Phillies traded away Matt Vierling, who platooned with Marsh after he came over from the Angels. The Phillies’ trade of Vierling seems to indicate a vote of confidence that Marsh will eventually learn to hit lefties, but his .188 against them last year offers little evidence to support such an endorsement.
The good news is that the Phillies can afford to be patient. In a lineup that features Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, JT Realmuto, Rhys Hoskins, Nick Castellanos and now Trea Turner, Marsh doesn’t have to hit for a high average or drive in a ton of runs. He just has to stay healthy, play solid defense, and continue to show improvement at the plate. If he can steal a few bases and pop a home run every once in a while, those are gravy.
If he can’t do those things, the Phillies don’t have much of a backup plan. They traded away their previous top center field prospect in Mickey Moniak to acquire Noah Syndergaard from the Los Angeles Angels in a separate trade deadline deal. Then there’s Johan Rojas, the 22 year old who is widely considered one of the most talented all around players in the team’s farm system.
Some in the organization believe he could be ready for the big leagues as soon as this year. But given the team’s hesitancy to call up young players too soon and damage their long term progress (see Scott Kingery), they should be content to give Marsh his chance and see what he turns into.
For now, the ceiling for Marsh remains high, and the team is optimistic that they might’ve found their long term solution to center field. One thing that is certain is that based on the last decade or so the bar was set very, very low, and that with his performance in the final months of last season, Brandon Marsh has already raised it.
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