The Los Angeles selected Brandon Marsh in the second round of the 2016 MLB Draft, and after stringing together a couple of successful Minor League seasons, he emerged as one of the organization’s top prospects.
Marsh made his big league debut in 2021 and ended up taking on a bigger role than expected because of injuries. He hit a respectable .254/.317/.356 with 12 doubles, three triples, two home runs and 19 RBI in 70 games, but most of his contributions came on the defensive side.
Marsh opened the 2022 season as the Angels’ primary right fielder, but also saw time in left field and center field. He got off to a good start offensively, batting .286/.354/.446 with five extra-base hits and 15 RBI in 18 games during the month of April.
Unfortunately for Marsh, his inconsistency at the plate would resurface as posted an on-base plus slugging of .672 in May and just .482 the following month.
Marsh continued to struggle in July, and when the Angels fell out of playoff contention, they dealt him to the Philadelphia Phillies at the MLB trade deadline in exchange for catching prospect Logan O’Hoppe.
Marsh experienced a bounce back with his new team as he hit .288/.319/.455 with nine doubles, two triples, three home runs and 15 RBI in 41 games.
The 25-year-old’s hot bat carried over to the postseason, as he hit a pivotal three-run homer in the Phillies’ National League Division Series victory over the Atlanta Braves.
All-in-all, Marsh batted .179/.273/.410 with three doubles, two home runs and five RBI in 45 plate appearances over 16 playoff games.
In 134 games between the Angels and Phillies, Marsh slashed .245/.295/.384 with 18 doubles, four triples, 11 home runs, 52 RBI and 10 stolen bases across 461 plate appearances.
Marsh was a finalist for the Rawlings Gold Glove Award among American League left fielders, but the honor went to the Cleveland Guardians’ Steven Kwan.
Brandon Marsh 2022 highlight
Marsh enjoyed his best performance of the 2022 season on June 10 against the New York Mets, when he went 3-for-4 with a pair of home runs and three RBI in the Angels’ 7-3 loss.
With the Phillies, Marsh went 4-for-4 with one double, one triple and three RBI in a 5-3 loss to the Miami Marlins.
2023 outlook
After benefitting from a change of scenery, Marsh will look to keep the momentum going as he enters his first full season with the Phillies. He is currently projected to platoon with Dalton Guthrie in center field and presumably will receive most of his opportunities against right-handed pitching.
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