With a plethora of injuries plaguing the roster, the Los Angeles Angels have gotten the opportunity to take a longer look at some of their younger players.
As Mike Trout continues to work his way back from a Grade 2 calf strain, the likes of Jo Adell and Brandon Marsh have benefitted with regular playing time.
Adell will be a starter at one of the corner outfield spots until Trout returns and looks like a completely different player offensively after struggling mightily last season. Marsh on the other hand is now the everyday center fielder but hasn’t been quite as successful at the plate.
Angels manager Joe Maddon reiterated his confidence that Marsh will turn things around but wants to see him make a few adjustments with his swing, per Daniel Guerrero of MLB.com:
“We just got to get him out there and continue to play him,” Maddon said. “He also needs to make a little bit of an adjustment that they’re working on right now. Nothing staggering; it happens to a lot of young players when they get an opportunity. I have a lot of faith in him and his athleticism, so let’s just see what happens with the early work today and see if we could carry it into the game.”
Marsh, the No. 35 prospect in all of baseball according to MLB Pipeline, began the 2021 season with Triple-A Salt Lake and tore the cover off the ball to the tune of a .255/.364/.468 slash line in 24 games.
Marsh was promoted to the Majors last month but has yet to find any consistency as he enters play Friday batting a weak .173/.271/.240 with five doubles and no home runs in 85 plate appearances over 25 games.
It remains to be seen if and when Trout will return this season, but until that point, Marsh figures to continue getting valuable reps in center field with the hope of eventually turning a corner offensively.
Marsh has quietly started to heat up at the plate over the last week of play as he is 4-for-his-last-12 with one double and three walks dating back to Aug. 8.
Marsh: Getting called up to Angels one of ‘the best days ever’
Shortly after getting called up to the Angels last month, Marsh revealed he was first informed of the decision by Salt Lake Bees manager Lou Marson. The 23-year-old was emotional during the conversation and deemed it one of the best moments of his life.