The Los Angeles Angels have made the decision to promote top prospect Brandon Marsh to the Major League roster on Sunday. Joe Maddon confirmed the decision prior to Sunday’s game against the Seattle Mariners, where Marsh plans to play center field.
Marsh is the Angels’ No. 1 ranked prospect according to MLB, and is the league’s No. 38 overall prospect. He was drafted by the Angels in the second round of the 2016 MLB Amateur Draft and was promoted to Triple-A Salt Lake at the beginning of the 2021 season.
Marsh has played well for the Salt Lake Bees this season, but also dealt with a month-long shoulder injury. He has played 24 games at the Triple-A level and four games at the rookie ball level in the Arizona Complex League.
In those four rookie ball games, Marsh dominated. He went 7-for-14 with a double, a triple, a home run, a four walks. He slashed .500/.611/.929 in this short time. Obviously, his numbers aren’t quite of that level with the Triple-A team.
In the 24 games with the Bees, Marsh slashed .255/.364/.468 for an OPS of .832. Marsh played in the outfield in 14 of these games, serving as the designated hitter in the other 10.
This move from the Angels signifies not only their belief that Marsh is ready to go, but also a need for quality outfielders. Justin Upton and Mike Trout both remain on the mend from injury and could return soon, but the Angels need something productive in their outfield in the meantime.
In the corresponding move, the Angels optioned INF Kean Wong. Until Trout and Upton return, it’s likely that Juan Lagares, Marsh, and Adam Eaton will be the team’s every day outfield.
Angels add Adam Eaton
The Angels clearly took the All-Star break as a chance to address what they felt what a huge need for the rest of the season: their outfield. Beyond calling up Marsh, they signed recently released outfielder Adam Eaton to a Major League deal. Until Trout and Upton are back, it could be Marsh and Eaton playing center and right field, respectively.