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Brandon Marsh Continues to Rake at the Plate
By Luke Arcaini
Published:
The title of this article is simple, but true. Brandon Marsh rakes, and it’s becoming more and more obvious every day.
Marsh is now hitting .336 this season, the fourth-best batting average across Major League Baseball. He had another 3-hit night in the Phillies’ 6-3 win over the Athletics on Wednesday night, with all three hits coming off of a lefty.
“He’s just continued what’s going on with him,” Mattingly said postgame on Wednesday night. “Swinging the bat well, and just continues to swing the bat well against lefties and righties. We’re starting to talk about him almost every night almost. We want to keep riding that, swinging the bat good. He’s a big part of what we’re doing right now.”
Marsh is hitting .500 to start the month of May, with six hits in the first two games of the A’s series. For a team that has struggled to find consistent outfield play over the last few seasons, Marsh has been a guy that the Phillies can trust, and that hasn’t stopped through the first 37 games of this season.
The 28-year-old is on pace for 125 at-bats against left-handed pitching this season, which would be 50 more ABs than 2025. He’s 7 for 25 on the year (.280) against southpaws and looks as comfortable as ever against them. The Phillies have been giving Marsh his run at lefties, which is something they’ve had a shorter leash with in the past.
A player in Marsh’s situation could start to press at the plate when he’s facing a lefty. He’s had to prove that he can consistently hit, or competitively face, left-handed pitching in the past.
But Marsh is treating it just like any other at-bat.
“You just gotta, gotta treat it just like it’s a right-hander,” Marsh said to reporters postgame. “You know, that’s the best advice I was given coming up. So, yeah, ya know, it’s tough, it’s a tough situation, but it’s part of it. So it just, it makes it more beautiful when you succeed.”
I’ll continue to give Marsh his flowers for not just this year, but the turnaround of his career since coming to Philadelphia. The strikeout numbers are high, and the centerfield defense isn’t always the best. But Marsh has played an above-average left-field and has been an above-average hitter against right-handed pitching since he’s come to Philadelphia. Now, he’s getting the chance to do it more against lefties as well, and he’s making the most of it.
“I still feel like the same guy. Sticking to a good routine, preparing as much as I can. You know, whatever happens out there at 6:40, that’s what happens.” – Marsh
Luke Arcaini covers the Phillies for Crossing Broad. The wave is the worst thing is sports. Follow him on Twitter @ArcainiLuke