‘I’ve always seen it in him’ – Phillies Nation

PHILADELPHIA — Brandon Marsh did something on Friday he had never done in his Phillies career: Hit a home run against a left-handed starting pitcher.

His last home run against a southpaw starter came on July 16, 2022, just a couple weeks before he was traded over from the Los Angeles Angels. In five seasons with the Phillies, Marsh has less than 100 plate appearances against left-handed starters.

He is getting more regular looks now against lefties out of necessity. The Phillies have yet to find a solid platoon partner for him. And at this point, he’s too good to keep on the bench no matter who the Phillies are facing.

They have been patiently waiting to see this version of Marsh.

“To be honest with you, I’ve always seen it,” Kyle Schwarber said.

2026 is not a breakout year for Marsh. He has been a very good player since his arrival in Philadelphia. His .794 OPS since the trade is third among all Phillies players (min. 1,500 plate appearances) behind Schwarber and Bryce Harper. It’s at .849 this year. He is simply reaching another level.

His flaws are well documented. From 2021 to 2024, only five qualified major league hitters struck out at a higher rate than Marsh. He has cut that rate this year down to 22.8% simply by swinging more. He has swung at 53% of all pitches he has seen, by far the highest percentage of his career. In 2024, Marsh swung at just 41.3% of all pitches he saw.

He is maximizing his contact abilities. This year, Marsh is running a .411 batting average on balls in play. It’s also well documented that he is second behind Ty Cobb in MLB history in career BABIP (min 2,000 plate appearances), a stat usually associated with luck. But the sample size is big enough to conclude there is more to it than that. Marsh can hit. As of now, he leads the league in batting average at .332. If he keeps it up, he has a real chance at winning the National League batting title.

Maybe it’s not as crazy as it sounds.

“I know lot of guys have seen it in him,” Schwarber said. “There’s such a high ceiling. Yes, he’s tapping into it. Not saying that this is the best version of him. There could be a way better version of him. You never know, right?”

It’s high praise coming from Schwarber. Both are very different hitters with similar career arcs. Schwarber and Marsh were both highly touted prospects that stagnated with their original team. Marsh struggled in Anaheim while the Chicago Cubs let go of Schwarber after two bad months during the COVID year. Both were in platoon roles as younger players.

Then their careers changed when they got with hitting coach Kevin Long. Schwarber put up his first season with an OPS over .900 with Long in Washington in his age 28 season. Marsh improved immediately under Long’s guidance. Marsh’s best year is also coming in his age 28 season.

“Kyle’s a guy that a lot of us look up to in this clubhouse,” Marsh said. “Feel like a lot of dudes in the league look up to him too. Hearing something like that from a guy like him is very special. Going to keep that one, store it and save it forever. He’s a 10 out of 10 dude and player.”

There is still a long way to go, but so far, Marsh has avoided an elongated slump. The numbers make him an intriguing candidate for the All-Star Game in Philadelphia. For someone that wasn’t even on the ballot last year, consider that an accomplishment.