Brandon Marsh: The Center Fielder Philadelphia Deserves

Philadelphia Phillies center fielder Brandon Marsh has finally begun to round into form. Can he keep up his hot streak?

Brandon Marsh wasn't the flashiest signing the Philadelphia Phillies could have made at the deadline. The greasy-haired, Civil War-bearded 24-year-old was a confounding choice for a team in contention.

Marsh didn't appear on deadline day prediction boards or top market center fielders, because to almost everyone, it wouldn't seem like Marsh should have been shopped.

Just a year and a half removed from being MLB's no. 53 overall prospect, Marsh still had an air of uncertainty about him. Though he had struggled so far in his short big league career, it was apparent his floor and ceiling were high.

Marsh had already blossomed into a great defensive player. Though he had spent much of his playing time in left field due to one Los Angeles Angels' outfielder from Millville, N.J. taking playing time in center.

His floor is exactly why Marsh is so important to the Phillies. Going through players like Odúbel Herrera, Scott Kingery, Adam Haseley, Mickey Moniak and Matt Vierling in center the past several years, they all have one thing in common: none play elite defense.

Each of those players relies on their hitting to provide value. Even when Marsh is slumping at the plate, he'll still be playing Gold Glove-defense in center field. Should the Phillies have acquired Bryan Reynolds or Cedric Mullins at the trade deadline, they'd still need to rely on the hitting of those players to make up the bulk of their value.

The catch with Marsh is that he still has to potential to eclipse the value of a Reynolds or a Mullins.

In his final minor league season, Marsh slashed .255/.364/.468, albeit in only 110 plate appearances, but that slash still gives us a baseline on what to expect from peak potential-Marsh.

His eye is above average, his blazing speed will allow him to stretch singles into doubles and doubles into triples, and he even has the power to knock 12-18 homers a year.

Confirmed: Brandon Marsh is quite fast pic.twitter.com/11AtlnIWgO

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) September 1, 2022

There's a great player in Marsh still waiting to come out of its cocoon, and the Phillies might just be beginning to see that butterfly emerge.

In 51 plate appearances for the Phillies, Marsh has slashed .286/.314/.429 for a 107 OPS+. His year-to-date average exit velocity is 88.7 mph, but in his month with the Phillies that figure is 91.9 mph.

Its seems like hitting coach Kevin Long has already begun to break through with Marsh. It's widely known that the Angels have struggled to develop young talent, evident in the fact that they have two generational talents and a .435 winning percentage.

Is unlocking Marsh's hitting ability as simple as moving to a new organization?

Marsh certainly thinks so. Immediately upon his arrival in Philadelphia, the Phillies' new center fielder sought out Long and began working on his timing at the plate. According to an article in The Philadelphia Inquirer from Alex Coffey, Marsh felt an "immediate difference."

“It’s literally just get the foot down, and just let your body work,” Marsh said. "I just had a lot more moving parts [before]. Leg kick, toe tap, hands doing a couple of things. I wasn’t on time for anything, but when I was on time, it was great."

From his first several weeks in Philadelphia it's apparent that Marsh can be a difference maker. In four games since returning from injury, he has six hits in 17 plate appearances, including a triple and a home run.

If Marsh can start 2023 the way he's ended 2022, the Phillies may have picked up one of the best center fielders in baseball.

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