The Los Angeles Angels are seeing a familiar face with the Philadelphia Phillies in town this week for a three-game series. Former Angels outfielder Brandon Marsh has officially made his return to Angel Stadium for the first time since he was traded from the Angels to the Phillies in the middle of the 2022 season.
The former Angels second-round pick in the 2016 MLB Draft was one of the team's top prospects for years, and was expected to be a cornerstone piece on the team for years. Instead, he was traded to the Phillies just over a season after he made his MLB debut in 2021.
For Marsh, everything has ended up working out. He's grown into a much more consistent role with the Angels, and has simply fit in well with the team. “It’s all changed for the better,” Marsh said, via The Athletic's Matt Gelb. “I mean, I’m super happy and blessed.”
Marsh arrived in Philadelphia at the perfect time, joining a team that turned the corner and made the playoffs in 2022 for the first time since 2011. He helped them advance to the World Series, where they lost to the Houston Astros.
Thanks to this trade, Marsh has now gotten to play for a winner over the last two years, advancing to at least the NLCS in both seasons. The Phillies look primed to contend once again, heading into this series with a 19-10 record, although they dropped the first game of the series on Monday night. This is in comparison to the Angels, who have not made the playoffs since 2014 and are off to a 11-18 start this year, including Monday night's win.
“I’m showing up to the yard knowing what I’m going to get,” Marsh said, via Gelb. “In Anaheim, it was a little different situation. We weren’t winning as much as we were here. Here, we have a plan. A process. We know who’s hitting. We know who’s going to play.”
Marsh has seemed to find that there is much more of a plan with the Phillies than when he was on the Angels. While there is, of course, a new manager for the Angels this season in Ron Washington, Marsh is currently in a better spot to contend in Philadelphia. Still, he's getting a trip down memory lane as he heads back to Angel Stadium.
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