Remember when the Philadelphia Phillies fanbase was a bit reluctant to see the franchise part with top catching prospect Logan O’Hoppe?
As part of the deal with the Los Angeles Angels, the Phillies received outfielder Brandon Marsh.
While O’Hoppe could still turn out to be a solid player, he was never going to play ahead of J.T. Realmuto.
Marsh had his positive moments with the Phillies after the trade deadline and through the postseason.
After an offseason in which Marsh refined his swing, he has been one of the most improved players in all of Major League Baseball.
The 25-year-old Marsh is 17-for-45 (.378), leads the Phillies with 10 extra-base hits and leads MLB with three triples.
Marsh produced four hits in the 23-hit outburst in what wound up being a 14-3 win over the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday. He looked confident and the swings were consistently smooth.
“It’s incredible,” manager Rob Thomson said. “We saw it almost immediately. It wasn’t too long after we got him that we started to see improvement. He’s continued that work, and he’s getting better at it as time goes on.”
Marsh spent countless hours with hitting coach Kevin Long and the slight changes have been paying huge dividends.
Marsh’s offensive heroics have helped offset the loss of Bryce Harper and Rhys Hoskins in the lineup.
“When we first got him last year, it was ridiculous how few balls he pulled in the air,” Thomson said. “Because he was running at the ball. So, the ball’s coming, his head’s moving, and he could never get out in front. He’d smother it and hit ground balls (to the right side) but couldn’t get the ball in the air. Now he can. Now he’s staying back. He can get the barrel to it, and now he’s starting to pull balls. I don’t think there’s any other secret potion.”
Though the Phillies have scuffled to a 6-10 start, Marsh’s positive energy has spread through the clubhouse.
It’s the only way he knows.
“It’s like that football mentality that I grew up on,” Marsh told reporters. “I feel like I bring the energy every day. It’s one of those things where, psyching all the boys up and psyching myself up to go out to war. It’s been fun screaming out there, and I’m thankful that the guys in here, Topper, they let me be myself. I feel like that helps with performance out there.”
Whatever Marsh continues to do is working. If it keeps going this well, the trade with the Angels will look to be a major win for the Phillies.
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