Philadelphia Phillies: The trade for Brandon Marsh is paying off in a big way

The Philadelphia Phillies traded for who to play center field? It was a thought many had at the deadline when it was Brandon Marsh the team pegged as their starting center fielder for the remainder of 2022. A position of need for them throughout much of the year and even a few seasons now, the team parted ways with Odubel Herrera while simultaneously picking up Marsh from the Angels.

Marsh joined the Phillies as a lifetime .239/.299/.354 hitter with a rough start to his 2022 campaign in Anaheim. However, he was a different style of player from many others on the roster. He could play defense and had some good speed.

At the cost of catching prospect Logan O’Hoppe, who clearly wouldn’t have a major league path because of J.T. Realmuto, the Phillies may have executed one of their better trade deadline deals of all time.

The Philadelphia Phillies’ deadline deal for Brandon Marsh has been a massive success.

At 24 and with years of control left, the Phillies can build with Marsh as their center fielder going forward. He had an impressive 41-game stint with them in the regular season resulting in a .288/.319/.455 slash line. He offered them competency at a position of great need.

Even more important than the regular season performance is what Marsh has given the Phillies in the postseason. While sharing the position with righty Matt Vierling, Marsh has managed to hit .308 in his first 13 playoff at-bats. He has a home run and a pair of doubles, too. Only Bryce Harper is hitting better than a guy who is regularly finding himself batting ninth in the Phillies lineup.

Marsh seems to fit in well with the current Phillies team that has a bit of “macho row” in it. His ZZ Top beard matches the mentality of the players who seem to have embraced all of the doubters—specifically, proving each of them wrong.

Marsh may not have the upside of hitting .250 with 30 home runs and 100 RBI like so many of his teammates. Instead, he’s a higher-average, lower-power guy that can steal runs with his glove. He might be batting at the bottom of the order right now. Soon enough, the complete opposite could happen.

There are places where Marsh can improve. He’s not a good OBP guy by any measure. Right now, the Philadelphia Phillies just need a couple of big hits. His job is to turn the lineup over. So far, so great!