This story was excerpted from Todd Zolecki’s Phillies Beat newsletter. Bill Ladson wrote this edition. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
For the first time since joining the Phillies, outfielder Brandon Marsh is no longer in a platooning situation and, to top it off, he’s having the best year of his career.
Entering Monday’s action against the Reds, Marsh has a slash line of .329/.355/.475 with four homers and 22 RBIs. The batting average currently leads all Phillies hitters. Even more impressive is that Marsh is showing signs of improvement against left-handers. A career .215 hitter against southpaws, Marsh has a .250 batting average against them this season and has gone 14-for-43 (.326) in games the Phillies face left-handed starters.
“I’m being stubborn to the routine, the preparation that we do in the cages,” Marsh said. “I’m not thinking a lot out there. I’m trying to trust all the stuff we do behind the scenes. Just letting it happen [once the game starts].”
No, Marsh didn’t go to Driveline Baseball this past winter or called a hitting instructor to improve his swing path. Everything is the same. However, he took a different approach from a mental standpoint: He simply stopped worrying about previous at-bats.
“I was thinking too much, trying to be perfect,” he acknowledged. “I was trying to maybe hit every pitch instead of maybe hitting a couple of them. … It’s another year under my belt. I’m trying to stay in the fight as long as I can. Trust the eyes and the hands, when to swing and when not to swing. Definitely easier said than done. I’m just trying to be the best version of myself and the best guy I can be for the team.”
Interim manager Don Mattingly is not surprised by Marsh’s success in the batter’s box. Based on his talks with hitting coach Kevin Long, Marsh’s season is a carryover from the second half of 2025. After the All-Star break last year, Marsh had a slash line of .302/.354/.527.
“[He is] growing up from the standpoint of more and more game planning where he knows what he wants to do [against pitchers],” Mattingly said. “He has a good swing. All the factors are there for him to be a good hitter. He is going to struggle like everyone else does in different times. But everything trends that he is a good hitter. This is who he is.”
The All-Star Game is at Citizens Bank Park in July. The way things are going for Marsh, don’t be surprised if he is on the National League roster. What would it mean for Marsh to play in the Midsummer Classic in front of the home fans?
“It would be a dream come true. That’s a childhood dream for sure,” he said. “But winning the World Series would be a lot more fun. That’s what is on my mind.”