Philadelphia Phillies: Day Care continues to impress at halfway point of season

Brandon Marsh was acquired last season from the Angels for one of the Phillies top prospects in Logan O’Hoppe. The Phillies had a big void to fill at center field and obtaining a young Gold Glove finalist was a no-brainer. The only question mark to Marsh’s game was his ability to hit. Marsh last season did have his ups and down in Philadelphia but was still a key piece to that World Series run.

While with the Angels, Marsh was batting .226 in 93 games. Marsh had 66 hits in 292 at-bats. Scoring 34 runs and recording 37 RBI, Marsh was a perfect piece to anchor the nine spot in an already star-studded lineup in Philly.

Marsh finished last season with a batting average of .245, with 104 hits, 49 runs, 52 RBI and 11 home runs. After the Wild Card series versus the St Louis Cardinals, Marsh went cold for the Phillies. He went from a .400 batting average to .250 against the Braves and .000 against the Padres. While Marsh did bat .231 against the Astros in the World Series, the question began to loom if he can be a consistent threat in the lineup.

The Phillies ended up acquiring Cristian Pache, a similar player to that of Marsh. Thomson has ended up using the two as a platoon in center field and it hasn’t backfired yet. While Marsh has shown flashes of being able to hit left-handed pitchers, the question still remains if he can be a true threat.

Marsh has been hitting the ball well this season. He has had a few hiccups in the field but his defense has still been extremely solid.

Marsh is currently batting .279 with 67 hits. He also has 32 runs and 32 RBI adding in seven home runs. Marsh has a OBP of .358 and OPS of .820 in 76 games. If Marsh can continue improving his hitting at the plate with batting coach Kevin Long, there is no doubt Marsh could become the everyday center fielder and no longer need to platoon.