The 2026 season has proven to be a breakout year for Philadelphia Phillies Brandon Marsh, who has been among the best hitters in baseball.
Leading all hitters in batting average (.338), with Miami Marlins shortstop Otto Lopez nipping at his heels (.336), “Marshy” is solidifying his chances to make his first All-Star game in his career.
Brandon Marsh has been one of the hottest hitters in Major League Baseball
Marsh has proven to be one of the best hitters in Major League Baseball this season. Marsh ranks second (.345) to Los Angeles Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani (.379) in the National League for hitting over the last month, leading all National League left fielders in hits (72) and has been on fire to start June.
Through six games to begin the month, the 28-year-old has gotten a hit in every game, with four out of six of the games being multi-hit performances (one a 4-for-4 showing on June 2 versus the San Diego Padres). Marsh has also hit a home run in three straight games (all versus the Chicago White Sox), with one coming off a left-hander, Brandon Eisert.
The Phillies had questioned whether Marsh could hit left-handed pitching this season, which prevented him from being an everyday player. Those questions have subsided, as Marsh has batted .294 and hit two triples in 51 at-bats off left-handers.
Phillies interim manager Don Mattingly has found comfort in playing Marsh every day, with Mattingly noticing that his left fielder is the talk of the city.
“It seems like now we’re starting to talk about him every day,” Mattingly said to Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer. “He’s just swinging the bat, and he continues to swing it. And not only average but power, you know? It’s extra-base hits, he’s driving in runs.”
Brandon Marsh’s teammate, Kyle Schwarber, has always seen his talent
Having the season he is may be a surprise to Phillies fans, but it’s not to someone like Kyle Schwarber, who said Marsh had a “high ceiling.”
“To be honest with you, I’ve always seen it,” he [Schwarber] said to Lochlan March of The Philadelphia Inquirer. “I’ve always seen it in him. I know a lot of guys have always seen it in him. There’s such a high ceiling, and he’s tapping into it. … He’s obviously having really good results, but even just the process of the at-bats, and taking pitches, taking some tough ones, and working deeper counts, too. … I got a lot of belief in him, just like we have a lot of belief in everyone in our room.”
Learning and getting high praise from one of the game’s best hitters has helped Marsh in his development. Schwarber has been with Marsh his whole Phillies career, signing his first deal with the Phillies (four years, $79 million) in the offseason before the 2022 season, and Marsh was acquired in August of that season.
The confidence Marsh has in himself and from his teammates should help in making the All-Star team, as the competition is tough. Marsh’s main competitors are Chicago Cubs’ Ian Happ, Pittsburgh Pirates’ Bryan Reynolds and New York Mets’ Juan Soto.
Happ is leading all left fielders in home runs (14), Reynolds leads in RBI (39) and Soto leads in slugging percentage (.528). If Marsh continues to put up the stats he is for the rest of the month, he could be starting in his home ballpark on July 14.