Brandon Marsh is ‘locked in right now' for the Phillies: ‘It's the best feeling'

New York Times

6 hours ago

PHILADELPHIA — Moments before the Philadelphia Phillies scored two runs in a straight-from-a-movie play at the plate, Trea Turner found Brandon Marsh in the dugout. He had forgotten to tell him something earlier in the week. The six-run inning in a win that catapulted Philadelphia back to first place will be remembered for J.T. Realmuto drafting Nick Castellanos as they scampered home together and scored in succession like synchronized swimmers, but Marsh started the whole thing.
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He saw a 2-2 fastball down the middle at 98 mph, and he was a little late. But he drove it to the opposite field for a double, his third hit of the night, to begin the seventh inning. Marsh wasn't there long; Turner doubled to score him. The Phillies soon cruised to a 10-2 win over the New York Mets.
That's the two for one special pic.twitter.com/TWOhnXzaI9
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) June 21, 2025
As they piled on the runs, Turner remembered what he had wanted to tell Marsh.
'I meant to tell you this the other day, but just keep doing what you're doing,' Turner said. 'You look really good. At-bats have been unbelievable.'
Now, after the fact, Turner shook his head.
'I mean,' he said, 'you look up and he's hitting .250 with a .350 on-base, and I'm like, 'Oh, my God.''
It's jarring, considering where Marsh was recently. He slogged through a hitless streak of 31 at-bats in April. He was hurt, then unremarkable to begin May. His playing time was sporadic. His play in center field was (and still is) not as good as the Phillies expected.
Still, he's giving them something. It is all the Phillies have ever wanted from whoever is playing in center field, a position that often feels as if it's cursed for this franchise. But in June, Phillies center fielders have a .788 OPS. Most of that is Marsh. He is hitting .400/.450/.543 in 40 plate appearances. A small sample.
Since the beginning of May, it's .333/.400/.440 in 95 plate appearances. He has not always hit for power, but he's doing something.
Turner, as the leadoff hitter, has a good view from the on-deck circle whenever Marsh is batting.
'He's hitting the ball the other way really, really well,' Turner said. 'He hit some balls in Miami that he got out on. I mean, like, man, they're such good swings. Just feels so consistent. He takes his walks. He's still pulling the ball at times, too. It looks really good right now. I think that makes a huge difference, especially in the nine-hole, and getting on base for whoever's after him. I think it's big.'
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The Phillies have outfield decisions to make in the next 40 days; all indications are the club will be most aggressive in pursuing bullpen depth. It could shop again for a capable right-handed platoon bat, but center field is such a barren position across the sport. The Phillies' best chance — just as it was in 2023 and 2024 — is from within. They held firm on their center fielders, Marsh and Johan Rojas, at both trade deadlines.
If Marsh keeps producing, they'll probably do that again this season.
'He's locked in right now,' Phillies manager Rob Thomson said.
It wasn't just the double that sparked the seventh-inning rally. Marsh batted in the fourth inning with two outs and runners on first and third. The Phillies had just taken the lead, and New York went to its only lefty reliever, José Castillo, to face Marsh.
Marsh fell behind 0-2. He poked a slider below the strike zone into shallow left field for a run-scoring single. It was his first 0-2 hit against a lefty since April 2, 2024. Marsh reached first base and looked to the sky.
The previous day in Miami, Marsh had gone 0-for-3 with three hard-hit outs. One went 375 feet, another 365 feet. Nothing.
'I was just like, 'OK, I feel a bloop coming here pretty soon,'' Marsh said. 'And that was just like the thank you to the baseball gods.'
He was rewarded.
'Don't press too much and blow up over three good at-bats when you get nothing to show for it,' Marsh said. 'Kept the head up and smiled all the way back here to Philly today.'
That mindset, Turner said, is something Marsh deserves praise for following. There will be more ups and downs in the summertime, but Marsh went through some of the lowest lows he's had in the majors to begin the season. It never really felt like he had emerged from it until the last few weeks when he became pickier at the plate. The walks came, and then he started using the opposite field. His best friend on the team, Alec Bohm, has emerged from a similar slow beginning to the season.
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'I don't know enough credit is given to him and Bohm from where they were two months ago,' Turner said, 'and how much everyone hated them and wanted them out of here to how good they've been.'
It's why Turner wanted to deliver his message to Marsh in the dugout.
'That's encouraging, you know?' Marsh said. 'That's really cool, someone like that, who players like myself look up to, saying something like that's pretty cool.'
There was something almost cathartic about the seventh inning. It does not atone for how the Mets brushed aside the Phillies in last October's National League Division Series. But erasing a five-game deficit in the standings over 10 days counts for something. The ballpark was filled. It was muggy. Realmuto slapped Castellanos on the butt after the home-plate umpire issued a rare double-safe signal. Everyone laughed about the play. They had fun.
Especially Marsh.
'It's awesome,' he said. 'It's the best feeling, especially against a good team like that in the division. We're just going to keep feeding off each other, and that's what we did. We needed it.'