Phillies’ Brandon Marsh took batting practice on the field Monday afternoon, like he does before every game. He went through his work with his group, made some jokes when waiting his turn, and then helped clean up balls for the next group.
Early struggles for Brandon Marsh
Always a friendly and positive individual, Marsh is one of the more popular guys as he walks off the field – whether a media member looking for a fun quote, or a fan lucky enough to get to witness BP down on the field, someone is always ready to talk to Brandon. This time, there was a group of us with notebooks and phones in hand. There was a different vibe, but that’s because the worst-kept secret in Philadelphia is that Marsh is struggling at the plate. When you consider the start he got off to last season, and the lack of outfield depth, his snail-paced start to 2025 feels amplified.
“The game is very, very tough” Marsh first told reporters. “It’ll bring you down, break you down and bring you up when you least expect it, so you know – I just got to keep a positive mindset and you know, just really keep your head in the work.“
Marsh is no stranger to struggles – no major league ballplayer is. How the team approaches that is truly dependent on the individual and how bad the struggles are, or what they are. Manager Rob Thomson was asked about the difference in how he decides what approach to take. Nick Castellanos, for example, stayed in the lineup every day and played through struggles a season ago. Marsh will have to take a few days – but why? Thomson elaborated on why he is taking a slightly different approach this time, before Monday’s contest:
“I just read the emotional state of the player and I think he’s really thinking about it and he really feels like he’s let his teammates down,” Thomson said. “He’s putting a lot of pressure on himself to do well and when you get to that point, I think it’s time just to relax.“
Philadelphia is a tight knit group of veteran ballplayers, the support system is there. Brandon knows it – he relies on it. He told media he’s been talking with the guys. “We have a team full of veterans that I look up to tremendously on and off the field, so you know I’ve been talking with Kyle a lot, Casty a lot, Kevin, our hitting coach, and you know everyone’s been chiming in trying to help me.”
The Phillies remain supportive
It’s not always pulling from the established stars, but when the clubhouse is as supportive as this one is, you can pull from every guy on the roster, from 1-through-26. I asked Kody Clemens prior to the game what conversations with the Phillies struggling sluggers has looked like.
“I’ve told them that I believe in the law of averages. We all have had thousands of at-bats over our careers, and those two (Marsh and Alec Bohm) have proven to hit .260, .270 and be very, very good players – and It’s all mental. You got to just trust yourself and have confidence and know that you’re a good player in the box and have that confidence versus that pitcher, whoever it is…”
The current plan, according to Thomson, is for Marsh to ride the pine and watch – for the most part – over the next two games. With a left-handed pitcher scheduled for Thursday, it may be three. He will be ready, and Topper wouldn’t reveal his overall game plan, but noted that Marsh would be available off the bench.
Bench is not a role the affable outfielder has held in recent years. Typically a platoon player with the potential to play every day, Marsh has been able to get hitting advice from veterans and living legends, spending the early part of his career with the Angels and playing outside Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout. His struggles against left-handed pitching seem to be shared by most of the left-handed hitters on the club right now, but Brandon has some special advice from a special player to lean on.
During a conversation I had with him back in July of 2024, he talked about a conversation he had with Ohtani on how to approach and prepare against a lefty:
“I remember Shohei telling me one time – the way he hits lefties is the same way he hits righties, they just throw from a little bit more to the right side of his eye sight. It’s a right-hander up there throwing in his mind, but it’s a lefty in reality. At the end of the day they have to throw the ball over the plate. So yes, it’s hard to hit lefties, but it’s really hard to hit righties too. Hitting is hard in general.”
Of course, this is coming from one of the best hitters we have ever seen – so easier said than done. But Marsh knows he needs to put the work in, and he knows what it takes. Like we established – he’s not new to any of this: success, struggles, and everything in between. He knows what it takes to succeed at the big league level, and he’s always known what it takes to play here in Philly. Marsh spoke to what it takes during that conversation last season, and he reminded me that nothing’s changed:
“Playing here in Philly, you gotta play hard no matter if you’re doing good, doing bad, or in between – you gotta play hard and your effort level has got to be up.” Marsh told me on that July afternoon. “So these people come out and they want to see us grind out there, you know, they want to see us working…results are hard to hang your head on. It’s a game of failure… play hard and the success will come, and you just gotta play hard for these guys that come out to watch us.”
While this messaging still applies, that was last year. New seasons bring new challenges, and Marsh isn’t the only one struggling. Thomson gave some insight into the conversations he’s had with his entire club. He feels “they’re just trying to do too much…they have to get back to doing what we were doing earlier in the year and getting good pitches to hit and controlling the strike zone, and using the entire field.”
The season is young, so there is plenty of time for players to get right. No decisions are imminent. Thomson said pregame that players really need more like 150 at-bats before you can truly evaluate and determine if a change is needed. For this week, at least, Brandon gets a chance to reset himself mentally and continue to put in the work to contribute over the long term this season.
Mandatory Credit: Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images
