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Earlier this season, Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Brandon Marsh seemed invincible. He was challenging for a batting title, and it seemed like he delivered hits whenever the slumping Phillies lineup needed them.
Fast forward to the end of July, and circumstances have changed drastically.
Marsh, who made his first All-Star appearance this season, has now been relegated to a platoon bat, as manager Don Mattingly has twice made the decision to sit him against left-handed pitching over the last week.
His OPS has dipped to .799 on the season after sitting at .890 as recently as June 7. He is hitting just .233 with a .645 OPS against southpaws. On the month of July as a whole, he is slashing .156/.229/.250.
Perhaps it's just a major slide. Or maybe it's Marsh — who owns a lifetime .757 OPS since entering the big leagues in 2021 — finally coming back down to earth.
Whatever the case may be, it's severely hurting Philadelphia, which didn't have a very deep lineup to begin with.
Outside of Marsh, Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper, the Phillies have been searching for offensive answers all year long. They haven't found them. and the fact that Marsh's bat has now gone cold has significantly compounded the problem.
Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Brandon Marsh. Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images.
Philadelphia has long needed outfield help, and it is expected to add an outfielder before the MLB trade deadline. But now, instead of just looking for a decent upgrade, the Phillies may be forced to swing big on someone like Byron Buxton or even Mike Trout.
Otherwise, Philly simply may not have enough juice to survive in an absolutely loaded National League that has swallowed other contending ballclubs in recent weeks.
It's hard to blame Marsh. Again, he has never been a star. He has always just been really solid. Last year, he batted .280 with a .785 OPS, which are very similar to the numbers he has right now. The difference is that, outside of an abysmal start to the campaign, he remained consistent throughout the year and actually turned on the jets during the latter stages of the year instead of falling off a cliff.
The real blame lies within the Phillies' front office, which thought that Adolis Garcia — who managed a .599 OPS in 67 games before being knocked out for the season with a shoulder injury — was the answer to its outfield problems. Heck, you can also criticize Philadelphia for relying heavily on a rookie in Justin Crawford, who owns a .642 OPS.
Marsh's walk rate has also plummeted to a career-worst 5.1 percent. His hard-hit rate is 45.4 percent, below his career average. His soft contact rate (13.4 percent) is the highest of his MLB tenure. His expected batting average is .265. His 112 OPS+ is actually his second-worst mark since arriving in Philly midway through 2022.
It's becoming more and more obvious that Marsh's torrid first couple of months were more of a mirage than a new normal, and now, the Phillies are in desperation mode with the trade deadline just over a week away.
Continue reading...
Fast forward to the end of July, and circumstances have changed drastically.
Marsh, who made his first All-Star appearance this season, has now been relegated to a platoon bat, as manager Don Mattingly has twice made the decision to sit him against left-handed pitching over the last week.
His OPS has dipped to .799 on the season after sitting at .890 as recently as June 7. He is hitting just .233 with a .645 OPS against southpaws. On the month of July as a whole, he is slashing .156/.229/.250.
Perhaps it's just a major slide. Or maybe it's Marsh — who owns a lifetime .757 OPS since entering the big leagues in 2021 — finally coming back down to earth.
Whatever the case may be, it's severely hurting Philadelphia, which didn't have a very deep lineup to begin with.
Outside of Marsh, Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper, the Phillies have been searching for offensive answers all year long. They haven't found them. and the fact that Marsh's bat has now gone cold has significantly compounded the problem.
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Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Brandon Marsh. Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images.
Philadelphia has long needed outfield help, and it is expected to add an outfielder before the MLB trade deadline. But now, instead of just looking for a decent upgrade, the Phillies may be forced to swing big on someone like Byron Buxton or even Mike Trout.
Otherwise, Philly simply may not have enough juice to survive in an absolutely loaded National League that has swallowed other contending ballclubs in recent weeks.
It's hard to blame Marsh. Again, he has never been a star. He has always just been really solid. Last year, he batted .280 with a .785 OPS, which are very similar to the numbers he has right now. The difference is that, outside of an abysmal start to the campaign, he remained consistent throughout the year and actually turned on the jets during the latter stages of the year instead of falling off a cliff.
The real blame lies within the Phillies' front office, which thought that Adolis Garcia — who managed a .599 OPS in 67 games before being knocked out for the season with a shoulder injury — was the answer to its outfield problems. Heck, you can also criticize Philadelphia for relying heavily on a rookie in Justin Crawford, who owns a .642 OPS.
Marsh's walk rate has also plummeted to a career-worst 5.1 percent. His hard-hit rate is 45.4 percent, below his career average. His soft contact rate (13.4 percent) is the highest of his MLB tenure. His expected batting average is .265. His 112 OPS+ is actually his second-worst mark since arriving in Philly midway through 2022.
It's becoming more and more obvious that Marsh's torrid first couple of months were more of a mirage than a new normal, and now, the Phillies are in desperation mode with the trade deadline just over a week away.
Continue reading...
