Brandon Marsh's trade deadline story highlights why Phillies have the best clubhouse

Not much was known about Brandon Marsh in the early part of the 2022 season. He had been an everyday outfielder for the Los Angeles Angels since he got called up in 2021.

Marsh was traded at the 2022 deadline to the Philadelphia Phillies on Aug. 2 for catching prospect Logan O'Hoppe. He immediately filled a hole the Phillies desperately needed with an impact bat and a solid glove in center field.

It was a weird time for Marsh. Growing up in Buford, Georgia, Marsh didn't really know anything about Philadelphia besides that the team is in the NL East. Only knowing Anaheim since making his major league debut, heading into a new clubhouse could have been a nerve-racking experience. Enter Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber.

Brandon Marsh's trade deadline story highlights why Phillies have the best clubhouse

In an interview with podcast personality Chris Rose, Marsh talked about Phillies sluggers Harper and Schwarber approaching him when he arrived in Philadelphia for the first time.

"Harper and Schwarber just kind of put their arm around me the second I got in that locker room that day and was like, 'Hey kid, you know I know we don't know much about each other, but we're in a tight pennant race here, so you just got to get in or get out,'" Marsh said of his first-day experience.

"In like an encouraging way, you know," Marsh explained. "It's like, 'We're going to be here every step of the way. We'll be here for you, to help you. If you need anything, you come to us. Let us know. And, you know, but we're going to need you to get to where we want to get to.'"

This goes to show that the Phillies' clubhouse isn't some gimmick that's being manufactured by the media. The players really care and maintain a standard while also supporting the guys around them.

The brotherhood in the clubhouse with leaders like Harper and Schwarber constantly breeds success and trickles into all facets of their game. They have each other's back when they're on a losing skid and especially when they're on the precipice of postseason triumph.

Marsh bought right in and got a return on his investment. During his first half of 2022 with the Angels, Marsh batted .226/.284/.353 with a .637 OPS. After joining the Phillies and letting his hair down in the pressure cooker that Philadelphia can be, he surprised with a .288/.319/.455 and .774 OPS in 41 games.

Marsh went on to talk about how it gives him chills just talking about that first moment in the clubhouse and how it fits seamlessly into the other cool moments he has experienced as a Phillie.

"I'm getting chills right now, everywhere, whole body," Marsh said. "That moment was probably one of my favorite moments since coming over here, and there's been a lot of cool moments. Knowing of Schwarber and Harper but not knowing them personally and them coming over there and doing that to me and taking all the pressure, anxiety away."

Marsh has become a personality that fans adore, with him being adopted into the Phillies Daycare and with his hair-wetting ritual. It's the camaraderie in the clubhouse that allows these players to shine with their play and with their character.