It has been quite the roller coaster ride for the Philadelphia Phillies. There have been some highs and lows to start this 2023 season. One of those highs has been the emergence of centerfielder Brandon Marsh.
He was acquired by the Phillies last year via trade with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The 25-year-old has been on fire to start the season. He is leading the team with a .337 batting average and has a Major League Baseball-leading four triples. This is all on top of another four home runs and a and National League-leading 1.062 OPS (on-base percentage & slugging percentage).
This is no surprise to Phillies manager Rob Thomason. He said in a recent interview,
"“We saw it almost immediately. It wasn’t too long after we got him that we started to see improvement. He’s continued that work, and he’s getting better at it as time goes on.”"Andy Jasner- FanNation
This has been a welcomed surprise for Philadelphia. Newly signed free-agent superstar shortstop Trea Turner has struggled so far this season and the team has been without their biggest contributor, Bryce Harper. That part will be changing soon as it is being reported that Harper will be joining the lineup Tuesday night in Los Angeles against the Dodgers.
For his efforts, Major League Baseball recognized some of the players who have been producing hot starts in the first “month” during March/April. The graphic below shows Philadelphia Phillies starting centerfielder as one of the best players in the game right now.
Hot starts for these guys!
— MLB (@MLB) May 1, 2023
Our first Team of the Month of 2023. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/rbCXLlsKzM
Hopefully, this will continue in the following months and help move the team up the NL East standings. They are currently in fourth place and 4.5 games behind the Atlanta Braves.