How the Phillies’ Brandon Marsh evolved from lovable goofball to impact hitter while staying true to hi

WASHINGTON, D.C. — At first, Brandon Marsh was kind of a bit.

It was autumn 2022, and the Philadelphia Phillies were an unstoppable baseball joy ride overflowing with colorful personalities. A booze-soaked backup catcher who rarely played. A center fielder who handed out cigarettes after playoff wins. A guy nicknamed Wolfie because he howled in the shower. It was enough bro-tastic bravado to make a frat house blush.

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But none of it was as visually striking, as loud or as unapologetically offbeat as Marsh.

Here was this hirsute, hippie-looking character built like an SEC wideout who barked at his teammates, poured water on his head before every inning and hollered intricate rap lyrics to nobody in particular. On a team of established megastars such as Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber, Marsh was thought of as a character first, a ballplayer second.

Four years on, Marsh is still that guy, a lovable goofball with an infectious energy and a zest for life. He’s also something entirely different: an impact hitter on a team that needs him to be one.

Now 28 years old, the gregarious outfielder is enjoying the best season of his career. He’s hitting .321, the fifth-highest mark in MLB. His .860 OPS is 10th among qualified outfielders. Always skilled at elevating the baseball, Marsh currently leads the league in something called “Launch Angle Sweetspot Percentage,” a dorky jambalaya of a statistic that rates how often a player makes contact at optimal angles. In a month’s time, he will almost certainly appear in his first All-Star Game at his home ballpark.

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The potential was always there.

Marsh was acquired at the 2022 deadline from the Angels for Logan O’Hoppe, then a big-time prospect and now Anaheim’s No. 1 catcher. Upon Marsh’s arrival, the Phillies had high hopes for the former second-round pick, a two-sport athlete from a Georgia high school. Marsh, only 24 at the time, would contribute to that season’s playoff push, yes, but he would also be around for the long haul. Philadelphia’s front office believed the über-physical outfielder could develop into a needle-moving player.

Four years later, Marsh has rewarded that faith. But like all successful ballplayers, he’s doing everything in his power to stay even-keeled.

“Once you put your head on that pillow,” the self-proclaimed weirdo told Yahoo Sports before a recent game, “it really doesn’t mean anything. Next day, next page.”

Marsh attributes his run of on-field success to a change in mentality that he adopted after returning from a rehab stint in Triple-A last May. The lefty swinger had gotten off to an abysmal start to the season before a hamstring issue put him on the injured list. He appeared in six Triple-A games, a longer-than-normal rehab stint, before being recalled to the bigs. It was a convenient opportunity for a reset.

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When he showed back up in Philly, Marsh realized he’d been trying too hard, wanting it too much, letting all the expectations, both internal and external, weigh him down. So he decided to think less and let his athleticism take over in the batter’s box. He also put more of an emphasis on learning from the armada of superstars with whom he shares a clubhouse. Copy their routines, their attitudes, their mindsets, he thought, and see where it leads.

“I know I can’t be Kyle Schwarber. I know I can’t be Bryce Harper. But I can be me,” Marsh said. “So I’m learning from the dudes that are paving the path for me.”

Being himself hasn’t always been the simplest thing. Marsh is a different cat who moves through life with a unique rhythm. Early on during his Phillies career, that led to his getting pigeon-holed as the resident goofball, a whimsical circus act who also happened to play baseball.

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“The image that was portrayed was me as a class clown,” Marsh admitted. “But at the time, that was my role. I also don’t feel like I’m light-years away from that now. I feel like that’s still part of my role — being a kid, keeping it loose.”

That’s a delicate balance, one he’s constantly working on. There were times in the past when it seemed Marsh was letting his reputation as a lighthearted character push him to overcompensate and assume an overly-serious approach to his work. That led to slumps, struggles and less playing time against left-handed pitching.

But this older, wiser version of Marsh has a better handle on that dynamic. Being a successful big leaguer means juggling all these sometimes contradictory ideas — humility, confidence, calm and, in Marsh’s case, boundless oddball energy.

Asked how he parses through it all, Marsh pointed to a tattoo on the inside of his left forearm that reads “believe.” Brandon’s sister, Erin, a professional heptathlete, has the exact same tattoo. The word was a mantra their father, Jake Jr., who passed away from cancer in 2021, repeated often.

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“My dad used to always say, just believe. Whatever you believe in, believe in it, and stay true to it. That was what our father preached to us.”