Approximately a quarter of the way into the 2026 MLB season, Brandon Marsh is delivering the best performance of his career for the Philadelphia Phillies.
The team’s season has been a turbulent ride so far, with manager Rob Thomson being dismissed just 28 games in and Don Mattingly stepping in as interim manager. Amid the chaos, Marsh has provided steady, reliable production from the heart of the lineup.
Though the season is still young, it’s becoming clear that Marsh is making a strong case for his first All-Star selection.
Over 38 games, Marsh is batting .350—the highest average in the majors. His .882 OPS and 143 OPS+ are personal bests for a single season, and his 21 RBIs rank third on the team.
Brandon Marsh on a Tear for the Phillies
The outfielder is currently riding a 13-game hitting streak, during which he’s slashing .457 with 21 hits, including three doubles and a triple. The Phillies have gone 11-2 in that stretch.
At 28, Marsh has often stayed under the radar throughout his career, particularly during his time in Philadelphia. His career .375 BABIP is the second-highest since 1900 among players with at least 500 games played, trailing only Ty Cobb (.383).
Over the past 365 days, dating back to May 11, 2025 (spanning 147 games), Marsh is hitting .312 with a .361 on-base percentage, a .842 OPS, 14 home runs, 29 doubles, three triples, and a perfect 10-for-10 on stolen base attempts.
Teammate Kyle Schwarber says Marsh’s recent surge is simply a continuation of the talent that’s always been there.
“He’s always had it in him. I don’t think there’s ever been a doubt,” Schwarber said. “You can even just go back to last year. If you take away April, it’s pretty good. It’s always been there. I feel the more he’s been able to go out there and do his thing and build that confidence and keep with his routine, great things are gonna happen. He has the right approach and he’s never rushed up there.”
Marsh’s offensive success over the last calendar year came after a brief minor-league demotion following an 0-for-29 slump in April 2025. After returning on May 3, he batted .303 with 10 homers and an .836 OPS for the rest of the season.
Since that early-May promotion, Marsh has hit .317 with an .852 OPS and 14 home runs over 153 games. His .317 average in that stretch leads all MLB players with at least 400 plate appearances.
These numbers suggest Marsh has been a consistently productive hitter over a long period, indicating his current .350 average is a legitimate reflection of his abilities.
Reflecting on his growth, Marsh credited confidence and mindset as the driving forces behind his improvement.
“I feel like after that April last year, I kind of refound myself and my confidence again,” Marsh said. “It just all starts there. It’s a hard game physically, but it’s way more mental than it is physical. Because you can go up and down the locker room, guy to guy, and physically they have it. It’s just believing you can do it and the work you put in.”
Given Marsh’s approach and offensive consistency, manager Don Mattingly believes this level of production is sustainable.
“There’s no reason he can’t continue on,” Mattingly said. “This guy’s a good hitter as he continues to get older. He’s hitting both sides, lefties and righties. He’s a good game planner. He’s trying to do something specific every time he’s up and understands what the other guy is doing. If he can do it for the stretch that he’s in, there’s no reason that he can’t keep doing it.”
Marsh has steadily grown as a hitter since debuting with the Los Angeles Angels in 2021 at age 23, when he hit .254 with a .673 OPS. Now in his sixth big-league season, he’s batting .350 with an OPS nearing .900 through the first two months of 2026.
The consistency Marsh has shown since his brief demotion early in 2025 suggests his hot start is no accident. As summer approaches, he appears well on his way to earning his first All-Star Game nod.
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