When MLB Network dropped its latest Top 10 list at left field, one name immediately sparked a familiar reaction in Philadelphia:
āWaitā¦ Brandon Marsh?ā
Oct 4, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies center fielder Brandon Marsh (16) runs to score against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the second inning during game one of the NLDS round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at Citizens Bank Park. | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
Ranked as the No. 10 left fielder in baseball entering the 2026 season, Marsh landing on the list might feel like a stretch to some Phillies fans ā the kind of ranking you argue about in the comments, the kind that feels like a ānice storyā more than a real statement.
But the truth is harsher and simpler at the same time:
This ranking shouldnāt shock anyone. What should shock people is how long it took for Marsh to be treated like he belongs.
Since being acquired from the Los Angeles Angels at the 2022 trade deadline, Marsh has quietly become one of the most useful players on the Phillies roster.
Not the flashiest. Not the loudest. But the kind of player contenders canāt afford to lose ā because he covers holes before they become headlines.
Heās played both left and center field depending on what the roster needed, and that flexibility has mattered more than people realize during Philadelphiaās postseason pushes.
In a team built on stars, Marsh has lived in the shadowā¦ while doing the work that keeps the lineup from cracking.
And in 2026, he may finally be locked into his actual home.
With top outfield prospect Justin Crawford expected to debut, the Philliesā center field situation is likely to shift. That means Marsh ā who was asked to do a little bit of everything ā could settle in as the everyday left fielder.
Which is exactly where heās looked the most comfortable.
But if you only remember the beginning of 2025, you might still see Marsh as āinconsistent.ā You might still see him as a guy who runs hot and cold, a player who flashes talent but doesnāt always deliver.
That version of the story is outdated.
Marshās 2025 season started in a way that felt almost unreal ā and not in a good way. He went hitless for the entire month of April, finishing 0-for-29 with five walks and 11 strikeouts.
Then, as if the baseball gods decided to twist the knife, a hamstring injury cut his month short and sidelined him until May 3.
For most players, thatās the beginning of the end.
For Marsh, it was the moment everything flipped.
After returning from the injured list, he didnāt just bounce back ā he turned into a different hitter. Over the rest of the season, Marsh hit .303 with an .836 OPS.
And with a minimum of 350 plate appearances, that .303 average ranked eighth-best in all of Major League Baseball during that stretch, just behind his own teammate Trea Turner.
By the time the season ended, Marshās final line looked like something fans wouldāve laughed at back in April: a .280 average with a .785 OPS in 133 games.
Thatās not āfine.ā
Thatās quietly elite.
And one of the most overlooked parts of Marshās game ā the part that doesnāt always go viral ā is the one thing championship teams obsess over: getting on base.
Marsh finished 2025 with a .342 on-base percentage. Over the last three seasons, heās sitting at .347. According to 97.3 ESPNās Jeff Kerr, that ranks fifth among left fielders.
So the question becomes uncomfortable for Phillies fans:
If heās getting on base at that levelā¦ why does it still feel like people donāt fully trust him?
Maybe itās because his season had that brutal opening month. Maybe itās because he doesnāt ālookā like a star.
Maybe itās because Philadelphiaās outfield has been a rotating frustration machine for years, and fans have gotten used to disappointment.
But Marsh hasnāt been the problem.
If anything, heās been the stabilizer ā especially when you compare his defense to what the Phillies have gotten from Nick Castellanos in right field.
Marsh started his Philly run spending more time in center, but heās clearly more natural in left. He was even a Gold Glove finalist in 2024 for his play there.
Statcast backs it up. In 2025, Marsh posted a +1 fielding run value and +1 outs above average in left field. In center field, he was slightly below average.
In other words: put him where he belongs, and he gives you value on both sides of the ball.
Marsh is still only 28. Heās under team control for a couple more seasons. And on a roster where the margins matter ā where one bad month can become a season-long wound ā the Phillies might be sitting on something they donāt fully appreciate yet.
Because MLB Network ranking him No. 10 isnāt the surprising part.
The surprising part is realizing Brandon Marsh has been this guy for a whileā¦ and Philly only started paying attention once someone else said it out loud.
So now the question isnāt whether he deserves the ranking.
Itās whether the Phillies are about to build around him properlyā¦ or waste the stability theyāve been begging for. ā”
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