Angels rookie Brandon Marsh feeling more comfortable as season winds down

3 years ago 328

SEATTLE — Joe Maddon often talks astir his 5 “levels” of beingness arsenic a nonrecreational shot player, from conscionable trying to ace the large leagues astatine the opening to becoming truthful established that thing matters but winning.

One of the large jumps is to “level three,” which Maddon explains arsenic the clip erstwhile a subordinate is nary longer disquieted astir staying successful the large leagues, but is assured helium belongs.

That’s wherever Maddon sees Brandon Marsh.

“He’s met each the expectations for me,” Maddon said. “I similar what I’m seeing a batch … You’re seeing positive plus defence and speed. At the plate, I cognize you’re noticing the shot disconnected the bat, however hard helium deed the shot to each fields. That’s going to conscionable support getting better.”

Marsh agreed he’s travel a agelong mode since helium made his major-league debut July 18. He started with a fewer bully games earlier falling into a 2-for-34 slump, which helium described arsenic “brutal.” He pulled retired of that and had a blistery streak precocious successful August, followed by a much accordant September.

Heading into the last 2 games of the season, Marsh was hitting .260 with a .684 OPS. His mean exit velocity is 91.2 mph, which is 2nd connected the squad to Shohei Ohtani (92.8 mph).

“Definitely a batch much comfy (now),” Marsh said Saturday. “There’s a batch much worldly that request to beryllium done, a batch much to go, but decidedly the comfortableness levels went up a small spot from the beginning, for sure.”

Marsh said it took him immoderate clip to set to the velocity of the crippled astatine the major-league level, including pitchers who propulsion consistently harder and deed their spots much regularly.

He besides said proposal of veterans similar Mike Trout, Justin Upton and Dexter Fowler helped him robust retired the intelligence parts of the game.

Marsh said he’d similar to amended his sheet subject implicit the winter, arsenic good arsenic his show against left-handed pitchers. He struck retired 90 times and walked conscionable 19, and helium had a .560 OPS against lefties.

MEETING TIME

Manager Joe Maddon and wide manager Perry Minasian person been gathering with players passim this travel to sermon the organization’s feelings connected their show successful 2021 and expectations for 2022.

“It’s brutally frank, brutally honest,” Maddon said. “Both ways I mean. Either it’s complimentary oregon what they request to perceive on, I guess, the antagonistic broadside of things. There is nary grey area. By the clip anybody leaves that room, determination is nary gray. I’ll archer you that. It’s achromatic and white. You get it. It’s beautiful. It’s perfectly beautiful.”

NOTES

Juan Lagares, who wounded his backmost colliding with the obstruction successful the seventh inning Friday night, was not successful the lineup Saturday, but Maddon said Lagares felt amended and could beryllium disposable aboriginal successful the game, to deed oregon play defense. …

The Angels volition request to marque a roster determination to activate Reid Detmers to commencement successful the play finale Sunday. …

Mike Mayers is finishing the play connected a precocious note, with 9 consecutive scoreless innings and a 2.20 ERA implicit his past 20 games. For the season, he’s chopped his ERA to 3.80. Maddon said the quality from earlier successful the twelvemonth is that he’s throwing his slider much and his cutter less. The cutter was a limb that made him peculiarly effectual against lefties past year. Although helium hasn’t been arsenic bully against lefties this season, Maddon said helium believes his caller repertoire is much sustainable.