Phillies' Brandon Marsh's breakout year positions him to win a valuable award

Brandon Marsh has been the Philadelphia Phillies best hitter, and it hasn't been close. 

Marsh is fourth in batting average in Major League Baseball (.322) and is the Phillies' team leader in hits (76), 12 ahead of designated hitter Kyle Schwarber, who is second (64). Given his hard work to be one of the best in the National League, Marsh has a chance to be the starting left fielder for the NL when the All-Star game is played in Citizens Bank Park this July. 

Marsh also has a shot to bring home a batting title for the Phillies. A surprise after teammate Trea Turner was the first Phillie since Richie Ashburn (1958) to win the National League Batting Title last season. 

Brandon Marsh, leading the batting title race, has been among the many surprises this season 

Miami Marlins shortstop Otto Lopez is the Major League and National League leader in batting average (.343), with San Francisco Giants outfielder Jung Hoo Lee second (.331) and Houston Astros designated hitter Yordan Alvarez (.326) ahead of Marsh in third place. Hoo Lee and Lopez are Marsh's main obstacles, as Alvarez is in the American League, but Hoo Lee's teammate, Luis Arraez, is not far behind Marsh (.319).

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After 68 years of not having a batting title winner, the Phillies could have back-to-back winners, thanks to Marsh's surprise season. 

"Trea Turner took home the Phillies’ first batting title since 1958 last season," wrote Paul Casella of MLB.com. "There’s a chance the franchise won’t have to wait nearly as long for its next one, though few would have seen this candidate coming. Marsh has gone from a platoon outfielder the past few years to an everyday hitting machine this season, giving him a legitimate chance to be a first-time All-Star."

If the season ended today, Marsh's .322 batting average would be 18 points higher than Turner's (.304), which is one of the lowest batting averages to win a batting title in MLB history.

Marsh making the All-Star game is not a guarantee, as other worthy names could start over him. Chicago Cubs' Ian Happ, who is the leader for left fielders in home runs (16), Pittsburgh Pirates' Bryan Reynolds leading in RBI (42) and walks (48) and New York Mets Juan Soto leading in slugging percentage (.561) and OPS (.948). 

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