Brandon Marsh sets record straight on unkempt appearance

Philadelphia Phillies center fielder Brandon Marsh Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Phillies' Brandon Marsh sets the record straight on his unkempt appearance

By Bruce Ewing | Last updated 10/24/23

Brandon Marsh would like you to know his hair and beard are clean. Seriously. The Phillies center fielder took to Twitter to set the follicle record straight and, in doing so, gave insight into his grooming decisions, or lack thereof.

Marsh hasn’t always been covered in hair. Back in high school and the early minor leagues, Marsh implied he wasn’t allowed to have a beard and had no options beyond a clean-shaven look. But as his game grew, so did his hair. Once he established himself in the major leagues, he decided to grow everything out.

Brandon Marsh is going on record to let you know his beard is, in fact, clean. @Phillies pic.twitter.com/njEgUZy0qp
— MLBPA (@MLBPA) May 6, 2023

Believe it or not, Marsh believes his unkempt appearance offers an element of surprise and gives him an advantage over pitchers who may be uncomfortable facing such a grizzly opponent.

But why does his hair always look so greasy? He doesn’t use any product. According to Jake Mintz of Fox Sports, he just prefers his hair wet. "If I don’t wet it," Marsh explains, "it gets super bristly out there. I don’t like it that way. I like it wet."

On average, Marsh wets his hair about 15 times per day. During games, he’ll either use the bathroom sink or fill some plastic cups from the dugout cooler to dump them all over his head.

So far it seems to be working. His look may raise eyebrows, but Marsh finished the regular season with a .277 batting average and .372 OBP is fourth, good for fifth and fourth on the Phillies, respectively. With 12 regular-season home runs, he beat his previous career high by four.

Do the Phillies start at 6:40 so they can finish the game before Brandon Marsh turns into a werewolf? pic.twitter.com/yLNlAf3g5p
— Baseball GIFs (@gifs_baseball) June 20, 2023