This story was excerpted from Todd Zolecki¡¯s Phillies Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

PHILADELPHIA -- If Brandon Marsh looks like a guy living his dream on a baseball field, he is.

Back in March, he went 1-for-4 in a soon-to-be-forgotten Grapefruit League game at BayCare Ballpark in Clearwater, Fla. He made a few plays in center field, but nothing out of the ordinary. Afterward, he tossed his bats and glove into his equipment bag and took a shortcut from the dugout to the clubhouse through a dimly-lit tunnel underneath the stands.

He emerged from the darkness with a tune.

¡°Baseball is fuuuuuuunnnnnnn,¡± he sang before entering the clubhouse.

This is Marsh.

¡°We¡¯ve got to be nice to ourselves out here,¡± Marsh said. ¡°We¡¯ve got to have fun, smile, be energetic. It¡¯s a blessing to wake up every day, throw on a pair of shorts, a really weird T-shirt, a cool pair of shoes and come to the field and play baseball every day. It¡¯s hard to beat that, in my opinion.¡±

Nobody enjoys being a baseball player more on the Phillies than Marsh, who is batting .326 with a 1.029 OPS this season. This isn¡¯t just one person¡¯s observation, either. It is a widely shared opinion in the Phillies¡¯ clubhouse. Not long ago, several Phillies were asked, ¡°Who in here has the most fun being a baseball player?¡± Players could define ¡°fun¡± however they wished.

Garrett Stubbs, Kyle Schwarber and Jos¨¦ Alvarado got multiple mentions. So did Josh Harrison, Darick Hall and Rhys Hoskins.

But everybody ¨C everybody ¨C mentioned Marsh, the Phillies¡¯ long-haired, gnarly-bearded outfielder.

Zack Wheeler: ¡°He¡¯s always in a good mood.¡±

Ranger Su¨¢rez: ¡°I think he¡¯s happy because he¡¯s playing, and I think he¡¯s playing because he¡¯s happy.¡±

Hoskins: ¡°Marshie doesn¡¯t look like it because of his beard and hair, but he¡¯s having so much fun all the time. He¡¯s just always bouncing around and smiling.¡±

Edmundo Sosa: ¡°The guy is so happy all the time. He¡¯s always smiling. He¡¯s always talking to everyone. He¡¯s always listening to music. He¡¯s never mad.¡±

Bailey Falter: ¡°He¡¯s just always in a good mood when he comes in here. He¡¯s always ready to go. I feel like ever since we got him, he¡¯s never been in a bad mood.¡±

Connor Brogdon: ¡°The energy on an everyday basis. The season is a grind, and even at the end, he¡¯s still going strong. It¡¯s genuine excitement. It¡¯s not a front to keep the clubhouse loose.¡±

Seranthony Dom¨ªnguez: ¡°He¡¯s crazy.¡±

Crazy how everybody mentioned the same guy.

¡°That makes me smile big,¡± Marsh said. ¡°That means a lot to me, just because it¡¯s such a hard sport.¡±

Marsh is smiley, chatty, fun and ¨C admittedly ¨C a little weird.

¡°I¡¯m about as weird as it gets to where it¡¯s still OK,¡± he said, laughing.

Marsh can work a room, and a ballpark. He signs autographs. He talks with fans. Back in Clearwater, a woman stopped him to tell him about a sick family member. She asked Marsh if he would record a video for him. He did. The woman got emotional. Marsh hugged her.

¡°I wanted to let her know that we¡¯re here for her,¡± he said. ¡°If the tables were turned, I¡¯d want someone there for me as well. I feel like it¡¯s part of our duty as baseball players to show love and give back to the fans. When we have the time, it¡¯s fun to catch up with people who you¡¯d have no idea that you¡¯d ever meet.¡±

So, has he been in a bad mood since joining the Phillies in August? Teammates swear they haven¡¯t seen it.

¡°There¡¯s days,¡± Marsh said, laughing. ¡°I¡¯d be lying if I said I come in and feel the same every day because that¡¯s damn near impossible with the game of failure that we play every day. Stuff off the field could be going on. You never know. But if you look around, we¡¯re sitting around, we¡¯re eating free food, getting paid to play baseball. Why aren¡¯t you smiling?¡±