Lou Marson: A Cup Of Coffee

He rounded the bases and headed toward the empty side of the dugout. He walked down the steps high-fiving air until the rest of the team congratulated him. The thrill of his first Major League homerun.

Lou Marson made his Major League debut September 30th, 2008 in the most meaningless game of the season. For Marson, the game meant a lot. He had a lot to prove and while he did that, he created memories including his first Major League at bat, hit, and homerun. He even threw out a runner at second base.

Marson spent his 2008 season in AA Reading before he was called up in September. He batted .314 with 5 HR, 46 RBI and a .849 OPS in 94 games before heading to the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics where he batted .308 in 13 ABs.

Marson had a good reason for being late to the Arizona Fall League, but still played well in his short amount of time with the Mesa Solar Sox. He batted .324 with 10 RBI in 11 games.

Despite only playing one game at the big league level, Marson gained plenty of experience. Since the Phillies were in the heat of a playoff race, Marson knew he wasn't going to get much, if any, playing time. However, Marson got into the final regular season game showing his potential. He hit well, handled the pitching staff well, and played great defense at the catchers position in that last game of the season.

There was some talk Marson could take So Taguchi's playoff spot, but it wasn't meant to be. However, that wouldn't mean Marson was headed straight to the Arizona Fall League.

The Phillies invited Marson as a non roster player for the postseason. Marson warmed up the pitchers in the bullpen, and was right in the center of every clinching celebration. From the division clinching to the World Series parade, Marson was in the center of all of it. Marson now knows what winning is like at a big league level.

Marson got a first hand experience of how great it is to win. He didn't have to worry about making a mistake on the field, but instead kicked back and enjoyed baseball taking the champagne bottle when it was presented to him.

Marson's experience of being in a World Championship atmosphere is going to help him greatly. Marson has a ring, but does he feel like he earned it in one game? Or, will Marson want to feel like he earned it? When he gets a chance to play everyday, Marson is going to want to feel apart and a key contributor of a World Series Championship team. He is going to want to be the one catching the final pitch and being in the bottom of the dogpile, rather than being that guy high-fiving air.