Marlins Prospect Received High Praise During World Baseball Classic
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The Miami Marlins' farm system is loaded with talent, and the World Baseball Classic has given fans a small glimpse of another future star.
Jakob Marsee was the Marlins' No. 24 prospect in 2025, but hit his way to Miami and spent 55 games giving the Marlins life down the stretch of the regular season.
After batting .292/.363/.478 over those two months, Marsee was given an opportunity to play for Team Italy in the WBC and has impressed manager Francisco Cervelli.
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"Jakob is one of my best players, I knew it from the beginning. I've tried to give him a day off, but he doesn't want it. The Marlins have a future star," the 13-year MLB catcher Cervelli said to reporters, including Fish on First's Isaac Azout.
This WBC Performance So Far Has Been Very Marsee-Eqsue
While his bat hasn't flashed as it did in the later stages of last season, Marsee has flashed other elite tools on the game's biggest world stage. Through five games with Team Italy, Marsee has five walks, two stolen bases, and a .360 OBP. He went 0-for-3 in Italy's loss to Venezuela.
He has flashed his defense on the massive stage as well. In the top of the first inning in Monday night's semifinal against Venezuela, Marsee sprinted in to catch a line drive in center field, caught it, and threw out Venezuela star Maikel Garcia, who was scrambling back to the bag.
On an undefeated team in the semifinals of the WBC, Marsee batted third and never slid out of the top trio of the lineup in any game. His abrupt dominance is welcomed, but was not expected after a difficult 2024 season.
Originally drafted in the 6th round of the 2022 MLB draft, Marsee was traded to the Marlins in the Luis Arraez trade in May 2024. He had come off his best minor league season so far, with 46 stolen bases, 16 homers, and doubles, and nearly 100 walks. Then, it all went downhill.
Over three teams and two levels Marsee batted .200 with just 10 homers and 135 strikeouts over 137 games. His walk and stolen-base numbers were still elite, but he failed to hit consistently.
After batting .188 over 91 games at Double-A, he was promoted to Triple-A and took off. Marsee batted .275 over the final three weeks, which led to him starting 2025 at Triple-A.
Jakob Marsee Should Be a Part of an Elite Outfield in Miami This Season
The Marlins traded longtime outfielder Jesus Sanchez at the trade deadline last season, leading to the necessity of promoting Marsee, which they never regretted.
Now that he has two months in the big leagues and extensive success in the WBC, Marsee has proven he can wreak havoc at a high level. His production last season placed securely within Miami's elite outfield, which is predicted to consist of Owen Caissie and Kyle Stowers.
