Padres OF Prospect Listed as Breakout Player For 2024
Your San Diego Padres quietly have one of the best farm systems in baseball. It boasts elite talent like Jackson Merril, Ethan Salas and Robbie Snelling. They also have strong positional depth as well.
Not currently a household name, but outfielder Jakob Marsee could see himself thrust into the limelight this year. After earning Arizona Fall League MVP, the 22-year-old could help out a club that only has one outfielder. Joel Rueter of Bleacher Report speculates that Marsee could see some time in San Diego this season,
San Diego Padres: OF Jakob Marsee (Age: 22) The 2023 Arizona Fall League MVP will be a popular breakout pick heading into the 2024 season, and depending on what the Padres do the rest of the offseason he might have a chance to win an Opening Day roster spot. He hit .391/.509/.707 with 18 extra-base hits and 16 steals in 24 games in the AFL, after posting an .840 OPS with 16 doubles, 16 home runs and 46 steals in 129 games between High-A and Double-A during the regular season.
Currently, the Padres' 13th-ranked prospect, Marsee commands the strike zone well and puts the bat on the ball. While his contact grades out well, he does not consistently hit for power. He's rangy in the outfield, but his top speed and average arm strength project him to one of the corner outfield spots.
Still very young, the lefty could use some more seasoning at Triple-A before making the jump to the show. However, A.J. Preller's aggressive approach with prospects could see Marsee spending time in San Diego sooner rather than later.
The Padres only have one outfielder for 2024, it just so happens to be Platinum Glove winner Fernando Tatis Jr. When A.J. Preller traded away Juan Soto and Trent Grisham, it created vacancies in both center and left.
If the front office does not address either of these positions in the offseason, then Marsee could get the call-up just based on pure necessity.
