All Jakob Marsee needs is an opening, and he’s gone.
In this case, it’s gone to the big leagues, after the Miami Marlins opened up a spot for him in their outfield with a trade at Thursday’s deadline.
The Dearborn native, Allen Park High School graduate and Central Michigan University product will make his big-league debut Friday against the New York Yankees, a day after the Marlins traded away their starting right fielder, Jesus Sanchez.
Marsee told reporters in Miami that his parents, his girlfriend and her dad, and several more friends and family would be in attendance at LoanDepot Park for his debut.
The Marlins called Marsee up from the Triple-A Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp Friday afternoon, sending newly acquired right-handed pitcher Ryan Gusto down in his place. Gusto was the key piece in the deadline deal the Marlins made with the Astros — along with Houston’s No. 13 prospect, infielder Chase Jaworsky, and outfielder Esmil Valencia — shipping the 27-year-old Sanchez the other way, and opening up an outfield spot for Marsee in the process.
The No. 10 prospect in the Marlins system before the deadline, according to MLB Pipeline, Marsee was scratched from his scheduled start for Jacksonville Thursday night, sending antennas up among the Marlins media. Sure enough, the 24-year-old Marsee got the big-league call-up, and was slotted in the No. 9 spot in the lineup for Miami’s Friday night game against the Yankees.
After splitting time between center and right field for Jacksonville, Marsee — slated for center on Friday — will play all over the outfield in the bigs, manager Clayton McCullough told reporters on Friday.
“His average exit velo is up like six miles an hour right now compared to last year,” AAA hitting coach Mike Marjama told the blog FishOnFirst recently. “His BABIP (batting average on balls in play) actually down, which is even more encouraging. Seeing some of the things and the process metrics show up again and again, he’s one of those guys who had a little rocky start at the beginning, but now that we’ve gotten to know each other, better in communication, it’s been super helpful and the trust factor is there. He’s a Detroit kid, a hard-nosed underdog and so watching him come in, chip on his shoulder, compete, he’s the heartbeat of our team.”
Possessing 55-grade speed on the scouting scale (max is 60), speed is Marsee’s calling card.
He’s the first Marlins minor leaguer with double-digit homers and 40 or more steals since Kevin Mattison in 2009, the FishOnFirst X account tweeted out on July 8, adding “And it’s not even the All-Star break yet.”
A two-time all-Downriver League honoree and twice a member of the News-Herald’s All-Area squad in high school at Allen Park, Marsee finished his three seasons at CMU with a .310 batting average, slugging .475 with a .434 on-base percentage. After a slash line of .345/.467/.550 as a redshirt sophomore in 2022, he was picked in the sixth round of the 2022 draft by the Padres, and — after a solid debut season as a pro — boosted his stock even further. In 2023, he hit .274 and ranked ninth in the minor leagues in runs (103) and walks (98), while pushing himself up to Double-A, then earned MVP honors in the Arizona Fall League.
Central Michigan outfielder Jakob Marsee (44) at bat during an NCAA regional championship baseball game against Florida on Friday, June 3, 2022 in Gainesville, Fla. A sixth-round pick out of Central Michigan University, the Allen Park HS grad got his call-up to the majors on Friday, Aug. 1, 2025, and was set to make his big-league debut against the New York Yankees. (GARY McCULLOUGH — AP Photo)
“It’s been a blessing,” Marsee told MLB Pipeline’s Jesse Borek at the time. ”I mean, if you would have told me this was where I’d be — I would have dreamed about this, but I never would have believed it. Just being here and being able to compete every single day with these guys, it’s a blessing.
“Honestly, without my time at Central, I don’t think I’d be doing what I’m doing right now. I pay tribute to all my friends and teammates and coaches there and everyone that’s helped me along the way.”
The 2024 season — which saw Marsee move to the Marlins organization as part of the four-player package that sent All-Star and former batting champion Luis Arraez to San Diego in May — didn’t go as well. He hit .176 for the Padres’ Double-A affiliate in San Antonio before the trade, then .188 for Miami’s Double-A affiliate, the Pensacola Blue Wahoos, after it, before finishing off the season in Jacksonville for 24 games. He did, though, steal 51 bags in 58 attempts for the season.
“I think last year, it was really good for me to fail and learn to stay within myself,” he told FishOnFirst. “This year, sticking to my approach, knowing that if I get out, it’s OK. Pitchers make good pitches and just learning from that each and every at-bat and just not trying to do too much. Last year, it got a little bit big at times, and this year, just cleaned up that stuff and just stayed within the middle of the field.”
Marsee led all of Triple-A in steals (47) so far this season and was third in walks (68), recording a line of .318/.420/.628/1.048 with nine doubles, two triples, 11 home runs, 24 RBI, 27 walks and 30 runs his final 41 games for the Jumbo Shrimp, according to Scott Kornberg, the play-by-play voice of the Jumbo Shrimp.
His final line for the Jumbo Shrimps this season: .246/.379/.438, with an .817 OPS, 14 homers, 37 RBI, 47 stolen bases, 56 runs scored and 68 walks.
And now, his big-league debut, making him the 19th CMU baseball player to make the big leagues.
“We all think about it every day,” Marsee told FishOnFirst of the possibility. “It’s hard not to. I’ve been dreaming about it ever since I was a little kid, so knowing I am close is really cool, but I also trust God and know that when the time comes, it’ll come, and whenever it happens, it happens. I’m not really worried about that. Just focused on playing ball here and just winning games.”
Originally Published: August 1, 2025 at 6:21 PM EDT