Wednesday’s announcement was a formality. Miami Marlins outfielder Jakob Marsee officially won the August 2025 National League Rookie of the Month award for 30 games’ worth of superhuman all-around production.
Called up by the Marlins when the calendar flipped, Marsee slashed .352/.430/.629 with four home runs and nine stolen bases during his first month at the major league level. He was especially dangerous with runners in scoring position (.464/.500/.893), allowing him to compile 25 RBI. He got defensive reps at all three outfield positions, but primarily in center. FanGraphs estimates that the 24-year-old left-handed-hitter was the most valuable player in MLB, accruing 2.1 fWAR. The next-best NL rookie was Atlanta Braves right-hander Hurston Waldrep (1.0 fWAR).
Throughout the season, the Marlins have utilized a rookie-laden roster that is the youngest in Major League Baseball. However, Marsee is the only one of those rookies to earn this award in 2025. The most recent Marlins NL Rookie of the Month recipient was Trevor Rogers in May 2021. Rogers finished runner-up to Jonathan India of the Cincinnati Reds in that year’s NL ROY voting.
Marsee’s post-trade deadline debut makes him an extreme NL ROY longshot—even elite quality of production cannot compensate for his lack of quantity. The 2025 finalists for that award are expected to be Cade Horton (Chicago Cubs), Drake Baldwin (Braves) and Isaac Collins (Milwaukee Brewers).
Through two September games, Marsee is 0-for-7 with four strikeouts, so it’ll be an uphill climb to defend his Rookie of the Month title.