SAN ANTONIO—Along with Nathan Martorella and Woo-Suk Go, Jakob Marsee was part of the trade with the Miami Marlins, who brought over all-star infielder Luis Arraez.
Marsee, 22, a sixth-round pick out of Central Michigan University, had a true breakout season last year between High-A Fort Wayne and Double-A San Antonio, with 16 home runs, 46 stolen bases in 55 attempts, and a .840 OPS.
Jacob Marsee in action last year with Fort Wayne. (Photo: Fort Wayne TinCaps)
He followed it up with an MVP season in the Arizona Fall League, hitting .391 with a .707 slugging percentage in 118 plate appearances.
This year, he was off to a slow start in San Antonio after spending considerable time in big league camp. However, he still posted a respectable .336 on-base percentage and led the Texas League with 12 stolen bases in 13 attempts before being traded to Miami, where he was assigned to their Double-A affiliate in Pensacola, the Blue Wahoos.
We interviewed the former Central Michigan Chippewa a few days before he was traded.
The interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
MadFriars: When we interviewed you in Fort Wayne last year, you had a high on-base percentage, but your batting average wasn’t great. When I suggested that maybe you were not aggressive enough, you pushed back and said it was more about not missing your pitch—which was true.
You went on to have a great season. Was there some transition where you went to not missing your pitch?
Jakob Marsee: I tweaked my swing a bit, which helped me immensely. My approach stayed the same, and I could do more damage on balls. Luck had a bit to do with it, too.
Well, the numbers you had indicated were a lot more than luck. You hit more home runs in 2023 than in three years at Central Michigan. What caused that?
Jakob Marsee’s speed has played even during a slow start to 2024. (Photo: San Antonio Missions)
Jakob Marsee: I think it was just growing into myself physically, and my mechanics picked up. I was able to hit the pitches the way I wanted to, as opposed to in college, when I couldn’t do as much damage as I wanted to.
When you were in the Arizona Fall League, you had already played more games in a season (129) than ever. Weren’t you tired?
Jakob Marsee: I always knew I wanted to be playing my best baseball at the end of the year. I keep that in mind because I work on trying to get better every day, and I love to play.
I was excited about the opportunity to play in the AFL with my friends, and I just tried to enjoy it, stay locked in, and perform the best I could.
This year, you have had some tough luck with many hard-hit balls right at people.
Jakob Marsee: [laughs] Trust me, I know.
How do you stay so positive?
Jakob Marsee: I’ve gotten a little bit frustrated. How could you not? I’ve just tried to minimize that and stick with my routine. If I hit the ball hard, that’s all I can do.
As we discussed, I didn’t get off to a great start last year, which helped my confidence.
Is there much difference between the pitching in Double-A and High-A? In an interview with our friends on Friars on the Farm, you said that you thought some of the pitching you saw in the Midwest League was better than the Texas League.
Jakob Marsee: We are facing some of those guys now, so everybody is here [laughs]. In the Texas League, they are around the zone more, but some of the velocity we were facing last year was nuts.
It’s different; they can hit corners more, but nothing major.
Jakob Marsee was one of the better defenders in the Padres’ system. (Photo: San Antonio Missions)
On defense, one of the most impressive parts of your game is the jumps you get, which wind up making plays look easier than they might actually be. How do you get a read and track a ball?
Jakob Marsee: When you aren’t affecting the game at the plate, one thing you can control is how you play defense. I try to do everything I can to get our pitcher an out because they deserve it—their job is hard enough.
I take great pride in bringing the best route to the ball, which comes from practice and repetition. I’m a lot different than many guys in pro ball in that when you watch me during BP, I sometimes go as hard as I can to get those reps.
That reminds me of something Jose Azocar told us when we interviewed him in El Paso a few years ago. He said, when he gets a hit taken away from him, he thinks, ‘Ok if I don’t get a hit – then nobody gets a hit!”
Jakob Marsee: There have been times when someone has made a diving play on me to take away a hit, then I think, ‘I dare you to hit the ball to me because I am going to make an incredible play.’
Then again, I’m like that no matter what.
How have you improved this year defensively compared to last season?
Jakob Marsee: I think I may have gotten a little faster, but I’ve tried to hone in on my arm and be more accurate on throws.
Jakob Marsee in one of the many interesting TinCaps uniforms. (Photo: Adam Gaddy)
You weren’t high on any prospect lists going into last year, and this year, you were even mentioned as having an opportunity to break camp with the big club.
That must be a fantastic feeling to have made that much of a jump. How has that affected you?
Jakob Marsee: It’s always better when people say nice things about you, but at the end of the day, I try to be me and go out there and have fun.
I’ve been dreaming of this my whole life and don’t want to take it for granted. I want to take it all in and not put too much pressure on myself.
This game will have ups and downs, but you must enjoy it and keep working hard.
We all want to be in the big leagues, but I can’t control what happens in the Padres’ game when it comes to game time, so why would I worry about it?
I will focus on what I can do here and hope everything will work out.
