2 The Bigs

Prospect Profile: Jakob Marsee

“In any league, there are always standouts. The Arizona Fall League is no different. What IS different about the AFL standouts is that the talent translates to the MLB. With that said, meet Jakob Marsee”

By Matt Castagna:

While most eyes were on the MLB playoffs and World Series, there was another important league playing in the background. The Arizona Fall League! This league was created for teams to send their top prospects to develop throughout the off-season while competing at a high-level in an organized affiliated league. You may recall that a majority of the prospects we have previously highlighted have made some noise in this league already (Chase DeLauter, Kevin Alcantara). In any league, there are always standouts. The Arizona Fall League (AFL) is no different. What IS different about the AFL standouts is that the talent translates to the MLB. Previous AFL MVP awards winners include: Nolan Arenado (‘11), Kris Bryant (‘13), Gleyber Torres (‘16), Ronald Acuna (‘17), and Heston Kjerstad (‘22). That’s a lot of 8 digit contract names that I just mentioned. With that, we are here to highlight the recently crowned 2023 AFL MVP, Jakob Marsee.

The San Diego Padres had a disappointing 2023 season. That’s a given. Now, attention shifts to how they improve. This is extremely important given the prospect pool that has been heavily depleted throughout the years. One that was mainly depleted by the acquisition of star outfielder Juan Soto, who most likely will not be on the team come opening day. However, there’s still a TON of talent, including: the 17-year old, Double A (yes you heard that right) catcher, Ethan Salas, 2021 1st-round pick Jackson Merrill, and of course, outfielder Jakob Marsee. This isn’t the first time Marsee has had a “breakout year” in his career. You only need to look back to a year ago, when Marsee was attending Central Michigan as a senior where he hit .345 and earned 1st-team honors for the All-Mid American Conference. Evaluators were even more impressed that he walked (47) more than he struck-out (33). That breakout year landed Marsee on the Padres radar, who would lead them to eventually drafting him in the 6th-round of the 2022 draft. Many wondered if his skills would translate as he faced a higher level of competition. Well he’s done that…and then some. This fall he led the AFL in extra-base hits (18) and OPS (1.125). Not to mention he hit .391 and walked 21 times, all in only 21 games. As you know if you’ve read more of our Prospect Profiles, you know we take contact over power when determining prospect potential.

You may see Marsee atop the Padres prospect rankings in the near future. He currently slots in at number twelve in the Padres system, which is sure to change soon. You can find Marsee in the Bowman Draft 2022 set. As I’m writing this article, the card (and overall asset market) stinks. However, you may want to wait for the MVP hype to settle down before picking one up. His autos are still very low with an average price of $40 for a numbered auto, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they drop later on in the winter. Either way, the risk is low for the current MVP. Likely starting 2024 as a double-AA starter, let’s see if Marsee can build on his strong fall performance.