Why the Miami Marlins aren't giving up on Jakob Marsee

DENVER — Miami Marlins manager Clayton McCullough had a simple message on Monday night at Coors Field: Jakob Marsee isn't going anywhere.

Despite entering Monday's series opener against the Colorado Rockies with a .196 batting average this season in 285 at-bats and a .080 batting average over his past seven games, Marsee still is more than deserving of a spot in the lineup and in center field, according to McCullough.

Clayton McCullough discusses what Jakob Marsee brings to Marlins

"Jakob brings a lot of other things to the table that are important to us winning, and they're worth continuing to ride out and hope that he gets himself on a hot streak," McCullough said.

Among those other attributes, according to the Miami skipper, are Marsee's defensive abilities in center field (where he has posted 3 Outs Above Average this season) and on the bases, where Marsee has swiped 18 bases this season, a number that leads the Marlins.

"I think what's different about Jakob than some of the others is that Jakob can really defend at the end of the day," McCullough said. "He brings the defense every day in center field a pivotal position, and we need defense, and so we still count on that. You're going to get a high level of defense with him."

While Marsee may be going through his struggles at the plate, McCullough said he continues to show confidence in him by keeping him in the lineup.

"I hope the fact that he plays every day shows the confidence that we have in him. You're playing basically every single day because we believe that, offensively, you're there's a better performer than what you've shown and, again, all the other intangibles that he brings," McCullough said. "It's also partly that the league starts to show you where you need to make some adjustments. There's nothing wrong with that, and we feel like the best place for Jakob to continue working through things is here."

Marsee's numbers from 2025 show the potential that he could show in 2026 and beyond. Marsee slashed .292/.363/.478 last season in 209 at-bats. Those are the types of numbers that Miami needs to see for a player who was part of the package received by the Marlins when they sent Luis Arraez to the San Diego Padres on May 4, 2023.

"He's too good a hitter for this to drag on through an entire season," McCullough said.

The Marlins hope that's the case for a player who is receiving plenty of at-bats to prove that theory true.