Central Michigan Professional Athletes

Central Michigan's Jakob Marsee had his loudest moment of the week when he launched a home run Wednesday as part of a three-homer barrage that carried the Miami Marlins past the Kansas City Royals, 9-6. Marsee joined Kyle Stowers and Javier Sanoja in going deep, with Heriberto Hernández adding two RBIs for good measure in a high-scoring affair. The blast — Marsee's lone hit of the game — came with a walk and two runs scored, bumping his average up a tick to .209 on the night.

The week as a whole showed flashes of the tools that made Marsee a Marlins prospect worth watching. He went 2-for-something on Monday against the Nationals, driving a run and scoring another on Sunday with a walk added in. By the time Miami shifted to a Cubs series over the weekend, Marsee was drawing walks but not finding hits, closing out the period at .208. Still, the Wednesday homer stands as a clear high point — a reminder that the CMU product can impact a box score in a hurry when he squares one up.

Chip Alum on the Mound — Sort Of

Elsewhere in the CMU alumni circuit, Zach McKinstry continues to occupy a unique roster niche with the Detroit Tigers. The former Chippewa logged a hit and a run scored Friday against the Cleveland Guardians as part of an otherwise quiet stretch at the plate, where he's hovering around .211–.214. The more eyebrow-raising line from the week: McKinstry threw a full inning on Monday in Detroit's game against the Twins, allowing two earned runs for an ERA of 18.00 in that role. Position players pitching remains one of baseball's most chaotic spectacles, and McKinstry delivered accordingly.

The rest of CMU's MLB contingent — Mario Camilletti (White Sox), Dietrich Enns (Orioles), Griffin Lockwood-Powell (Dodgers), Zavier Warren (Reds), and Grant Wolfram (Orioles) — didn't surface in notable action during the period.

For Central Michigan fans, the week belonged to Marsee. A home run in a three-man long-ball showcase against a legitimate big-league opponent is the kind of stat line that makes a brief alumni section. The Marlins are nowhere near a postseason race, but Marsee is clearly using the stretch run to make a case for his spot on the 2026 roster. Mount Pleasant should be watching.

Two Central Michigan alumni are quietly holding their own in the big leagues this week, with Jakob Marsee delivering the highlight of the bunch by going deep for Miami.

Marsee Powers Marlins Past Nationals

Jakob Marsee had the kind of Saturday that Chippewa fans will want to replay. The Marlins center fielder tallied two hits, including a home run, as Miami beat Washington 4-2. Heriberto Hernandez also went deep, and Otto Lopez drove in two runs to round out the offense — but Marsee's blast was a key piece of a win the rebuilding Marlins sorely needed.

It capped a productive week for the CMU product. Marsee reached base via walk on Monday against Boston and scored once on Sunday against Washington to open the week, adding a hit in Tuesday's and Wednesday's games against the Red Sox as well. The activity pushed his season average to .209 — not a flashy number, but Marsee has been consistently in the lineup and contributing across a full week's worth of games.

McKinstry Stays Active in Detroit

Across the state, Zach McKinstry has been a steady presence in the Tigers infield. The second baseman logged a hit Sunday against Kansas City and continued to appear in Detroit's lineup through a week that included series against the Rays and Dodgers. His average sits at .215 on the season — right in line with Marsee's — and his continued role in a Tigers squad speaks to his value as a utility piece in a competitive clubhouse.

McKinstry didn't produce a signature moment this week the way Marsee did, but durability and roster security at the MLB level is its own kind of accomplishment, particularly for a mid-major product navigating a deep Tigers roster.

The Chippewa Thread

Central Michigan doesn't typically dominate MLB alumni conversations the way the traditional baseball powerhouses do, but this week offered a genuine reminder that Mount Pleasant has produced legitimate big leaguers. Two alumni, two active roster spots, two teams with something to play for in late August — that's a story worth telling.

Marsee and McKinstry represent different paths to the same destination: everyday contributors earning plate appearances on MLB rosters deep into a pennant-race season. For CMU fans, the question now is whether Marsee's home run is the start of a late-season surge — or just a bright moment in an otherwise grinding rookie campaign.

Central Michigan has a pair of alumni making noise in the majors this week, with Jakob Marsee and Zach McKinstry both contributing at the plate across a busy stretch of games.

Marsee Powers Miami's Win Over Cincinnati

The headliner came Sunday, Aug. 16, when Marsee's Miami Marlins topped the Cincinnati Reds 8-4 — a game in which the CMU product went deep alongside catcher Joe Mack to fuel the victory. It was a signature moment in what turned into a productive week for the Marlins center fielder.

Marsee kept the momentum going against the Nationals, going 1-for-his-outing with a run scored and two walks on Friday, then following that up Saturday with a 2-hit performance that included another home run, an RBI, and a run scored. He closed the week batting .209 — modest on the surface, but his recent pop at the plate suggests the upward trend is real. Over the Aug. 16–22 window, Marsee reached base consistently, logging multiple walks in two separate games and flashing the kind of gap-to-gap contact and power that made him a prospect worth tracking.

McKinstry Steady in Detroit's Infield

Meanwhile, across the state in Detroit, Zach McKinstry has quietly been one of the more reliable contributors in the Tigers' lineup this week. The former Chippewa second baseman delivered his best outing on Monday, Aug. 17, going 3-for-the-game against the Pirates with an RBI, a run, and a walk — the kind of multi-hit effort that pushes a batting average in the right direction.

McKinstry added another hit, an RBI, and a run scored in Saturday's game against Kansas City, with Detroit dropping the contest 2-5. He drew a walk in multiple games throughout the week and closed Saturday hitting .224. It's been a steady, professional week for McKinstry — not flashy, but the kind of consistent at-bats that keep a corner infielder in a big-league lineup.

The Chippewa Connection

It's worth pausing on what Central Michigan has quietly built at the MLB level. Marsee and McKinstry aren't the only CMU alumni on 40-man rosters — Mario Camilletti is with the White Sox, Zavier Warren is with the Reds, Griffin Lockwood-Powell is in the Dodgers organization, and Dietrich Enns is with Baltimore — but this week belonged to the two former Chippewas who share a Michigan zip code and a knack for producing when it counts.

For CMU fans watching the box scores, Aug. 16–22 was a week to feel good about. Marsee hit home runs, McKinstry hit .224 with multi-hit games, and Mount Pleasant's footprint in the majors got a little bigger.

Central Michigan alumni showed up across MLB this week, with Jakob Marsee delivering the highlight of the bunch and Zach McKinstry holding his own in Detroit's infield.

Marsee Erupts for Career Night in Miami

The Marlins' center fielder gave Chippewa fans something to cheer about on Saturday, Aug. 15, going a perfect 4-for-4 against the Reds with a home run, 2 runs scored, and an RBI. The performance bumped his batting average from .204 to .212 — a meaningful tick upward for a young outfielder still working to establish himself at the big-league level.

It was Marsee's best single-game output of the tracked period and one of the cleaner individual lines you'll see on any given Saturday. The home run gave the day an exclamation point, but the 4-for-4 across the board signals the kind of contact consistency Miami will need from him if he's going to stick in the lineup.

Earlier in the week, Marsee wasn't as electric but remained engaged at the plate. He picked up a hit Thursday against the Pirates with a run scored, added another hit Wednesday, and drew a walk Tuesday. Sunday's two-hit, one-run showing against the Angels opened the week on a quiet-but-productive note. Over the full stretch, he bounced between .204 and .212 — the Saturday explosion the clear high point.

McKinstry Stays Steady in Detroit

Meanwhile in the AL Central, Zach McKinstry continued to grind through the week for the Tigers. The second baseman posted a .218 average by Saturday after appearing in five of the seven days tracked. He notched a hit and a run Sunday against the Giants, added a hit and a run-plus-walk Wednesday against the Guardians, and contributed a run and a walk Tuesday in the same series.

McKinstry's week wasn't splashy — his average actually dipped slightly from .223 to .218 across the stretch — but he remained an active presence on the bases and in the lineup. For a utility-type role player, consistency of availability matters as much as the stat line.

The Rest of the Chippewa Roster

The research brief lists five other CMU alumni on MLB rosters this week — Mario Camilletti (White Sox), Dietrich Enns (Orioles), Griffin Lockwood-Powell (Dodgers), Zavier Warren (Reds), and Grant Wolfram (Orioles) — though none logged tracked statistical activity during the Aug. 9–15 window. Their presence on active rosters keeps Central Michigan's MLB footprint notable, even when the box scores are quiet.

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The headline belongs to Marsee. A 4-for-4 game with a homer is the kind of performance that can shift a coaching staff's confidence in a young player, and for a Marlins team with little to play for this late in the season, opportunities to prove yourself are exactly what you take. CMU's pro pipeline is quietly deeper than most fans realize — and this week was a reminder of that.