Jake Mangum "Always Just Trying to Get Better"

In the 2022-2023 offseason, the Miami Marlins acquired New York Mets outfielder Jake Mangum and pitcher Franklin Sanchez in exchange for Elieser Hernandez and Jeff Brigham. Although the trade has yet to make an impact for the Marlins at the major league level, Mangum—who was the player to be named later in the deal—is making a big impact with the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp.

"Yeah, that trade came out of nowhere," said Mangum. "It's been an easy transition. Everybody with the Marlins organization has been very kind and very welcoming and everyone's treated me well."

Jake Mangum was selected in the fourth round of the 2019 MLB Draft by the Mets out of Mississippi State University and developed all the way up to AAA. He showed himself to be a good overall player with his combination of speed, defensive versatility, and ability to put the ball in play. During his time in the Mets system, Mangum slashed .284/.346/.414/.760 with 45 stolen bases in 209 games, striking out only 17.4% of the time.

This season, Mangum has not slowed down. Through 39 games played (all at AAA), Mangum is slashing .316/.348/.474/.821 with seven stolen bases. Even in the high-scoring International League, his bat is producing above the league average in terms of wRC+.

Mangum was Jacksonville's leadoff hitter on Saturday night when the team's offense erupted for 20 runs. He went 2-for-6 with a home run and four RBI.

That was only his second homer of 2023. Most of Mangum's production comes from finding gaps in the defense. This season, he has a .380 batting average on balls in play. His BABIP has consistently increased each year during his career in the minors.

Since beginning pro ball, Mangum has primarily been a center fielder. It's among the most important defensive positions on the field and the Marlins in particular have struggled to find a solution there in recent years.

"I've done it all my life," said Mangum. "A lot of reps. Baseball is a skill sport, so the more you do something, the better you get at it. So just still trying to get better in every aspect of the game. We'll keep trying to do that."

Mangum is able to play a good center field thanks to his speed and quick ability to make reads. His Sprint Speed of 29.9 ft/sec leads all Jumbo Shrimp players—that would rank in the 99th percentile among MLB qualifiers this season.

"Speed helps, but I put a lot of work in as a kid and growing up to get as fast as I can," said Mangum. "I've gotten stronger in the last couple years. It's just you're always just trying to get better whatever way you can."

Will Mangum's success lead to an opportunity in the big leagues this year? It is hard to know. The Marlins went outside the organization recently to acquire fellow center fielder Jonathan Davis. Jesus Sanchez (hamstring strain) tells Fish On First that he will complete his rehab assignment on Sunday and Avisail Garcia (back tightness) is about to begin his own rehab assignment on Monday, so the outfield is crowded.

"You're chasing your dream," said the 27-year-old. "You envision the dream and when you get there, it's not such a change."

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