SEATTLE -- As Nasim Nu?ez stepped to the plate for his first at-bat Saturday, the 22-year-old looked around T-Mobile Park, taking in a big league atmosphere for the first time in his young career.

¡°I took it all in,¡± Nu?ez said. ¡°It was amazing.¡±

There were thousands of people in the stands, an upper deck that players don¡¯t get to see in the Minors, and a buzz that doesn¡¯t tend to happen in Double-A. The last thing he looked at, however, was the dirt in the batter¡¯s box, reminding him that at its core, a Major League field is still just a baseball field.

¡°That's why I looked at the dirt,¡± Nu?ez said. ¡°So I know where my feet are.¡±

It wasn¡¯t long before Nu?ez was using those feet to race to second base as he shot a bases-loaded double to left field, his opposite-field hit stretching the National League¡¯s lead from 2-0 to 5-0.

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That hit was enough to earn Nu?ez the Larry Doby MVP Award at this year¡¯s SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game, making him the first Marlins prospect to take home that honor.

¡°What a day, what a game, what a moment for him,¡± said Marlins pitching prospect Patrick Monteverde, Nu?ez¡¯s teammate at Pensacola. ¡°Much deserved.¡±

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Nu?ez was disappointed when he wasn¡¯t included in last year¡¯s Futures Game, so he didn¡¯t allow himself to think about playing in this year¡¯s event. When he was informed by his coaches that he had been selected, all Nu?ez could say was, ¡°That¡¯s crazy.¡±

¡°It's an honor and something I worked for,¡± Nu?ez said.

A 2019 second-round pick and Miami¡¯s No. 20 prospect, Nu?ez is known for his slick glove at shortstop and blazing speed, which helped him steal 70 bases in the Minors in 2022. A switch-hitter, his offensive numbers in 2023 haven¡¯t been what he hoped for, slashing .211/.330/.289 with four home runs, 31 RBIs and 33 steals in 76 games at Double-A. Despite his struggles at times this season, the three-run double that earned him MVP honors didn¡¯t surprise him at all.

¡°It¡¯s baseball,¡± Nu?ez said. ¡°When I went up to the plate, it was just a regular at-bat. I did my breathing on deck, focused, picked up the ball out of the hand and was just ready to hit the ball. I think the first pitch he called a strike on me was a ball, but he threw it in the same spot and I swung this time and I got a double.¡±

The hit came against Yosver Zulueta, the Blue Jays¡¯ hard-throwing No. 3 prospect according to MLB Pipeline.

¡°Those were really tough shadows, he was facing a high-octane pitcher,¡± NL manager Raul Iba?ez said. ¡°He handled a really tough pitch, battled and shot a ball the other way. Tremendous at-bat; he¡¯s really talented, but also inquisitive and curious and open and wants to learn and get better. I really enjoyed being around him.¡±

Monteverde, who recorded the final two outs for the NL on Saturday, expected his teammate to come through in that spot.

¡°The bigger the stage, the bigger he gets; he knows how to come up clutch,¡± Monteverde said. ¡°He plays his game and sticks true to himself. He¡¯s as confident in himself without being cocky or in an arrogant way as possible.¡±

After his double, Nu?ez did what he does best, stealing third base. When he returned to the dugout after the inning, his teammates began talking about something he hadn¡¯t even considered: the MVP award.

¡°MVP never crossed my mind until I got in the dugout and people started talking that talk like, ¡®You're MVP!¡¯¡± Nu?ez said. ¡°I was like, ¡®All right, all right, all right. Chill.¡¯¡±

Nu?ez had both of his parents, his uncle, his girlfriend and other friends and family members in the stands Saturday, but it was the man whose image adorned his spikes -- Jose ¡°Papito¡± Nu?ez -- who inspired him the most.

¡°A week and a half ago, my grandfather passed away; he's the one who put the bat and ball in my hands,¡± Nu?ez said. ¡°¡®Esta en la sangre¡¯ is what he always used to say -- ¡®It's in the blood.¡¯

"He'd always yell at me, ¡®Hit the ball, hit the ball! Uppercut, uppercut!¡¯ He passed away from lung cancer and prostate cancer, so this game was really for him. Everything in the future is going to be for him, as well. I know he's always going to be with me. It's still hard, but you¡¯ve got to go with it.

¡°I enjoyed every moment.¡±