Number 3 in the MVP voting, Number 1 in our hearts
- Rating: 9.68
- 2024 Stats: 136 G, .292/.372/.560, 155 OPS+, 6.8 bWAR
- Date of Birth: 10/12/1993
- 2024 Earnings: $13.6 Million
- 2025 Status: 2025 Opening Day Second Baseman for your Arizona Diamondbacks
Ketel Marte put together an incredible postseason in 2023. A .329 batting average, 11 RBI, 10 extra base hits, setting an MLB record 18 game hitting streak (started in 2011). Absolutely phenomenal. No one expected him to put up numbers like that over the course of a full season (a .415 BABIP was unlikely), but given that he was going to be just 30 years old on Opening Day, there was hope that it would transfer over and continue through the 2024 season.
To say that it did overall would be something of an understatement. You can see the numbers above. He only beat 6.8 bWAR one time in his career to this point, collecting 6.9 bWAR in 2019. He never has had an OPS+ for the entire season over 150 before, coming the closest again in 2019 with 149. 36 home runs was also a career best for him. But there were some ups and downs along the way.
He started things right in April, putting up two three hit games against the Rockies in the first season of the series, taking advantage of their poor pitching like most of the team did that weekend. Other highlights from the month included seven hits in two games against the Cubs, three home runs in three games split between the Yankees and the Braves, and an overall BA of .307.
May was an interesting month. He began a 21 game hitting streak on April 28th which continued through May 22nd, a very impressive achievement. However, it felt empty, as he only had three total multi-hit games over that span for a fairly pedestrian batting average (by his standards) of only .270, a full 20 points lower than he would put up for the entire season, on his way to a batting average for the month of just .216. It was a strange experience at the time, rooting for a long hitting streak while simultaneously feeling that the player was in an extended slump.
At the end of the streak, he had five straight hitless games, dragging his average down to the aforementioned .216, and like the rest of the team, he was incredibly happy to see the calendar turn to June. To some people, including myself, it felt by at this point that the season was already over. At the start of the month, his batting average was .265. By June 30th, he had pushed it all the way back up to .287, helping to bring the Diamondbacks playoff hopes along with it. He had seven home runs, 20 RBI, and 15 walks that month, and July was just as good, with nearly identical numbers across the board.
August started out promising. Through August 18th, the batting average was down significantly, he was being extremely effective. In 12 games, he had nine hits, scored seven runs, knocked in nine, hit six home runs, and seven walks. That meant that even though his batting average was .251 for the month, his OBP was still .381. The ballpark was filling with MVP chants, and it seemed like there was at least an outside shot at it.
Then disaster struck.
As usual, he was playing second base in a game against the Philadelphia Phillies, known for their clean, above board style of play, when “professional baseball player” Garret Stubbs “forgot” how to slide and completely took out Marte and his ankle. Marte missed the next three weeks. Between what Ohtani did and that, there was zero discussion of him being MVP when he returned, and in fact he slipped behind Lindor in the ranking, only bringing home third despite the incredible season.
Finally, I would be remiss if I did not mention his defense. It was easily the best he has ever produced in his career. Previously in his career, he had been at best neutral in his defense, frequently a liability, most seasons. I had at times in the 2023 off season mused on the idea of him being our DH and Lawler moving to second to replace him there. The defense he put up this season was incredible rivaling his other career defensive season in 2018. To some, that alone would put him ahead of Ohtani in the MVP rankings, but I’ll leave that debate for another article.
Where does he go from here? Well hopefully, this is a sign of a late peak for him, and he’ll put together two or three more seasons like this. Pairing that with an emergent Carroll would be a deadly combination at the top of the Diamondbacks line up, and would be a huge first step towards them returning the playoffs sooner rather than later. If the defense doesn’t continue, there is the DH spot waiting for Marte, if the Diamondbacks decide to go that route. Regardless, it seems safe to say that the top of the Diamondbacks line up and the second base position are in good hands for a few years to come.