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2024 SnakePit Awards: MVP – Ketel Marte

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San Diego Padres v Arizona Diamondbacks
Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images

My first unsurprised face of 2025

It was a triumphant return to form for Ketel Marte. Five years after his first victory in the category, Marte takes home his second SnakePit MVP award. This was even more emphatic than his 2019 one. There, he received 72% of the votes, and at time of writing he currently sits on 89%, with nobody else getting more than a token nod. Hard to argue with that conclusion, by average WAR, he was worth close to three wins more than any other member of the Diamondbacks. He finished third in the league MVP voting, might have been second if the team had made the playoffs, and if it hadn’t been for the four weeks he was all but out of action, might have challenged Shohei Ohtani for first. Curse you Garrett Stubbs.

By both WAR metrics, this season was almost the equal of 2019 for Marte. Indeed, fWAR says they were equal, both worth 6.3 wins. bWAR gave the edge to his previous MVP-caliber season by the smallest possible margin, 6.9 to 6.8 wins. Considering he played in eight fewer games this season – again, curse you Garrett Stubbs! – it was a stellar performance. His performance at the plate was a little different: his batting average was 37 points lower, though a still extremely respectable .292. But he walked more last season, and also hit more homers (36 to 32), helping Ketel to a career-high 95 runs driven in. His OPS+ was six points higher, at 155 – the best by any D-back since Paul Goldschmidt’s 168 in 2015.

However, what might have helped more than anything else was Marte’s improvement with the glove. He had never measured up particularly well in this area during his time in Arizona, though in defense of his defense (as it were), matters were certainly not helped by him being bounced between second base and center for a number of seasons. Still, going into this year, his total UZR at second was -1.8. But he simply LOOKED better there this year, and that showed in the metrics, with UZR rating him +2.7, and he was a finalist for the NL Gold Glove at the position, albeit losing out the Brewers’ Brice Turang. How did he do it? A June article shed some light on the process:

He focused more on his lateral explosiveness than he ever had before. When he returned to Salt River Fields two weeks ahead of the start of spring training, he began marrying that work with training from [coach Tony] Perezchica. Together, their focus was on improving the routes Marte takes to balls… “The reaction, first step to the baseball has been very accurate,” [manager Torey] Lovullo said. “Sometimes, you cut off that angle too short, the ball gets by you. Sometimes, you take it too deep and that ball eats you up. He’s been very good with his first-step movement, creating the right angle and just getting his hands on the ball.”

It’s undeniably impressive that a player is not only seeking to improve in their thirties, but actively taking steps which lead to exactly that. It seems quite possible that Ketel might get his wish, saying “I want to win a Gold Glove… I’ve got good hands. If I’m moving pretty good and you’ve good hands, you’re gonna get a Gold Glove.” This year, he had to settle merely for a Silver Slugger, his second All-Star selection (being voted by fans as the NL’s starter at second, being the only D-back to take part) and getting named to the All-MLB First Team. Not bad for a player costing a relatively light $13.6 million. The $76 million extension he signed in March 2022 has already payed for itself, Marte posting 13.2 bWAR since.

As was noted in the nominations thread, Marte was a fabulous bookend at the plate for the D-backs. He batted .360 with thirteen home-runs in only 114 at-bats during the first inning, for an OPS there of 1.219. But his performance in the ninth inning was better still. He went 17-for-43 with nine home-runs: his slash there was .395/.426/1.023 for an OPS of 1.449. Nobody with 25+ PA in the ninth had a better major-league OPS for that situation, since Christian Yelich in 2019. His first such home-run tied the game at 11 against the Cubs. The second, a two-run shot, converted a deficit into the margin of victory against the Mets. Above, you get to watch all nine of the home-runs.

He’s a rare switch-hitter who can cause serious damage both left- and right-handed. Last year, his home-runs were evenly split, eighteen from each side of the plate. As a left-handed bat, he had an .841 OPS last year, which alone would be over fifty points better than any other qualifying second-baseman in the major. But turn him around, and as a rightie, he hit .342/.401/.679 for a monstrous 1.080 OPS. If the D-backs are to compete again in 2025, after scoring more runs than any other team in baseball last year, Ketel is almost certain to be a key contributor. If he can produce at the same level he showed this season, he’ll continue to be a joy to watch.

Previous winners

That brings the 2024 awards to a conclusion. Thanks to all who took part in the process, with nominations, comments or votes. Here’s a full list of the awards handed out this year. Category goes to the nomination and ballot, player’s name to the announcement of their victory.