24. Ketel Marte, Arizona Diamondbacks, 75.1 mph
Projected as Arizona’s starting center fielder this coming season, Ketel Marte is a comparatively anonymous figure in the D-Backs’ plans.
Last season in 520 at-bats and used mostly as a second baseman, he delivered a .260 batting average and .332 on-base average that was easy to overlook.
Marte, who was obtained from Seattle in a 2016 trade, does not project to be a power hitter. Still, his 88.6 mph exit velocity was entirely representative, matching the exit velocities of such more visible players as the Dodgers’ Chris Taylor, the Pirates’ Gregory Polanco, and the Astros’ George Springer. That may not be Hall of Fame company, but it’s legit major league company. It was also a step up for Marte, whose career exit velocity has averaged two mph slower.
Marte not only hit the ball reasonably hard, but he also hit it often. In 520 official at-bats, he only struck out 79 times, translating to an 85 percent contact rate. That’s a two percent improvement on his career 83 percent contact rate.
Marte may be easy to overlook both for the fact that he is not a power hitter and also because he plays for Arizona, which in recent seasons has not been a high-visibility team. But his relatively high standing in Exit Velocity Per At Bat suggests that he may soon be moving up on fans’ radar screens.