In a crowded field of elite outfielders in the National League, Arizona Diamondbacks OF Ketel Marte is making a strong case for the All-Star game.
Before the 2019 MLB season even started, Arizona Diamondbacks OF Ketel Marte was written off as a good defensive outfielder with speed and little upside with the bat. 11-Weeks into the season, however, and Marte has proven that his bat is much better than we all thought.
With only a few weeks left until the All-Star break now, Marte has played himself into the conversation for an All-Star appearance. This is something Marte considers his “dream” and a true possibility.
"That's my dream."
— Bally Sports Arizona (@BALLYSPORTSAZ) June 2, 2019
Ketel Marte wants to make the All-Star team. He's certainly playing like one of the best players in baseball, so do your thing @Dbacks fans! Vote for Ketel!
(Btw, it's #PieTime) pic.twitter.com/6kgv8JZbOx
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To get to this level, Marte has improved his performance in THREE different ways.
First, he’s gone from a decent defensive outfielder to an elite one. In fact, this season, among center fielders with a minimum 300 innings, Marte ranks 2nd in MLB — first in the National League — in FanGraphs’ defensive rating (8.0). He trails only Byron Buxton of the Minnesota Twins who has a 10.2 Def.
Secondly, Marte has drastically improved his traditional and advanced statistics. As far as traditional stats go, prior to this season, Marte slashed .263 / .324 / .389. This season, he’s slashing .286 / .341 / .566.
In terms of advanced analytics, Marte’s career highs are .330 wOBA, 112 wRC+, and a 2.5 fWAR. This season, he has a .373 wOBA, 140 wRC+, and a 3.0 fWAR. Keep in mind that these career highs took place in full seasons. Marte has only played in 71 games this year.
Lastly, Marte has turned himself into one of baseball’s best powerhouse hitters. This season, Marte ranks 8th in home runs with 20. 20 HR just so happens the same number of home runs Marte had in his previous 345 games (3-seasons) before this season.
Among outfielders in the NL, by fWAR, Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Ketel Marte (3.0) is the 3rd best the NL, behind Christian Yelich (4.3) and Cody Bellinger (5.1). Therefore, it’s safe to say that if Marte doesn’t make it to the All-Star game, he was robbed.