MLB’s most valuable 2B of 2019
1. Ketel Marte, Arizona Diamondbacks, $10.391 million value, $2.4 million salary
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When the various positional rating programs air in January, it will be enlightening to see how far up the list of second baseman Marte lands. Based solely on his 2019 work, he ought to stand securely atop such lists.
In his age 25 season, Marte blossomed with a .329 batting average that was a substantial improvement on anything he’d previously done. His .981 OPS, a 200 point jump from one season earlier, further illustrates the improvement.
Offensively, it all added up to a 6.9 WAR that not only was the best among second baseman but one of the 10 best at any position. Given the position’s normal performance metrics, it justified $7.354 million in salary, about 50 percent more than the average salary at the position considering all skills.
While Marte would have been a positional star in 2019 considering only his bat, he didn’t exactly sleep on defense. His .990 fielding average ranked fourth, and his 1,210 innings of work was eighth.
The big drawback was range. Marte got to 3.91 plays per nine innings, only 27th best at the position and well below the 4.1 positional average. That worked out to $1.1 million in deserved pay.
The Diamondbacks may have to live with the range deficiency…and if Marte continues to hit they’ll happily do so. In recognition of his talent, they’re tied him up through 2024 to contracts that remain in the $10 million range through that period.
In other words, they have a full-blown bargain on their hands.