MLB: Three new additions who will quietly impact 2020 playoff race
By Nick Stevens
Starling Marte brings eight years of MLB experience to an Arizona Diamondbacks team in a position to make a lot of noise in 2020.
In a recent Zoom interview with reporters, new Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Starling Marte explained how he was ready to walk away from baseball earlier this year, a move no one would have faulted him for after the tragic passing of his wife back in May.
Two months later, Marte is in camp, has been embraced by his new teammates, and is prepared to take the diamond for the first time in a uniform that isn’t a Pittsburgh Pirates jersey.
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Madison Bumgarner and his $85 million contract may have been the prized addition this offseason, but having Marte on the roster adds a long list of positives.
Ketel Marte, who finished fourth in NL MVP voting after hitting .329 with 32 home runs last season, can move back into a more natural position in the infield while Starling Marte patrols center field. Marte’s back may appreciate the move after giving Ketel issues at the close of the 2019 season.
Starling Marte’s defense may not be the same as it was when he was winning Gold Glove Awards back in 2015 and 2016, but his bat is reliable, his ability to get on base is much-needed, and there should still be enough in him to put together a third-straight season of 20+ home runs and 30+ doubles.
Marte has just one All-Star appearance to his name, yet he’s been a reliable bat for a long time in the major leagues. A career .287 hitter with a .341 OBP and 239 stolen bases, Marte can continue to quietly go about putting together a 3 WAR season in Arizona, help solidify the outfield, and possibly be a key piece to getting Arizona into the playoffs.
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The Diamondbacks finished four games short of a Wild Card birth last year. Adding Marte, Kole Calhoun, and Bumgarner certainly put them right in the middle of playoff discussions in 2020.