After I essentially spoke the Matt Chapman trade into existence, I’ve decided to write the same type of article focused on Arizona’s Ketel Marte.
Why Marte? Well, he’s a switch hitter and a second baseman, much like Jose Ramirez who the Jays are after to play second base.
Marte’s bat:
Unlike Chapman, Marte’s speciality comes with the bat. In 2745 plate appearances in the big leagues, he’s slashed .287/.346/.802 with 70 homers. He also has a good eye at the plate, as his career walk rate is 7.9% with a strikeout rate of 14.9%.
Early Career:
After spending his first two seasons with the Seattle Mariners, he was traded to the Arizona Diamondback. In his first three seasons (2015-2017), he slashed .265/.319/.679 with eight home runs in 968 plate appearances. In only his rookie season did he register a Fangraphs WAR (fWAR) over 1.0. It’s safe to say that Marte was slightly above replacement level during this time.
His potential is showing:
Then 2018 happened. The second baseman/centre fielder slashed .260/.332/.768 in 580 plate appearances, which was actually slightly worse than his 2017 slash line of .260/.345/.740. So what made him so good in 2018? Marte hit 14 homers, nearly double his career total in the prior three seasons. His fWAR of 2.5 in 2018 was better than his accumulated fWAR of 2.2 in the prior three seasons.
From slightly above average to MVP calibre:
Coming into the 2019 season, it’s possible to believe that his 2018 was a fluke, but then Ketel Marte finished fourth in NL MVP voting. The then 25-year-old slashed .329/.389/.981 in 628 plate appearances. Not only did his slash line i …
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Author: Brennan Delaney / Blue Jays Nation