Ketel Marte Off to Hot Start in Spring

Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte had one of his better career years in 2023. He slashed .276/.358/.485 in the regular season, before going .329/.380/.534 in the playoffs, taking home an NLCS MVP award.

It's only Spring Training, but Marte has looked every bit the part of his 2023 self in his game action so far this year. So far, he's hitting 11-for-20 (.550), with a triple and two doubles.

Manager Torey Lovullo had high praise for Marte in yesterday's press conference. 

“He’s a very good player… it’s almost that he can take his game to another level, against the very best at the most critical moment," Lovullo said.

Lovullo cited the postseason of 2023, and the record-breaking 20-game postseason hitting streak that helped him earn NLCS MVP honors. Lovullo noted how impressed he was with Marte, and the fact that the switch-hitting second baseman is able to elevate his game in the biggest moments.

“To do what he did with that hitting streak was really amazing, that’s how engaged he can be, and that's how good he can be. And it’s not that he’s playing around with his competition, I don't want you to think that he's taking anything lightly, but it’s amazing to think that elite athletes… when they take their game to the next level, you know they're a very special player."

"Ketel, for me, is in that category." Lovullo said, “he was looking for base hits, he was looking to get on base, he knew what that streak was all about. He’s very smart, he’s very engaged, and it was fun to watch.

Marte is a special player, no doubt. He became one of the most fun D-backs to watch for anyone last season. The switch-hitter does have a strange pattern, where he tends to slump (relative to his productive self) in even years, while exploding at the plate in odd years.

Last year fit the bill of an odd-year explosion. More encouragingly, the veteran was able to play 150 games, staying generally healthy throughout the season. Regardless, Marte is hitting at a blazing pace, and hasn't appeared to lose a single step in his game so far in 2024. If able to continue even a fragment of his current pace, he could be ready to smash the even-year expectations once the regular season begins.

Lovullo noted that Marte had also been trying to get reps at shortstop this week. The D-backs are in the midst of a camp battle for the backup role, with just about every infielder not named Walker or Suárez in consideration for the job, and the veteran is trying to throw his name into the hat as well.

"He told me 'I’ll be our backup shortstop,' I love that," said Lovullo, "maybe he'll enter that conversation." 

Lovullo said he asked if Marte could play 20-30 games at shortstop, and the veteran told him "Yeah, I'll do whatever, whatever you want me to do."

Although the skipper did confirm that Marte is not in legitimate consideration for the backup shortstop role as of yet, he noted that Marte is "a very good shortstop," and that a conversation will be had at some point about the potential.

Regardless of whether or not the second baseman takes some reps at the shortstop spot, Marte's eagerness to contribute in any way speaks to the type of player he is on and off the field, and is a praiseworthy attribute of the veteran entering his 10th major league season.

"I love that he wants to, and I think that he can [play shortstop]," Lovullo said.

Marte looks as sharp as ever, and his consistent production at the plate was a huge part of the D-backs' postseason run last year. Although the D-backs look to gain some production from other spots in the lineup, the switch-hitter's monstrous Spring to this point could set him up to be another key contributor on a high-powered offense in 2024.