Ketel Marte a Driving Force of Diamondbacks World Series Run

The star infielder's bounce-back season helped power the D-backs through the playoffs.

This article is part of a series of player reviews for the 2023 Arizona Diamondbacks. It was a surprising and marvelous year for the team as they won 84 games to make the postseason. They advanced to Game Five of the World Series before bowing out to the Texas Rangers. There are 54 players in all that had at least one at-bat or pitched at least one inning for the team this past season. They are being presented in reverse order of their aWAR (average WAR-Wins Above Replacement) produced, which is the average of Baseball Reference and Fangraphs WAR. These are their season stories.

Ketel Marte's stellar 2023 returned him to a career standard of excellence / Alex D'Agostino

As the Diamondbacks began to crawl back from the depths of their 110 loss season in 2021 (a season in which Ketel Marte slashed an astounding .318/.377/.532/.909 in just 90 games), one of the biggest disappointments of the 2022 roster was the switch-hitting second-baseman. Marte hit just .240 in 2022, with only 12 home runs in 137 games.

2023 was a different story. 

Marte didn't exactly burst onto the scene of Arizona's 2023 season, he put up solid numbers through April, but nothing incredible. May and beyond is when the veteran infielder began to accelerate, beginning a streak of .300+ hitting from Marte.

From May through July, Marte slashed an impressive .309/.396/.531/.928, with 17 extra-base hits, 14 home runs and 48 RBI, including a 22-RBI June. Even during the D-backs' mid-season slump, Marte was a bright spot on the offense. The veteran switch-hitter spent most of his time hitting second in the order, but did start 46 games in the lead off spot.

After being one of the biggest driving forces of Arizona's offense for most of the summer, Marte's numbers dipped in August. He hit just .179 with two extra base hits, but still homered four times and knocked in 12 runs. Issues began to arise as the D-backs fell into holes, and Marte was the culprit of often putting too much in his swing to make up for a lack of production from the lineup. 

September, however, presented an end to his slump, as Marte returned to the consistency of the previous few months, slashing .299/.386/.540/.926.

Marte finished the regular season second in batting average (.276), total base hits (157), on-base percentage (.358), and OPS (.843), all behind rookie superstar outfielder Corbin Carroll. He was third in slugging (.485), behind Carroll and first baseman Christian Walker, and tied for second in team RBI (82)--once again behind Walker--with outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr.

Where the surprise comes is his ability to walk. Marte led the D-backs in walks with 71, eclipsing disciplined shortstop Geraldo Perdomo by seven. Marte ranked in the 80th percentile in walk rate (10.9%) and 82nd in strikeout rate (16.9%). He rarely chased outside the zone (76th percentile chase rate), and was in the 75th percentile in whiffs. He ranked in the 90th percentile with a 25 batting run value.

Marte was a weapon at the plate consistently, but was his most productive from the right-handed batter's box. Marte hit left-handed pitching (as a right-handed batter) at a .313 clip, over 50 points higher than he hit right-handers from the lefty box (.259), but still used the entirety of the field when collecting base hits and home runs.

While not necessarily known as a defensive infielder, Marte was solid at his second base position, starting 139 games as a second-baseman and fielding at a solid .986 rate. He ranked in the 73rd percentile range, with one Out Above Average.

Marte was a foundational piece of the D-backs' regular season, but the veteran truly came alive in the 2023 playoffs. Marte recorded at least one base hit in all but the final game of the World Series, setting a new record for most consecutive playoff games with a hit--both as a pure streak and to start a career--with 20 (dating back to the 2017 season).

Marte also put forward seven multi-hit games, finishing the postseason with an incredible .329/.380/.549./.914, with 11 RBI and 2 home runs. But it wasn't just hit quantity that defined his excellent playoff performance. Marte was a key contributor to more than one of the D-backs' crucial playoff wins.

In Game One of the Wild Card, Marte launched a solo home run off Milwaukee ace Corbin Burnes, tying the game at three runs apiece and capping off the erasure of an 0-3 deficit. 

But Marte's finest moment came with the D-backs staring down an 0-2 series deficit against the Philadelphia Phillies in the National League Championship Series. While not technically facing elimination, Game Three was as close to a must-win as it could get. On the tails of rookie right-hander Brandon Pfaadt's brilliant 5 2/3 inning, nine strikeout shutout, the D-backs faced a 1-1 tie in the ninth inning facing Phillies closer Craig Kimbrel.

With one out and the bases loaded, Marte came up to bat. On an 0-1 count, the star infielder saw a fastball above above the zone and jumped on it, ripping a single to center field and walking off the Phillies in Phoenix. Marte finished Game Three by going three-for-five, with two doubles and the winning single, helping propel the D-backs to a comeback series win and the National League pennant.

Beautiful piece of hitting from Ketel. What a moment. pic.twitter.com/LLNfQWOiJ3

— Alex D’Agostino (@AlexDagAZ) October 20, 2023

Marte would, deservedly, win the NLCS MVP award for his heroics, posting a .387/.406/.581/.986 for the series.

The veteran infielder will go down as one of the heroes of the Diamondbacks' magical 2023 journey. While consistently performing at a high level, he rose even higher in the biggest games of his career and endeared himself to the hearts of his teammates and fans forever. Marte's 2023 will be one that won't be quickly forgotten by D-backs fans. He finished with a 4.56 aWAR and a 2.3 WPA for the season.

2024 Status and Outlook

There's little obscurity surrounding Marte's status for the 2024 season. Although injury has been an issue for the switch-hitter in the past, he saw 150 games of action in 2023, his second-most in a season, and was generally consistent in his production throughout. While also an option for the DH role, Marte should resume duties as the full-time second-baseman, barring any changes or additions to the infield. Steamer projects a similar season with a very slight dip for 2024, with a .276/.353/.465/.818 slash, 82 RBI and 21 home runs. Marte is back in full force, and the D-backs hope he continues his consistency of production.

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