Was Ketel Marte the D-backs' Biggest All-Star Snub?

Despite a resurgent first half at the plate, Marte was not named to the National League All-Star team.

The Diamondbacks will be sending three players to the All-Star game next week, the most since the 2018 season. In addition to outfielder Corbin Carroll, who will be starting in the outfield, Zac Gallen and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. were named to the roster.

One player who was not named was Ketel Marte. D-backs manager Torey Lovullo expressed frustration in his player being left out. 

"When you add up everything, what Ketel's meant to this team and the way he's performed, he is an All-Star. He's considered that inside this clubhouse and it probably means more to him than anything, but he'll find his way to get out there and finish strong, have a great year. Hopefully he'll get some consideration for maybe an MVP or something that might carry into next year. I think reputations push you along in this voting process and he is continuing to earn his reputation. We already know what he is and that's the most important thing to all of us."

In 79 games this season, Marte is hitting .285 with 15 home runs, 44 RBI, and an .867 OPS. FanGraphs rated his offense as 35% better than the league average hitter, with a wRC+ of 135 that ranks second for National League second basemen. 

In most years, that would be good enough to make the All-Star team. But this year, that was not the case. Luis Arraez, who is chasing a .400 average season, was named the starting second baseman and Ozzie Albies was picked as the top reserve over Marte.

Here's a comparison between the two players:

Michael McDermott

In a one-on-one comparison, with a similar amount of plate appearances, Marte holds the edge in rate stats such as batting average, on-base percentage, and OPS. Looking at the statistics alone, the D-backs second baseman seems to be more worthy of a roster spot at first glance. 

Lovullo also believes that timing could have been an issue for why Marte performed poorly in the fan vote and subsequently left off the All-Star roster. Entering play on June 12th, the D-backs second baseman was hitting .273 with nine home runs and a .812 OPS. In the next 13 games, Marte collected 19 hits, hitting .404 with six home runs and a 1.339 OPS. His hot streak may have come a bit too late.

Despite not being named to the roster, it's still possible for Marte to be named as a replacement. While it is not the same as being selected, the experience of playing the All-Star Game in a ballpark he used to play his home games in would still be the experience of a life time for the D-backs second baseman.