Fans Can Vote Now for Ketel Marte to Start the All-Star Game

MLB All-Star Game voting phase 2 is now open and Ketel Marte should be the easy choice for second base.

Arizona Diamondbacks Ketel Marte (4) reacts after hitting a home run against the Minnesota Twins in the fourth inning at Chase Field in Phoenix on Thursday, June 27, 2024. / Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY

Phase 2 of the voting for the Major League All Star game is now open. Arizona Diamondbacks fans and all MLB Fans can vote for Ketel Marte to be the starter at second base for the National League by going to THIS LINK.

There really should be little of any debate about which player is the most deserving, Ketel Marte or Luis Arraez. Lets start with who is actually playing second base.

Marte has played 69 games at second base and 10 at DH, getting an occasional day somewhat off his feet. Marte isn't just playing second base, but he's excelling there, having a Gold Glove caliber season. In fact according to Baseball Reference, Marte's +10 fielding runs result in a Defensive WAR of 1.4, which leads all of the National League.

Arraez, on the other hand, isn't even playing second base anymore. Since being traded to San Diego he's played 31 games at first base, 10 as the DH, and just 6 games at second base. He has negative -2 fielding runs at second base and is such a liability at the position he had to be moved off it.

Simply put, only one of these players is a second baseman, and that one is Marte.

When it comes to offense, the separation may be even larger. Marte has has an .877 OPS thanks to a .290/.352/.525 slash line. Arraez' OPS is 126 points lower at .741, with a slash line of .315/.351/.390.

Some may look at Arraez' advantage in batting average and make the mistake of thinking that makes him better hitter. That is simply not the case. Marte's whopping advantages in homers, extra base hits and walks more than make up for the singles Arraez hits. The below table shows total bases + walks.

Ketel Marte and Luis Arraez hit comparison / Jack Sommers

The only way someone could reason that Arraez has been a better hitter than Marte would be to make the argument that singles are just as valuable as homers and extra base hits, and that walks have no value. Every baseball fan knows that's simply not true.

For Diamondbacks fans that watch Ketel Marte every day, or even just once in a while, they don't need to be convinced. They just need to vote. For the rest of MLB fans, hopefully this brief article helps in making the correct choice.