Ketel Marte Named Silver Slugger Finalist

The D-backs' dominant second baseman is a finalist for the Silver Slugger Award.

Sep 24, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks second base Ketel Marte (4) hits against the San Francisco Giants in the ninth inning at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images / Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images

Arizona Diamondbacks' second baseman Ketel Marte has been named a finalist for the National League Second Base Silver Slugger Award, following an excellent season at the plate for the veteran infielder.

The D-backs were the benefactors of a near MVP-caliber performance from Marte, and with MLB awards beginning to roll out, Arizona's stud second baseman could be taking home some hardware in recognition of his quality year.

The Silver Slugger Award is an honor given to the player at each offensive position (including a utility category) from each league who put forward the best season at the plate.

Marte's excellent offensive season saw him slash an impressive .292/.372/.560, good for a .932 OPS and 155 OPS+ (55% above average), as he clubbed a monstrous 36 homers and knocked in 95 runs.

Those numbers, coupled with his excellent defense at second base, earned him 6.3 fWAR and 6.8 bWAR, the most among NL second basemen. Marte was also a finalist for the Gold Glove Award, but the award went to Milwaukee's Brice Turang.

Marte's fellow second base Silver Slugger finalists include Washington's Luis Garcia Jr. and Cincinnati's Jonathan India. Garcia recorded a .282/.318/.444 slash, with 18 homers, 70 RBI and a .762 OPS. India slashed .248/.357/.392 with 15 homers and a .749 OPS.

All three players put out solid seasons. Certainly, India and Garcia deserve recognition, but neither quite lived up to the brilliant 2024 campaign from Marte. Although the D-backs infielder suffered an ankle injury that kept him out for the latter half of August, the 31-year-old veteran still posted one of the best seasons of his career over 136 games.

Silver Slugger Award winners will be announced on November 12. While it isn't a guarantee to see Marte take home the honors, it would be a surprise (if not an injustice) to see his incredible year passed on in favor of his competition.

If Marte does win, he'll be the first Diamondback to take home the award since Zack Greinke won the pitchers' category in 2019, prior to the DH's arrival in the National League. Paul Goldschmidt and David Peralta were the last D-backs position players to win, both doing so in 2018.

For a full list of MLB awards and the full schedule, click here.