2025 Fantasy Baseball: Ketel Marte Profile, Preview, Predictions
Ketel Marte lived on a fantasy island in 2024 at the second base position. He mashed home runs (36) while most other options provided speed with weakness in power. His bat shine has difference-maker upside, especailly if he can suit up for 150+ games.
444 feet off the bat of Ketel Marte for his 18th home run of the season! pic.twitter.com/qowteSFTo2
— MLB (@MLB) July 11, 2024
2B – Ketel Marte, ARI (ADP – 28.9)
Marte came into the majors with a light-hitting power profile and some speed on his minor league resume. After a breakout season in 2019 (.329/97/32/92/10 over 569 at-bats), he struggled to find his identity at the plate, leading to three poor seasons while missing 102 games. Marte regained his power stroke (25 home runs over 569 at-bats).
Despite missing 26 games last season due to an August ankle injury, he set career-highs in home runs (36) and RBIs (95) while hitting first or second in the batting order for the Diamondbacks. His RBI rate (19) was elite for the second time in his career, but he ranked poorly in his RBI chances (327) due to his slot in the batting order. Arizona led the majors in runs scored (886).
His contact batting average (.369) was much better than in 2022 (.302) and 2023 (.344). Marte has an improving walk rate (11.2) while trading some of his plate coverage (strikeout rate – 18.2) for home runs. He set a new top in his average hit rate (1.918), highlighted by a jump in his exit velocity (94.0 mph – his previous high was 91.1) and hard-hit rate (53.8 – 42.8 in 2023). Even with his spike in power, Marte posted a six-year high in his groundball rate (48.1 – 44.8 in 2023) and a weaker launch angle (9.4). His HR/FB rate (25.7) was well above his previous career path (13.0 – h 14.9 in 2023).
Marte was a beast vs. lefties (.342/35/18/45/1 over 193 at-bats) while offering more power on the road (22 home runs) and batting average (.323) at home. His best success in 2024 came in June and July (.349/37/14/43/5 over 175 at-bats). He stayed hot for 10 days in August (8-for-31 with seven runs, six home runs, and nine RBIs), but his ankle issue derailed the finish to his season.
Fantasy Outlook: There’s a lot to like about Marte coming into 2025, but buying a player after a career season tends to lead to losing investment in fantasy baseball. His improvement in hard contact and power ranks with the top 10 players in baseball, suggesting added JUICE to his swing. His four-category edge stands out at second base, and there is always a chance that Marte adds a few more steals. Possible .300/100/30/100/10 season if he can stay on the field for 150 games. Downside: 80-game suspension or a long stint on the injured list.
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With 20+ years of experience in the high-stakes fantasy market, I aim to research and compete at the highest level in baseball and football each season. I've contributed as a writer/analyst for Sports Draft Daily, ScoutPro, Scout Fantasy, Fulltime Fantasy, FFToolbox, and Sports Illustrated Fantasy. I'm honored to be in the National Fantasy Baseball Championship Hall of Fame. My drafting philosophy is risk-averse yet open to betting on potential game-changers. I approach player selection with a neutral perspective, acknowledging that fantasy sports are inherently unpredictable due to injuries, performance dips, and managerial decisions. My work focuses on these main areas: - Season-long fantasy baseball and football - BestBall Baseball and Football Events - Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS): DraftKings, FanDuel, and Underdog - Long Shot Player Prop Parlays for NFL I participate in various leagues and contests, including NFBC, NFFC, RTSports, FFPC, DraftKings, Underdog Fantasy, FanDuel, and FFWC, with the goal of leveraging my extensive experience and research for success in each game format. A fantasy follower can expect in-depth profiles of NFL and MLB players, along with season-long and weekly projections for each fantasy football season. In addition, I have many strategy articles to help develop fantasy players' learning curves.