Arizona Diamondbacks' Ketel Marte is Baseball's Most Underrated Player

The Arizona Diamondbacks have one of the best baseball players in baseball, and for some reason he does not get the praise or mention as the other top superstars in the game. 

Ketel Marte is hitting .300 for Arizona, with 27 home runs and 77 RBI. Marte is a switch-hitter who can play multiple positions well. In his career he has played shortstop, second base, third base and has excelled in center field. This season, Marte has played mostly second base and was selected to play in his second all-star game.

Marte should be on the short list of MVP candidates with the likes of the Dodgers Shohei Ohtani and Atlanta’s Marcell Ozuna. Marte is third in the National League in homers, batting average and runs batted in, while placing fourth in hits. Marte has racked up 49 extra base hits already (20-doubles, 27-homers, 2-triples) and is third in the National League with a .919 OPS.

The ten-year-veteran was originally signed by the Seattle Mariners as a 17-year-old out of the Dominican Republic in 2010. Marte made his MLB debut in 2015 for the Mariners and hit .283 in 57 games. He played one full season in 2016 for Seattle and then was traded to Arizona in the off-season before the 2017 season. 

Marte has played eight seasons in Arizona, making two all-star appearances and hitting over 20 home runs three times, including a career high 32 in 2019. Marte is one of the game's best designated hitters and during his ten-year career he has been consistent on both sides of the plate. He is a lifetime .267 hitter vs. RHP and a .310 hitter vs. LHP. He hits homers at the same rate from each side of the plate as well, making him a tough matchup either way.

Marte is only .06 points, six homers, and nine RBI away from winning the Triple Crown award. The award has not been won by a National League hitter since 1937, when St. Louis Cardinals Joe Medwick won the award.

Ketel Marte deserves to be talked about in the same way that players like Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani do. Marte is helping to lead the Diamondbacks into the playoffs. This past weekend in Pittsburgh, Marte went 4-15 with three homers and five RBI, helping Arizona take two out of three from Pittsburgh. 

When discussing the best players in the game, don’t be afraid to mention Ketel Marte…he deserves it.