Ketel Marte had a breakout season for the ages in 2019. A slashline of .329/.389/.592 accompanied with 32 home runs landed Marte 4th on the NL MVP list. He was dynamic by every sense of the word last season. He actually played more games in center fielder than second base last season, but with the acquisition of Starling Marte, Ketel should be able to slide back to his natural position of second base.
Last season showed us Ketel Marte definitely has the talent to be in the conversation for one of the best five players in baseball. But is his 2019 season repeatable?
During Marte's last 4 seasons, he only has one year where he hit above .260, had more than 14 dingers, had an .OBP above .352, and a WPA above 1 - all in 2019. And that was only a fraction of the stats I could have used. By almost any metric, 2019 was Marte's far and away best season as a pro. When comparing it to his other seasons, 2019 isn't just a breakout season, but a possible outlier.
2018 gave us a glimpse of the kind of raw power Marte might have by leading the NL in triples, while hitting 14 home runs. Then 2019 comes and Marte takes his offensive production to the next level. Does this mean Marte is a player still improving or will he fall back to Earth in 2020?
Strictly looking at Marte's time with the D'backs, he's been a steadily improving player for the last 3 seasons now. Not to mention, D'backs are a great organization at getting the most talent out of undiscovered gems. Their roster is loaded with guys like Christian Walker who might not have been valued elsewhere, but are a perfect fit for the team. That's where Ketel Marte fits in - D'backs need that new spark and face of franchise post-Goldschmidt. Marte can be that guy to replace the void.
Marte has proven enough to me, through his work ethic and production, that 2019 wasn't a fluke. With only 60 games to play, Marte's numbers could crush 2019's.
