Starling Marte signed a $78 million contract with the New York Mets for four years in December, right before the MLB lockout started.
Marte was a member of the Oakland A’s last season after the Miami Marlins decided to move him for Jesus Luzardo. In Oakland, Marte continued to show off his above-average bat as he slashed .316/.359/.466 in just 56 games for the Athletics.
The two-time Gold Glover is known for being an above-average all-around player, but quite frankly, he isn’t getting the respect that he deserves from fans, peers, and the MLB media.
Marte Sees A Lack Of Respect Around The League
Marte doesn’t get the type of respect that he deserves due to his lack of power. In the 2021 season, he had an 87.6 MPH average exit velocity, which ranked him in the 21st percentile.
Due to the game-changing and fans being in love with the long ball(and rightfully so), guys like Starling Marte are often overshadowed by big power bats such as Joey Gallo, CJ Cron, Pete Alonso, and others. However, what people don’t see is his above-average metrics in other areas of the game.
Outside of a below-average exit velocity, chase rate, and jumps in the outfield, Marte was average or above average in nearly every other advanced metric.
During the 2021 season, Marte finished in the 83rd percentile of sprint speed, 87th percentile of max exit velocity, 82nd percentile of xBA(expected batting average), and 67th percentile in K%.
Advanced Stats Predictions For Marte
In the 2022 season, Marte is projected to have a down year from his previous season, according to FanGraphs. After posting a 5.5 WAR last season, FanGraphs has Marte finishing with a 2.9 WAR this year.
Marte shouldn’t have a down year in a much more hitter-friendly ballpark than Oakland, so the prediction doesn’t make too much sense. Citi Field isn’t the best place to play as a hitter, but it’s certainly better than the Oakland Coliseum.
With Marte being predicted to have a down year, it shows the point even more about him being underrated. With better hitters around him and a better ballpark for hitters, there should be no reason why we see his production go down.
Slow Start To 2022 Season, But Should Turn It Around
He has started the year off slow with the Mets, but considering there have only been four games this season, those numbers don’t show much. In the first four games, he’s hitting .222.
Marte’s advanced numbers to start the year haven’t been great either. He’s started these four games off with an average exit velocity that’s in the sixth percentile and a barrel percentage that’s in the first percentile; Marte isn’t someone who is going to always hit balls hard, but he knows how to get on base, and that’s what he needs to do again this year. This little slump should be gone within the next few games.
Expect Starling Marte to post another 4+ WAR season next year as he chases a ring with what looks like a New York Mets team that has the potential to make a deep playoff run if they get healthy.
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