What a pickup this became!
The Diamondbacks traded for Ketel Marte before the 2017 offseason, and few people in Phoenix knew the star they were acquiring. They do now.
Still a Diamondback at this writing, Marte became a cornerstone of the organization and will enter his tenth season in Arizona. The versatile infielder had some early franchise moments, becoming the first player in postseason history to have two triples in a game hit from both sides of the plate, which he accomplished in the 2017 National League Wildcard Game. In 2018, he would lead the NL in Triples. This was good, but he would break out in 2019, which was the necessary step needed to make him the face of the franchise.
In 2019, Marte was an All-Star, and he would finish fourth in MVP voting. Marte was also second in bWAR (7.2), Hits (187), and Batting Average (.329). Marte continued to be a solid producer for Arizona, but in 2023, he reemerged as an upper-tier player, having his best year since 2019. That season, he had 157 Hits, batted .276, and helped the Diamondbacks win the National League Pennant.
Over the last two seasons, Marte has remained one of Arizona's top weapons, making both the 2024 and 2025 All-Star Games, winning the Silver Sluggers and All-MLB 1 Team spots, with solid stats (64 Home Runs, .288 BA, 150 OPS+), including a third-place MVP finish in 2024 (36 HR & .932 OPS). Marte is entrenched in the top three all-time in many Diamondbacks batting statistics, and he is not done yet.
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