'Beacon of consistency' Marte a viable All-Star

This story was excerpted from Steve Gilbert’s D-backs Beat newsletter. Jesús Cano filled in for this edition. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

PHOENIX -- In a season filled with anticipation following the D-backs' unexpected run to the World Series, the year has been riddled with inconsistency and injuries from the reigning National League champions.

But throughout the up-and-down stretch Arizona has experienced, Ketel Marte has remained the beacon of consistency in the club’s lineup.

His teammates, coaches and fans know how valuable the second baseman is to the team. Now, the entire league is catching on about Marte. On Monday, it was revealed that the 30-year-old took the lead among NL second basemen on the All-Star Ballot over reigning NL batting champion Luis Arraez by 49,989 votes.

There probably isn’t a bigger advocate for Marte to start in this year’s All-Star Game in Arlington than D-backs manager Torey Lovullo.

“I want to encourage all the voters -- all those Arizona voters, even beyond the state -- go out there and vote for Ketel,” Lovullo said. “He's certainly playing at a very elite level. His Wins Above Replacement [WAR] is among the best in the National League and he deserves this recognition. He's a special player and he shows up every single day.”

The evidence is there to support the skipper’s campaign. Marte’s 3.2 FanGraphs WAR places him at 11th in MLB among position players and the highest of any second baseman. In addition, the Dominican Republic native leads his position in homers (16), RBIs (46), slugging (.507) and OPS (.847).

Don’t believe the hype yet? Just take a look at Marte’s heroics on Tuesday night, when he jolted the offense to begin the game with a 379-foot homer and drove in the game-winning run by using his speed to beat out a routine ground ball that traveled five feet. Even the smallest move by Marte can result in a big play for the D-backs.

He showed the potential to be a centerpiece two seasons after joining the D-backs in a five-player trade from the Mariners in November 2016 when he started the All-Star Game at second base in 2019.

“It was a marvelous moment,” Marte said in Spanish to MLB.com. “Being out there with some of the biggest stars in baseball while also sharing that memory with my family was very special and something I’ll never forget.”

Marte has been through ups and downs with the club, from making the playoffs in 2017 (Arizona's first postseason berth in six years) to losing 110 games in '21 to reaching the World Series in '23.

Marte produced impressive numbers in the first half of last season but was left out of the Midsummer Classic in Seattle. He was disappointed, but after a conversation with D-backs legend Luis Gonzalez, Marte took his performance to another level.

The switch-hitter was a catalyst in the D-backs' playoff chase and cemented himself in the club's history last year. Marte hit a walk-off single to give Arizona life after falling behind 2-0 in the NL Championship Series. It was a moment so legendary that the club is giving away 20,000 Bat Flip Bobbles this Saturday.

When asked about leading in the balloting, Marte downplayed the accomplishment. After all, things could change before the voting ends on Thursday. But Marte is primarily focused on helping the D-backs reach the same heights as last year.

And in any way he can represent the team, he’ll do so with pride -- for the organization that helped transform his career.

“I’ve been here for a long time,” Marte said in Spanish. “This team gave me an amazing opportunity. I always try to be a great teammate and get along with every coach on our staff. Everyone here is a big reason behind my success.”