Nose injury doesn't slow down Marte's bat
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This story was excerpted from Mark Sheldon’s Reds Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
Marte suffered a nasal fracture from being hit by an errant warmup throw made by teammate Elly De La Cruz before a Sept. 9 game. He missed two games and three starts but carried an 11-game hitting streak into Sunday and a 17-game streak of reaching base.
“I’ve been playing really well. I haven’t really been thinking about my nose," Marte said via translator Jorge Merlos on Friday. "At the start, I was thinking about if the ball was going to hit me. I just kind of lost that and stopped thinking about it. The results have been there. If the ball comes at me or not, I know it’s not going to hit me.”
In 19 games in September, Marte is batting .368 with an .868 OPS, one home run and eight RBIs.
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Marte, 21, no longer has the "raccoon eyes" from the injury, nor any fear. He opted not to wear a protective mask while playing to guard against contact with a ball -- or collision with another player.
“It hurts when I touch it. But whenever I’m out there, it doesn’t bother me at all," he said. "Why should I wear protection if I can defend myself with my hands? That’s why I decided not to wear it.”
Marte is ranked by MLB Pipeline as Cincinnati's No. 1 prospect, and No. 23 overall. His contributions have come during a pivotal stretch for the Reds as they are trying desperately to stay in the race for a National League Wild Card spot.
“I'm just honored to feel part of a team that has an opportunity to get to the postseason, which we’ve all wanted from Day 1," Marte said. "I know I can add just a little grain of sand to this pile and make sure we all get to where we need to go.”