Starling Marte Continues Offensive Bounce Back
Well, it seems the power of Grimace can’t eliminate losing forever.
The Mets fell to the Texas Rangers last night, 5-3, much to the
disappointment of Mets fans worldwide who were hoping for an eighth straight victory.
Despite the loss, however, there was still some fight. And much of that fight came from the hot bat of outfielder Starling Marte, who pieced together a 1-for-4 night at the plate, including a double to knock in the first run for the Mets.
All tied up, courtesy of Starling Marte ???? pic.twitter.com/5j2J0V0eMQ
— Metsmerized Online (@Metsmerized) June 20, 2024
Marte, who struggled last year, slotting a .625 OPS in an injury-ridden 2023 campaign, has looked like a different player in 2024. His slash line sits at .287/.342/.444, good for an above-average .752 OPS.
In addition, his expected stats tell the story of a player hitting UNDER his season’s potential. Marte’s xBA sits at .303, slotting him in the top four percent of the league.
Marte ranks in the upper percentage for many offensive categories across the major leagues. He’s 80th percentile in XWOBA, 76th in xSLG, 78th in hard hit percentage, and 74th in overall batting run value.
He has five outfield assists this season thus far and is in the top six percent of the league in arm strength. That defensive prowess is paralleled by his outfield range, which ranks in the absolute bottom percent of the league, with -9 outs above average.
Not one, but TWO crucial outfield assists from Starling Marte in the @Mets extra-innings win!
(MLB x @Casamigos) pic.twitter.com/CzftjVTuiz
— MLB (@MLB) May 2, 2024
Marte’s only down month has been May. After slotting a .682 OPS throughout, Marte has exploded in June, hitting for a .876 OPS in games thus far. In 41 at-bats since June began, Marte has worked four walks and 12 hits, good for a .390 OBP.
All that to say, Marte has been a crucial piece of this Mets team who are trying to claw their way out of a big hole.
The team, now 11-5 in June, currently sits three games under .500 and one out of the final National League Wild Card spot.
Will the Mets keep up their hot streak and crawl back to .500? Time will tell, but Marte’s hot bat remaining on fire will be critical to their success.
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