Diamondbacks’ Ketel Marte, Padres’ Luis Arraez finalists to start at 2B in All-Star Game

PHOENIX — Ketel Marte of the Arizona Diamondbacks and Luis Arraez of the San Diego Padres are the two finalists for National League starting second baseman at the 2024 MLB All-Star Game, the league announced on Thursday.

The two top fan vote getters at the position move onto Phase 2, which runs from Sunday at 9 a.m. to Wednesday at 9 a.m. Fans can vote online once every 24-hour period, and votes from Phase 1 do not carry over.

The winners at each position will be announced on July 3, two days before the Diamondbacks and Padres match up at Petco Park.

Here are the finalists at each position in the National League heading into Phase 2 of All-Star voting! ⭐️ pic.twitter.com/fr9N6VXVGF

— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) June 27, 2024

Marte entered Thursday pacing second basemen with 4.1 bWAR, .503 slugging, an .845 OPS, 152 total bases, 16 home runs (tied with Nolan Gorman of the Cardinals) and 46 RBIs. Marte went 2-for-3 with a home run against the Twins on Thursday.

The 30-year-old is also playing Gold Glove-caliber defense, leading MLB with 12 defensive runs saved paired with eight outs above average.

“I’m so proud of Ketel. He’s having a tremendous year and it’s built around hard work, his preparation and then the execution,” Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said on Tuesday. “He deserves it. He deserves that recognition. I want to encourage all the voters, all those Arizona voters and beyond the states around Arizona, to go out there and vote for Ketel. He’s certainly playing at a very elite level.”

Arraez is a .310 hitter but with a .728 OPS and .383 slug entering Thursday.

A two-time batting champ, Arraez has made two All-Star teams and started at second base for the NL in 2023.

The Miami Marlins traded him to the Padres on May 4, and he has only played 51 innings at second base since.

Marte is gunning for his second career All-Star Game and first since his breakout 2019 campaign.

“Torey had talked to him about the All-Star snub last year and kind of reframed it. Obviously, he went on and had a great second half and ended up taking home an NLCS MVP trophy,” assistant general manager Mike Fitzgerald told Arizona Sports’ Wolf & Luke this week.

“Torey talked about the mentality coming into this year. Every team you play, that’s your opportunity to show them the caliber of player you are, not just from a talent standpoint but from a commitment to the inches … I think when one of your most, if not most, talented players in the clubhouse is doing all those little things like that, it sets the standard.”

The top vote getter (any position) in each league secured a starting spot. Aaron Judge of the Yankees and Bryce Harper of the Phillies punched their tickets.

No other Diamondbacks are finalists to earn a starting spot the All-Star Game. Outfielder Corbin Carroll and starting pitcher Zac Gallen (manager selected) did so last season in Seattle.

The Midsummer Classic is at Globe Life Field this year, home of the Rangers. Lovullo and his coaching staff will run the National League as defending NL champions.

Reserves are picked by player ballots and by the Commissioner’s Office. Complete All-Star Game rosters will be revealed on July 7 with the game on July 16.

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