Ketel Marte gifted bat honoring his mother for Players’ Weekend

PHOENIX — “No way,” Ketel Marte said as he pulled a shiny new bat from its sleeve at Chase Field on Friday.

The bat, provided by Victus Sports and illustrated by Bruce Tatem, AKA the “Bat King,” was designed to honor someone who inspired Marte, his late mother, for Players’ Weekend.

Marte's reaction to receiving the bat blew him away 🥹 https://t.co/eHSz9wwKbP pic.twitter.com/v3ZDzuvQMH

— MLB (@MLB) August 11, 2025

The bat is a dark purple with lighter purple roses surrounding a black-and-white photo of Marte with his mother, Elpidia Valdez.

Marte went through an emotional moment during a game at the Chicago White Sox earlier this season when a heckler mentioned his mother. Marte was in tears on the field, and the fan was banned from major league stadiums indefinitely.

Valdez died in a car accident in 2017 when Marte was only 23 years old during his first season with the Diamondbacks.

Diamondbacks Players’ Weekend bats

Players’ Weekend no longer involves player nicknames on jerseys (remember the Brad Boxberger emojis?), but the weekend is designed for players to show off personalized gear such as bats and cleats.

The pencil bats will remain a staple, but Diamondbacks players will use other customized bats to fit their personalities or backgrounds.

Lourdes Gurriel Jr. received a purple and teal Piña Power stick, while Alek Thomas unwrapped a green, white and red bat with the Mexican emblem in the Victus lettering. Thomas played for Team Mexico during the 2023 World Baseball Classic, as he has Mexican heritage on his mother’s side.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Victus Sports (@victussports)

Related

Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly to match up in Diamondbacks-Rangers seriesCorbin Carroll's 25 home runs matches career high with plenty of time to pile onDiamondbacks allow 4 homers to drop rubber matchup vs. Nationals, lose wild card tiebreakerThe Athletic’s Bowden lists Angels pitcher Jose Soriano as trade target fit for DiamondbacksDiamondbacks try shaking up lineup to get stars going, loss sets up key rubber match vs. NationalsWhy are the Diamondbacks wearing hats that do not match their jerseys this weekend?