Diamondbacks 2B Ketel Marte voted 2019 MLB All-Star Game starter
Jun 27, 2019, 4:09 PM | Updated: 6:48 pm
Ketel Marte #4 of the Arizona Diamondbacks celebrates with Ildemaro Vargas #15 after hitting a solo home run in the first inning against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on June 15, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
(Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
Fans voted the Arizona Diamondbacks’ Ketel Marte as the National League’s starting second baseman for the 2019 MLB All-Star Game, final polling results revealed on Thursday.
The moment Ketel has worked for his entire life. pic.twitter.com/afanNgIxWN
— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) June 27, 2019
Marte earned his first All-Star bid thanks to a day-plus voting period that pitted his season thus far against the Atlanta Braves’ Ozzie Albies and the Milwaukee Brewers’ Mike Moustakas.
Marte has slashed .316/.364/.585 this season, his fifth in the majors. As of Thursday afternoon, the 25-year-old, who has also played in the outfield this year, is third among NL position players in wins above replacement (3.7), trailing the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Cody Bellinger (6.6) and Milwaukee’s Christian Yelich (4.4).
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Marte is one of four players with more than 100 hits this season and ranks 12th in MLB in both slugging percentage and OPS.
He’s red-hot less than two weeks away from the Tuesday, July 9, All-Star appearance in Cleveland. On Tuesday, Marte recorded his eighth straight multi-hit game, breaking the franchise record set by Luis Gonzalez.
He’s only improved since a sluggish start to the season. Marte’s average by month has risen from a March mark of .176 (17 at-bats), to .263 in April, .309 in May and then .411 in June.
Marte is the only Diamondback slated to start in the MLB All-Star Game but could be joined by a teammate when the reserves are announced. Pitchers and reserves for the rosters will be named this Sunday at 2:30 p.m. Arizona time.
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