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Arizona Diamondbacks Star Infielder Set to Tie Franchise Icon in Team History

Ketel Marte, coming off an incredible 2024 season, will be situated alongside Luis Gonzalez, who has the biggest hit in team history.
Brady Farkas|
Arizona Diamondbacks infielder Ketel Marte during spring training workouts at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick on Feb. 26, 2021.
Arizona Diamondbacks infielder Ketel Marte during spring training workouts at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick on Feb. 26, 2021. | Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Arizona Diamondbacks

The Arizona Diamondbacks open up the 2025 regular season on Thursday against the Chicago Cubs.

Entering the season, the Diamondbacks are one of the more intriguing teams in baseball. They made the World Series in 2023 but then collapsed at the end of 2024, missing the playoffs entirely.

They feature the nucleus of that World Series team still, but have also gone out and added former Cy Young winner Corbin Burnes in free agency, making them a theoretical challenger to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League West.

Infielder Ketel Marte has turned into one of the best infielders in baseball and is coming off a season that saw him hit .292 with 36 homers and 95 RBIs. He won a Silver Slugger last year and finished third in the National League MVP voting.

He's also set to make some Opening Day history for the franchise, per MLB.com:

Ketel Marte will make his eighth Opening Day start for the D-backs, tying the franchise record held by Luis Gonzalez, who also started eight in a row from 1999-2006.

Being included with Gonzalez is an honor for any D'Backs player, considering he has the biggest hit in franchise story (2001 World Series vs. Yankees). A 10-year veteran, Marte has played with the Seattle Mariners and Diamondbacks. He's a two-time All-Star and a career .280 hitter.

The D'Backs will send veteran righty Zac Gallen to the mound on Opening Day on Opening Day. The Cubs will pitch left-hander Justin Steele.

They are 0-2 after getting swept in the two-game Toyko Series.

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Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady. 

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