Ketel Marte Should Start in the 2024 All-Star Game

Without a doubt, Ketel Marte has been the Diamondbacks MVP to this point in 2024. While other members of the club have been slumping, injured, or both, Marte has been a steady force at the top of Arizona's lineup. So what's his All-Star case?

While there is some competition in the National League at the Second Base position, Marte has built a powerful argument for his selection. He leads all NL 2B's in WAR, with 3.4. He also leads in OPS and OPS+, Runs, and RBI. He is scoring and driving in runs at a higher rate than any other second baseman, while also impacting the ball at a higher level.

Another of Marte's best abilities this season has been his availability. He has gotten into 61 games with 243 plate appearances. He has hit 12 home runs, second to only Nolan Gorman of the Cardinals in that category. He is also tied for most triples, and second most doubles in the NL at 2 and 14 respectively.

To see a more direct comparison between Marte and some of his biggest competitors in this race, fellow writer and Publisher of Inside The Diamondbacks, Jack Sommers compared the stats.

Ketel Marte should start in #AllStarGame2024. He leads all NL 2B in Fielding, OPS/OPS+, WAR, Runs & RBI
Arraez has great BA and OBP but it's all singles just not as impactful. Also he's not nearly as good a defender Turang and Gorman good seasons, but not same level#VoteKetel pic.twitter.com/5WFZQh3rUt
— Jack Sommers (@shoewizard59) June 5, 2024

While Luis Arraez leads in Hits, Batting Average and OBP, he isn't impacting the baseball. He comes in with the lowest slugging of the group, and has hit only a single home run on the year. Brice Turang brings the best speed of the bunch, but like Arraez hasn't impacted the baseball as much as Marte. He also has less plate appearances and a lower OPS/OPS+ than others in the discussion.

Nolan Gorman has brought some power that other second basemen around the National League can't really match. He is two ahead of Marte but has played 7 fewer games. His WAR, Hits, and Batting Average haven't helped his case. In almost every category Marte is either leading or very near the top, while others excel in only certain areas.

Something that Ketel Marte does that very few of the other second basemen in the All-Star conversation bring is elite defense. He has 8 outs above average this season which ranks in the 99th percentile in the MLB.

Taking a look at a direct comparison, Luis Arraez has been a bad defender at the position, contributing -9 Outs Above Average between the Padres and Marlins. That ranks Arraez in the 7th percentile of MLB players. Marte is a well-rounded player on both sides of the ball making him that much more of an asset to the D-Backs.

His numbers alone dont tell the full story on how valuable he has truly been for the Diamondbacks. He has stepped in at a time where not a lot has gone the teams way. Injuries have piled up and key members of the team like Corbin Carroll, and Eugenio Suarez have not been much of a factor in the batters box.

As a leader on the squad and as one of the top offensive contributors, Marte took the next step to help the D-Backs weather the storm and survive these tough times.

Ketel Marte has only once been an All-Star to this point in his career, but it seems at this point that it is all but guaranteed that he will attend his second this summer in Arlington. To help Marte's case make sure to vote for him to join the All-Star team here daily.