Outlet Gave Surprising Assessment of Diamondbacks Star Ketel Marte

It was a bit surprising to see Marte on this list.

Feb 22, 2026; Salt River Pima-Maricopa, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte (4) heads off the field after the third inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Ketel Marte is widely-known as the best second baseman in Major League Baseball. Arizona Diamondbacks fans have been the strongest proprietors of that narrative.

But as good as Marte has been, he has never quite been known as a defensive second baseman. Perhaps that is partly due to second base not being quite as premium a defensive position as shortstop or third might be. Regardless, Marte is known as a bat-first infielder.

And yet, as Bleacher Report's Zachary D. Rymer listed MLB's most elite "dual-threat" players (meaning a combination of offensive and defensive prowess) Marte was, somewhat surprisingly, listed as both an offensive and defensive star — overcoming the defensive reputations of Brice Turang and Nico Hoerner.

Arizona Diamondbacks' Ketel Marte Listed as Dual-Threat Star

Diamondbacks infielder Ketel Marte (4) smiles as he heads back to the dugout during a spring training game in Surprise on Feb. 24, 2026. | Patrick Breen/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"Marte has never won a Gold Glove, and he's not exactly top of mind among the best defenders at the keystone in MLB today," Rymer wrote.

"And yet, he is in the black for both DRS (29) and OAA (7) for his career, and he's twice had more than 10 DRS in a season. The most recent of those was just last year, when he was a Gold Glove finalist.

Marte's offense, of course, is what truly pushes him far above his competition.

"[Hitting] is the part that really sets Ketel Marte apart from his fellow second basemen," Rymer continued. "He's averaged 30 home runs across the last three seasons, whereas the co-leaders at the position in 2025 only got as high as 31.

"Like Cal Raleigh, Marte is so good largely because he's a legitimately good switch-hitter. His .893 OPS as a lefty and .891 OPS as a righty were nearly exact mirrors of each other last season."

It's easy to look at Marte's offensive production and forget that there is a smooth, reliable second base glove. He may not carry the utility designation or make highlight-reel defensive plays on the regular, but his numbers do show him to be a generally-positive defender.

In fact, the star infielder is not satisfied with his lack of defensive hardware. He has that accomplishment in his sights ahead of 2026.

"I've been working on my defense. I need a gold glove," Marte told reporters at Salt River Fields prior to departing for the World Baseball Classic.

"[Platinum Glove third baseman Nolan Arenado and I have] been working together. He's going to help me to win the gold glove. And it's going to be better with Nolan out there. Our infield is going to be better for sure," Marte said.