‘Hungry for more’: Diamondbacks' Ketel Marte showing World Series drive
Teammates and coaches noticed Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte showing up earlier to camp at Salt River Fields than he had in previous springs. They saw him finish a defensive drill and ask to take extra ground balls.
They heard him request additional at-bats in spring training games. It made for what they described as an altogether different level of intensity and focus as he prepared for the year.
Sitting at his locker at Chase Field, Marte nodded as these observations were shared with him. He did work harder this spring. For good reason. Last October, he enjoyed the taste of playing on baseball’s biggest stage — enjoyed it so much that he discovered he has a sweet tooth.
“Being in the World Series,” Marte said, searching for the right words, “is (expletive) great.”
Marte wants to do all he can to get there again.
No one played better than he did during the Diamondbacks’ 17-game playoff run. He hit .329 with 10 extra-base hits in 73 at-bats. He recorded a hit in every game but Game 5 of the World Series, establishing a major league record with an 18-game postseason hitting streak. (The streak dated to 2017). He played strong defense at second.
And no one with the Diamondbacks was surprised by the performance. People around the team are aware of Marte’s immense talent. They will say openly that so long as he is healthy he will produce.
But they will hint around another factor they consider nearly as important: Marte, they believe, also needs to be fully engaged in order to be great. It is what makes his work throughout the spring such an encouraging development for many in the organization.
“If I’m good, if I’m healthy, if I’m good at the plate, we’re going to win a lot of games,” Marte said. “I was just trying to prepare myself from both sides — defense, my body, my legs. If I’m ready, I’m going to be good.”
So far, he has been. Through seven games on the season-opening homestand, Marte is hitting .379 (11 for 29) with two doubles, a home run and three walks.
Marte said he found a routine last year that helped him keep his body on the field, crediting strength coach Nate Shaw for making sure he puts in the work even on days he might not feel like it.
“He helped me a lot,” Marte said. “He’s got a lot of patience to work with me.”
Bench coach Jeff Banister believes staying locked in like that is a “learned and exercised trait,” one he has seen other good players have to pick up as they mature. He thinks Marte not just being on the big stage but excelling on it has left him craving a return trip.
“I think (Marte) has shown a propensity to do that, to do what he did during the playoffs, and it seems to have carried over into his work in games this spring,” Banister said. “You have this focus on being a great player, and you go through what we went through last year in the playoffs — he was the MVP of the National League Championship Series — I think, personally, that has vaulted him into a different mindset. Just the feel, what it feels like, the notoriety, the way people look at you now, the responsibility. I think he’s hungry for more.”
Said right fielder Corbin Carroll: “I think he’s quite often the most talented player on the field, and when that is combined with how he’s working this spring, I think this year is going to be an unbelievable year for him. It seems like he’s the first one in there (the clubhouse) every day. It’s been really cool to see.”
Marte does not get the same accolades as Carroll, nor is he put on the same pedestal as right-hander Zac Gallen. But his success might be just as crucial. It felt like Carroll’s quiet first week was not as noticeable thanks to Marte’s production.
“My team needs me to be out there every day, playing every day,” Marte said. “To be in a World Series is so, so good. Nothing compares to that. That’s the best moment ever in baseball. I’m just focusing on working hard, being healthy and helping my team win every day.”
Friday’s DBacks-Braves pitching matchup
DBacks at Braves, 4:20 p.m., Cox, Ch. 34
Diamondbacks LHP Tommy Henry (0-1, 11.25) vs. Braves RHP Spencer Strider (0-0, 3.60).
Henry gave up five runs in four-plus innings against the Rockies in his first start of the year He gave up a two-run homer to SS Ezequiel Tovar and a two-run double to RF Charlie Blackmon. … Henry leaned heavily on his curveball against the Rockies, throwing it 23 times out of his 80 pitches. … He has never faced the Atlanta Braves. … Strider was scheduled to start on Wednesday against the Chicago White Sox but he was pushed back after the game was rained out. … Strider gave up two runs in five innings against the Phillies on Opening Day, walking two and striking out eight. … Strider led the majors in strikeouts last year with 281 in 186⅔ innings. … He faced the Diamondbacks twice last year, giving up six runs in 12 innings with five walks and 20 strikeouts.
Saturday: At Atlanta, 4:20 p.m., Diamondbacks RHP Brandon Pfaadt (1-0, 1.80) vs. Braves LHP Max Fried (0-0, 40.50).
Sunday: At Atlanta, 10:35 a.m., Diamondbacks RHP Ryne Nelson (0-1, 13.50) vs. Braves LHP Chris Sale (0-0, 3.38).
Monday: At Colorado, 5:40 p.m., Diamondbacks RHP Zac Gallen (2-0, 0.82) vs. Rockies LHP Kyle Freeland (0-2, 27.00).
What to know about the Atlanta Braves
The Braves, fresh off a 104-win 2023 season, enter the new year regarded as one of the better teams in baseball. They took two of three from the Philadelphia Phillies, then split two games against the Chicago White Sox. They have one of the best lineups in baseball, led by reigning MVP Ronald Acuna Jr., who is 6 for 19 (.316) with a double and four walks so far this year. LF Jarred Kelenic, one of the Braves’ offseason additions, is 6 for 11 (.545) with a double and two walks. Another new addition for the Braves is LHP Chris Sale, who gave up two runs in 5-1/3 innings in his first start. LHP Max Fried, who finished second in Cy Young voting in 2022, could not escape the first inning against the Phillies in his season debut, allowing three runs and recording only two outs.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: ‘Hungry for more’: DBacks’ Ketel Marte showing World Series drive
