Where Should Ketel Marte Play?

As the Diamondbacks are navigating their way, like all 29 other MLB teams through this off-season lockout, there are decisions they can make that are not affected by the lockout. One of the first and most vital decisions that must be made is what position superstar Ketel Marte is going to play. Now, the Diamondbacks believe in versatility, possibly to a fault (we will discuss that in an upcoming article). It will help Marte both physically and mentally to know where on the field he is playing, and that it is written in pen. With the understanding of course that it may be crossed out due to injury or other unforeseen event.

What are Ketel Marte's position choices?

In his seven years in the league Marte has played all three outfield positions, short-stop and second base. He has, however, played the overwhelming bulk of his career at three positions; short stop, second base and center field, so we will concentrate on those. His bat is vital to have in the line-up. For his career, according to Baseball-Reference Ketel has an 18 WAR, a .287 batting average, 346 OBP, slugging 456 with a .802 OPS and a 112 OPS+. Just imagine for a moment that his defense becomes second nature by playing one position. Then, he can concentrate more on his offence. Not that it needs to improve, but what if he gave you great defense and was able to hit .300?

The Infield

I was shocked by this statistic which is that Marte has played 275 career games at the short-stop position. The average fielding percentage across the league at the short-stop position is .974. In those 275 career games, Marte owns a below-average fielding percentage of .960. In the same sample size, he has Defensive Runs Saved of two runs. His Range Factor (putouts + assists/ innings played) is 4.09 while committing an eye-popping 43 errors.

I must admit that I am glad no one is putting a gun to my head and saying, "how many more career games has Ketel Marte started at second base than he has started at shortstop?" I would have said something to the effect of, "At least 100." And that would have got me shot for sure. Especially when the answer is four. He has played 275 games at SS and 279 games at second base. His fielding percentage in those games is higher at .988 but the fielding percentage of the average major league player is higher at second base as well coming in at .982. In his only four more games we add a zero to Ketel's career DRSAA at short-stop it was 2 and at second base it is 20. His Range Factor is higher at 4.27 and his errors drop significantly from 43 at short-stop to 11 at second base.

Now, let's take a look at the final position and use statistics, roster construction, and other factors to make an informed decision on where Marte should play.

Center Field

The sample size we have for Marte in center field is roughly 100 games less, but collectively still slightly more than a complete 162 game season. Marte has played 172 career games in center field. His fielding percentage was .991 while the LAF% is .988. His range factor in center is 2.30 while only making 3 errors but having a cringe worthy -13 DRSAA. All of those stats are , as usual, from Baseball-Reference.

He is owed $8.4MM this season. Plus, he has a team option for both 2023 and 2024 at $8MM and $10MM respectfully each having a $1MM buyout. It goes without saying that Ketel is a piece to build this team around, so the Diamondbacks need to do their best to keep him both healthy and happy. I have never spoken to him but I am sure that as a Fansided Contributor when I ask him the question, "What position on the diamond would you rather play?" He would give the expected answer of, "I will play wherever the team needs me to play." So let's factor that as the final piece of our where Marte should play-puzzle. Where do the Diamondbacks need him to play based on the other players on the 40 man roster?

Let's eliminate short-stop right off the bat (no pun intended) as the Diamondbacks have the light hitting defensive wizardry of Nick Ahmed. Dalton Varsho should be given a chance to be the center fielder and back-up catcher. In a pinch, Pavin Smith could be used, but not long term. AAA has Stuart Fairchild, who the Diamondbacks received along with Josh VanMeter in the 2020 trade deadline deal with the Reds for Archie Bradley, who was in 16 games with the big league club last year. Plus, if all else fails, you could promote your center fielder of the future Alek Thomas from AA. He hit .370 in August for Amarillo and when promoted to AAA Reno hit .380 in September for them. So he is not needed in center field. But, is he needed at 2nd base?