We’re just two games into the 2023 MLB season, but Starling Marte has already teased tantalizing signs of operating at the full peak of his powers for the New York Mets. There were some concerns over whether or not Marte would be at full tilt come Opening Day after undergoing core surgery during the offseason. […]
The post Healthy Marte Firing On All Cylinders To Start Year first appeared on Metsmerized Online.
Starling Marte. Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
We’re just two games into the 2023 MLB season, but Starling Marte has already teased tantalizing signs of operating at the full peak of his powers for the New York Mets.
There were some concerns over whether or not Marte would be at full tilt come Opening Day after undergoing core surgery during the offseason. However, those fears have quickly been eradicated.
Through the first two games of the season, Marte has displayed all the signs that he’s already firing on all cylinders and has been willing to run at every given opportunity. He has already stolen two bases, with one coming on Opening Day and the other coming in the loss to the Marlins on Friday.
Starling Marte swipes the first bag of the year
pic.twitter.com/Y5k2TfQ3oR
— SNY (@SNYtv) March 30, 2023
During both instances, Marte showed no signs of limitations when running and he looked back to full power in that respect. Given that the core injury clearly restricted the 34-year-old in 2022, it will be incredibly encouraging for the Mets that Marte has not only been willing to run a lot more from the very get-go in 2023, but that he’s done so while looking like the Marte of old.
As good as he was for the Mets in 2022 – hitting .292/.347/.468 to go with a 3.0 fWAR and a 136 wRC+, Marte was a shadow of his former self when it came to running the bases. He stole just 18 bases, his lowest total since the 2020 season and he was caught stealing nine times (his highest total since 2018). The fact that Marte has already stolen base twice this year and has looked more like his old self is a good omen for the rest of the 2023 season.
Plus, as the SNY broadcast touched on, the new rules have set the stage for Marte to be an absolute game-changer on the base paths this year. With bigger bases introduced in order to encourage more stolen bases, Marte should absolutely thrive in this new world we’re all living in and he has proved, albeit in a small sample size, that he still has the wheels required to finish among the league leaders in stolen bases in 2023.
Provided he can remain healthy, Marte’s speed will be an absolute lethal weapon throughout the year and it would not be surprising if he gets close to or even surpasses the 47 bases he stole in 2021 while with the Marlins and the A’s.
We shouldn’t also underestimate Marte’s general value at the plate, either. He’s slashing .500/.556/.500/.1.056 to begin 2023, going a combined 4-for-8 in the first two games of the season. He’s also drawn a walk and he’ll be a big factor in that second spot behind the leadoff hitter Brandon Nimmo in this lineup.
With Marte looking the healthiest he’s been since he joined the team last year, he’s poised for a monster year offensively and he’s already flashed seductive signs of that in the opening two games of 2023. If he can mash at the plate while stealing an abundance of bases and causing problems on the base paths with his blistering speed, then Marte really could be the X-Factor in this lineup for the Mets. This team needs their key offensive players to step up this year and, if Marte can do exactly that, then that would be a considerable boost.
The post Healthy Marte Firing On All Cylinders To Start Year first appeared on Metsmerized Online.
