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Is Noelvi Marte a fantasy baseball waiver wire stash? Brenton discusses the fantasy baseball outlook for re-draft leagues for the rest of the 2024 season.
Reds third base prospect Noelvi Marte showed a flash of his potential during a 35-game debut season with the big club in 2023. He quickly became a fan favorite as the fantasy community's interest spiked ahead of drafts for the 2024 campaign.
Much of that was put to a halt when the 22-year-old was hit with an 80-game performance-enhancing drug suspension on March 8, immediately cutting his season in half. As it currently stands, Marte is eligible to return to the big leagues on June 27 while he is five games into his rehab assignment with Triple-A Louisville.
Let's dive in and see what Marte's fantasy baseball potential looks like and whether or not redraft managers should stash the youngster as we sit here in mid-June.
How High Is Noelvi Marte's Fantasy Potential?
After a solid season with the Bats in 2023, Marte earned himself a call to the big leagues at just 21 years of age. He certainly didn't disappoint, hitting .316 with three home runs, seven doubles, six stolen bases, and an .822 OPS across 123 trips to the plate, striking out in just 20.3% of them, a rock-solid figure considering his age.
Noelvi Marte sends one into the bullpen!
MLB's No. 23 prospect (@Reds) slugs his second big league homer and extends his on-base streak to 20 games: pic.twitter.com/3U0cU3e9U4
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) September 30, 2023
His early returns with Louisville in 2024 haven't been great as he is just 4-for-22 (.182) without a homer with one double and zero walks against seven strikeouts in that time. Of course, five games is a minuscule sample size, especially since it's Marte's first game action since a March 7 spring training contest against the Cubs.
At just 21 years old, Marte combined to hit .279 with 11 homers, 20 doubles, four triples, 18 stolen bases, and an .812 OPS in 92 games between Double-A and Triple-A in 2023. He went on to post a 47.1% hard-hit rate and a 91st-percentile sprint speed with the Reds during his brief debut, showing the fantasy community his immense potential moving forward.
When Might Noelvi Marte Get Another Major-League Opportunity?
Even before Marte's suspension, the Reds solidified its infield corners with the signing of veteran Jeimer Candelario to a three-year pact in December. The move has been a prudent one to this point as Candelario sits with 12 homers and a quality .797 OPS across his first 64 games with Cincy, handling the lion's share of reps at the hot corner. Such production is a luxury for the club as they need not rush Marte back to the big leagues, especially considering he has understandably scuffled out of the gate in the minors.
You want to see a Noelvi Marte single?
Me too. Here you go. #Reds
— Reds Daily (@RedsDaily4) June 18, 2024
As noted, Marte isn't eligible to return to The Show until June 27 but it's likely that his Triple-A results will factor into the organization's decision on whether an immediate promotion is in either party's best interest. At the same time, redraft managers should at least exercise some additional patience as the next week and a half could very well determine when his fantasy impact will take place in the 2024 campaign.
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