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Starling Marte 2021 Outlook: Speed Buoys Fantasy Value
4 years agoMarlins outfielder Starling Marte was the benefactor of a deadline deal that saw him go from the hapless Arizona Diamondbacks to a suddenly-contending Miami squad. Marte was one of the lone bright spots in the desert, batting .311 through the first half of the season with a pair of homers, 14 RBI and five steals. Upon moving south, Marte's fantasy value actually took a slight hit as his average was a mere .245 and he scored 10 fewer runs in five fewer games with Miami. Despite playing on a team that finished fourth in stolen base attempts per game, Marte stole an equal number of bags at five. He is no longer a 20-HR threat, especially playing half his games at Marlins Park, but Marte does remain on the short list of players who could steal upwards of 20 bases in a full season while hitting for a consistently high average. His .261 xBA was a big step back from 2019 when he was among the league leaders with a .303 xBA. Between the chaos of the season and the midseason trade, we can expect that he will regress closer to his career mark with an average around .280 with strong R+RBI totals. Marte no longer has the ceiling to be considered a top-40 pick but he is a safe bat to secure help in all five categories around 50th overall.
