Arizona Diamondbacks' Ketel Marte named National League All-Star starter

LOS ANGELES — When Torey Lovullo and the Arizona Diamondbacks’ coaching staff look out from the dugout at Globe Life Field later this month, they’ll see one of their own taking the field for the National League All-Star team. On Wednesday, Ketel Marte was announced as the team’s starting second baseman, as voted by fans.

It’s the second consecutive year in which the Diamondbacks have had a starting position player in the game. Last summer, Corbin Carroll earned the nod in his hometown of Seattle, a remarkable achievement for a rookie. He has struggled mightily to sustain that success this season, but Marte has helped pick up the slack for the Diamondbacks.

Entering play Wednesday, he was hitting .287/.353/.517. He’s not showing any signs of cooling down, either, with a 1.051 OPS since the start of June.

In addition to that offensive dominance, Marte is playing the best defense of his career. He leads the National League with 11 defensive runs saved, per Fangraphs. According to Baseball Reference, his 4.4 wins above replacement are the second-most in the National League.

In recent weeks, Lovullo has begun to make a case for him not only as an All-Star but as an MVP candidate.

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"That's always an indication that you have a very special player on your ballclub," Lovullo said of Marte's impressive advanced stats. "He's on an MVP run. That's the way I look at it."

If he can pull that off, he would become the first Diamondbacks player to win the award. As it is, he is one of just nine Diamondbacks to start in the All-Star Game.

That list is comprised of three pitchers (Randy Johnson, Curt Schilling and Zac Gallen) as well as six position players (Jay Bell, Matt Williams, Luis Gonzalez, Paul Goldschmidt, Marte and Carroll). Marte started the All-Star Game at second base in 2019, when he went 1 for 2 with a double.

His career has followed an inconsistent path since then. As the Diamondbacks struggled in 2020 and 2021, Marte dealt with injuries and was forced into unfamiliar defensive positions. But he has been a key part of their return to contention, including last season’s postseason run, when he hit .329 with a .914 OPS.

"I'm the guy who likes to work hard every day," Marte said earlier this month. "I just try to do my best for the team. I know the team needs me, and I'm healthy right now."

Last season's surprise run to the World Series also earned the Diamondbacks’ coaching staff a trip to the All-Star Game, representing the National League as pennant winners.

Amid a difficult first half of the season, Arizona might have only Marte as a player representative, although first baseman Christian Walker could earn a nod as a reserve. Walker is enjoying another impressive season -- offense and defense -- but his success has seemingly flown under the radar. Reserves are selected by a combination of players and the commissioner’s office.