2023 Mets Report Card: Starling Marte, OF

Starling Marte

Player Data: Age: 35 (10/9/1988), B/T: R/R

Primary Stats: 86 G, 341 PA, 315 AB, .248/.301/.324/.625, 78 H, 5 HR, 28 RBI, 24 SB

Advanced Stats: 76 wRC+, 20.2 K%, 4.7 BB%, .303 BABIP, .315 xwOBA, -0.3 fWAR, -0.8 bWAR

2023 Salary: $19.5 million

Grade: D

2023 Review

It was an injury-riddled season for Starling Marte, as he finished the year on the injured list (IL) dating back to early August. August 5 was the day he last suited up for the New York Mets in 2023. After undergoing double-groin surgery in the offseason, he re-injured his right groin resulting in his trip to the IL for the remainder of the season. His first IL stint was due to migraines at the end of July and he only managed to play three games before his second groin injury.

After a very impressive 2022 campaign for the Mets, whom some argued that his absence was the key reason for losing the Wild Card round to the San Diego Padres last postseason, he could simply not find that same success both at the plate and in the field. Marte struggled defensively early on and it left many fans scratching their heads after a plus-defensive season the year prior. His OPS took almost a 200-point dip between his two seasons (.814 in ’22 versus .625 in ’23) in New York.

Watching Marte play this season, he didn’t seem like he was at 100% health from the get-go. He seemed slower, and according to Statcast, his sprint speed decreased from 2022 t0 2023. Statcast measures the sprint speed by dividing feet covered per second. Marte covered 27.1 feet per second this year compared to 28.0 in 2022. That may not seem like a huge drop off, but it’s enough to drop him from the 189th fastest sprint speed to 335th in the league. Despite the decreased sprint speed, Marte did find success in swiping bags this season. He converted 24 of 28 attempts (86%). Looking back at ’22, he made it safely 18 of 27 attempts (66%).

Overall, both at the plate, and in the field, it was a miserable season for the 35-year-old. Injuries certainly hampered him from repeating his big season from the Mets’ 101-win season a year ago.

2024 Outlook

Marte is signed through the 2025 season with $39 million left on his contract. Unless new president of baseball operations David Stearns and owner Steve Cohen decide to eat some of that money in a deal over the offseason, Marte will be back on the Mets roster in 2024. It remains to be seen what the Mets will pursue in free agency and the trade market, but it is absolutely plausible they look to add another outfielder to compete for a starting position.

Brandon Nimmo will be penciled in to the lineup for years to come, Jeff McNeil played a bunch of corner outfield this season, and with the likes of Ronny Mauricio, Brett Baty, and Mark Vientos all seeing major league playing time this year it makes it more likely McNeil continues to see playing time somewhere in the outfield. The Mets will likely bring back DJ Stewart after he had a nice power surge late in the season and is arbitration eligible in 2024, and the Mets have top-prospect Luisangel Acuña with minor league experience in both the infield and outfield who could see time in MLB games at some point in 2024.

The Mets have in-house options, and some of these guys will need to stand out to secure a spot in the lineup. Marte has proven himself as a really good player over the course of his 12-year career. Fully healthy, it would not be surprising to see Marie regain some resemblance of the form he had just one year ago. However, unfortunately, there is not telling if full health is possible as he continues to age. Regardless, he will likely be on the Opening Day roster in 2024.