Major League Baseball

Mets hoping Starling Marte's return can give offense a boost for Wild Card

Updated Oct. 7, 2022 1:44 p.m. ET

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By Deesha Thosar
FOX Sports MLB Writer

NEW YORK — Starling Marte stepped into the box in the first inning Sept. 6 at Pittsburgh not knowing that it would quickly become his final at-bat of the regular season.

That day, he was drilled on his right middle finger by a 96.1 mph Mitch Keller fastball on the fifth pitch he saw. Following a few moments with a New York Mets trainer gingerly checking Marte’s finger, the Mets right fielder walked to first base sporting an exasperated expression. It was, after all, the 13th time he had been hit by a pitch this season.

Marte was followed by the trainer and manager Buck Showalter every step of the way to first base, but he largely ignored their concern. He stayed in the game — even took the field in the bottom of the first inning — until the Mets deemed it wasn’t smart to risk the finger, which was already swollen, getting worse. Marte left the game in the second inning and was later diagnosed with a partial non-displaced fracture of the middle finger on his right hand.

Fast-forward to the Mets’ first playoff game since 2016, and Marte still hasn’t been back in the box or on the field. That hit-by-pitch cost him the remainder of his regular season, and it cost the Mets a lot, too. Although it’s difficult to quantify the following statement, it’s possible the Mets might've won the NL East division if Marte hadn’t been drilled by that fastball. At least one Mets player articulated a similar sentiment.

"I think we’re a good roster without him. And we’re a much better roster with him," Francisco Lindor told FOX Sports this week. "I think we're 98 [wins] overall without him and 99 [wins] with him. He’s an All-Star, one of the best players in the game. We miss him, and we want him back, and we’re a much better team with him."

After weeks of speculation, Marte was included on the Mets’ wild-card roster, which was announced Friday. As of Thursday, he had improved "little by little," according to manager Buck Showalter. But over the course of the past week, Marte had trouble gripping the bat and the ball. He didn’t work out with his teammates Thursday, but on Wednesday he participated in some defensive drills in right field without throwing the ball.

The Mets have generally been opaque about Marte’s progress leading up to Friday’s Game 1 against the Padres. His availability might be limited to pinch-hit appearances and designated-hitter roles. In the best-case scenario, he'll be in the starting lineup hitting second and playing right field. But how much Marte can contribute — in the Wild Card Series and potentially beyond — will determine in part just how powerful the Mets offense can be and just how deep into the postseason they can go.

Marte, who signed as a free agent with the Mets on a four-year, $78 million contract in November, was a spark plug at the top of the order, with minimal breaks or injuries until September. His 136 wRC+, which ranks third on the Mets after Pete Alonso and Jeff McNeil and eighth among qualified major-league outfielders, was a product of his ability to be a well-rounded player. His dynamic presence in the lineup goes beyond his .292/.347/.468 slash line across 118 games this year.

And it’s not just his powerful arm in right field that’s irreplaceable on the Mets roster, an arm that expertly cuts down runners and the strength of which is ranked in the 87th percentile in MLB, according to Statcast. The Mets also miss Marte for his ability to clobber quality pitches.

Marte is 7-for-17 (.412) with one double and one home run in his career against Yu Darvish, the Padres' Game 1 starter Friday. Marte has five hits in 15 at-bats against Blake Snell, San Diego's scheduled Game 2 starter. Padres right-hander Joe Musgrove is expected to take the mound should these teams need a Game 3, and Marte is 3-for-9 (.333) against him.

Now throw in Josh Hader, San Diego’s trade-deadline acquisition and likely closer against the Mets, and Marte’s results (3-for-6 with two home runs, a triple and six RBIs) against Hader embody exactly the kind of threatening bat the Mets need in their lineup in the Wild Card Series this weekend at Citi Field.

"He’s a 20 million dollar player that you miss, and he’s been pretty dang good," Mets outfielder Brandon Nimmo told FOX Sports this week. "Those guys make a big impact in your lineup, and Starling is no different. He is a great, all-around player. He brings speed, he brings power, he brings contact, and he’s a great defender as well.

"When you miss out on someone like that, it hurts. It’s not going to go unnoticed. Having Starling in our lineup definitely makes a difference. Having Starling in any lineup would make a difference. It definitely hurts."

When Marte is in the lineup, the Mets have swagger. The 33-year-old spent 91% of the season batting second behind Nimmo and clubbed 16 home runs, stole a team-leading 18 bases, walked 25 times and drove in 58 runs from that spot in the order. His production from the two-hole helped lead the Mets to the third-most runs scored (772) in the NL this season and the fifth-most in MLB.

For a team that was in the middle of the pack in the majors in home runs (171) — unlike the Braves and Dodgers, who ranked second (243) and fifth (212), respectively, in the long-ball department — Marte’s ability to set the tone as early as the opening frame is critical for New York. The right fielder is at his best in the first inning, in which he has crushed seven of his 16 home runs and owns a ridiculous .350/.409/.600 slash line. One of the Mets’ strengths in the regular season was putting a crooked number up early, and Marte was a huge reason they excelled in that area.

As for how quickly Marte can get back to that All-Star-level production, the Mets are hoping his track record means he’ll bounce back in the batter’s box sooner rather than later.

In the middle of May, Marte missed four games while on the bereavement list, mourning the death of his grandmother, who raised him and his siblings. He homered in his first game back and hit .348 (16-for-46) with two more dingers to finish May. 

Marte missed three more games in June after he sustained a groin injury against the Padres in San Diego. When he returned to the starting lineup for the final game of the Mets’ 11-day West Coast trip, he collected four hits over his next nine at-bats and three games, including a double, a walk and a run driven in.

Now, Marte will contribute in some way, shape or form during the Wild Card Series against the Padres following a month’s layoff. Bouncing back after a few games missed here and there is a simpler task than overcoming a month of missed at-bats and games. 

While the Mets are somewhat concerned about that long gap, Showalter said Marte’s reps behind the scenes have helped to alleviate that worry. The Mets have a hitting machine that simulates pitches from Darvish, Snell, Musgrove and any other pitcher in the league. Marte has been staying as ready as he can, even without being able to fully grip a bat for most of this past week.

And regardless of how much Marte is able to do this weekend, his presence on the roster alone immediately makes the Mets a better team.

"He's just such a well-rounded player," Showalter said earlier this week. "That's why he was such a good addition for us. He's got a track record, and it stretches out our lineup, creates some problems for bullpens. He doesn't have to hit a ball out of the park. He can steal a base. Really a good fit for who we've tried to be."

Deesha Thosar is an MLB writer for FOX Sports. She previously covered the Mets for the New York Daily News. Follow her on Twitter at @DeeshaThosar.

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Deesha Thosar