He is 35 years old and has just had a season in which his body betrayed him and his stats declined, raising questions about how much longer he has left.
If all goes according to plan, he returns to the front of the lineup. In the event that everything goes wrong, his contract is nullified, and not just for this year.
Which is it, Starling Marte or DJ LeMahieu?
Yes, is the response.
This season, neither player is the most important member of a New York lineup. However, both serve as indicators of the duration and strength of those commands. According to early reports from their camps, both players have regained explosiveness and stability in their lower body after more than a year of recovery from injuries sustained by LeMahieu (fracture at the base of his right big toe) and Marte (double groin surgery to halted him in 2023).
Though there was no one cause for the failure of the New York offenses last season, LeMahieu’s cliffhangers, particularly the one with the catalytic Marte, were crucial.
However, none of the teams will give up on them. They continue to see potential because, quite frankly, LeMahieu has three years left at $45 million and Marte has two years left at $37 million. So, before choosing to demote players who were born 88 days apart in 1988, the New York clubs will want to be absolutely certain about their birth dates.
Reinvestment is happening right now.
According to Aaron Boone, LeMahieu leading off and reaching base ahead of Juan Soto and Aaron Judge would be the ideal way for the Yankees lineup to go, similar to the second half of last season (.377 on-base percentage), when a possible comeback started. Regarding the Mets’ order, Carlos Mendoza remained reticent. However, it was evident that Marte’s engine was running strong in 2022 when he was healthy, finishing ahead of Pete Alonso and Francisco Lindor and second behind Brandon Nimmo.
When Marte played for the first time this spring on Wednesday, leading off and playing right field against the Cardinals, he at least took a symbolic step in the right direction. In the first, he lined the first pitch he saw from Miles Mikolas to right field. In the third, he faced St. Louis closer Ryan Hesley and struck out three times.
Marte responded in English, “Good… about time,” without waiting for a translation into Spanish when asked how he felt as a follow-up question.
In his 2022 Mets debut season, Marte was an All-Star and almost a 4.0 Wins Above Replacement (Baseball Reference) player. He only played in two games after July 16 and finished the previous season with a negative WAR (-0.8), lacking the explosive quality that has defined his career. Marte’s winter ball stint for the Mets, an 11-game cameo for Leones del Escogido, was akin to LeMahieu’s 2023 Yankees second half. Mendoza and David Stearns were among the spectators who witnessed Marte’s better health.
It is required that you watch Marte. Because Marte has a physique that seems allergic to body fat, even last year — like always — it is difficult to determine how he is doing based just on appearances. Thus, the yardstick is his gait.
“When you’re that type of athlete and then when you have your midsection kind of taken away from you [due to the surgery], it zapped his power, his explosiveness and running speed,” hitting coach Eric Chavez said. “Everything that makes him athletic was completely taken away. It’s almost like he has a new toy back. The explosiveness is back.”
According to Lindor, he told Marte on Wednesday that he believes Marte can once again snap the barrel of the bat, therefore he envisions him waiting on the field for longer periods of time. Thus, Marte, according to Lindor, possesses the composure to chase down a fly ball or whip a throw with ease. “He is now depending on each and every tool he possesses.”
Alternatively, Mendoza stated, “You can see the way he is moving around and how the ball is coming off his bat and the bat speed,” while explaining why he feels encouraged.
If Marte is not returning, the Mets are more satisfied with their options. The swing adjustments that helped DJ Stewart succeed late in the previous season, in their opinion, have been improved much more. Acquired from Milwaukee, Tyrone Taylor embodies the quintessential model of a successful fourth outfield player.
But Marte modifies the dynamic of the lineup. Marte has always provided a more athletic style of play, which Lindor notes is changing in the game. Marte is still capable of playing all the positions, including defense, stealth, driving in runs, and hitting a hit. He is playing this game.
Every early indication is positive. However, it is the season for encouraging early indicators. In particular, for a 35-year-old coming off surgery and a bad season, the long run is fading.
However, Marte stated that he anticipates being himself. And the distinction between what the Mets had in 2022 and 2023 demonstrated whether he was correct or incorrect.
“Definitely, we missed what he brings last year,” Chavez said. “We kind of had a trickle-down through the lineup. But when he’s there and explosive and he’s stealing bases and causing havoc and getting on base in front of the big boys, we’re definitely a better team.”
Leave a Reply