White Cleat Beat
Fansided

Starling Marte: The hidden MLB leader

By David Hill

Sep 10, 2021; Oakland, California, USA; Oakland Athletics center fielder Starling Marte (2) slides during the fourth inning against the Texas Rangers at RingCentral Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 10, 2021; Oakland, California, USA; Oakland Athletics center fielder Starling Marte (2) slides during the fourth inning against the Texas Rangers at RingCentral Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

Starling Marte is an afterthought when it comes to the league leaders. He was solid during his time in Miami, but did not hit well enough to be on the various leaderboards. Despite his strong play for the Oakland A’s, Marte does not have enough plate appearances to qualify for any of the batting categories. While he could run his way to the AL stolen base title, he is far behind Whit Merrifield for the crown.

But that does not mean that Marte is on the outside looking in when it comes to being atop the leaderboards. Heading into Wednesday’s slate of action, Marte is actually the major league leader in batting average and stolen bases.

Starling Marte’s hot stretch for Oakland A’s helping his cause

As it stood prior to Wednesday’s action, Marte had posted a .322 batting average while stealing 45 bases. He ranks fourth in both the National League and the American League in steals, but is five ahead of Merrifield for the overall lead. Trea Turner, meanwhile, has stolen just 28 bases to lead the NL, a number that leaves him far behind the top two in the game.

His time with the A’s has certainly made an impact on his overall numbers. Marte has given Oakland everything they could have hoped for, producing an excellent .345/.383/.500 batting line in his 180 plate appearances. Meanwhile, he has stolen 23 bases without being caught, giving the A’s the type of catalyst atop the lineup that has not been seen since the days of Rickey Henderson.

While that production has been what the A’s needed, it is also going to price him outside of their budget. He had reportedly sought a three year extension worth $50 million from the Marlins, and that price tag is going to increase as he continues to perform well in his first taste of the AL.

The timing of such dominance has been unfortunate. He has proven to be the exact type of player that the A’s need, but as they are sliding out of the playoff picture, In the end, the A’s may not get anything from his production. Marte, meanwhile, could turn his time in Oakland into a lucrative deal.

Next. The underrated Tony Kemp. dark

Starling Marte leads the majors in batting average and stolen bases. Just don’t expect to see him amongst the league leaders.