Ever since Stephen Drew was traded in the summer of 2012, the Diamondbacks have been searching for that franchise shortstop. They thought perhaps it was going to be Didi Gregorious. However, he was shipped off to New York for Robbie Ray. They thought perhaps it would be Chris Owings. However, injuries and sketchy defense have likely pushed him off the position. They thought perhaps Nick Ahmed. However, injuries and little offensive production means he’s better suited as a backup. Then Mike Hazen made a trade to acquire Taijuan Walker and a little-known shortstop by the name of Ketel Marte. While he was sort of a throw in piece with a chance to become something, he has likely become the long-term shortstop the Diamondbacks have desperately been searching for.

When looking at his stats from this past season, there is something that jumps off the page. Among batters with at least 250 PA’s, Ketel Marte was in the 94th percentile in BB/K (.78). He was in the 80th percentile in BB% (11.4%) and the 16th percentile in K% (14.5%). While Marte has shown in the past he has a good eye and can be a good contact hitter, he has never been able to put them together like he did this season. These numbers help illustrate the improvements he’s made:

Ketel has been swinging at more strikes while also making more contact when he swings. The art of hitting involves swinging at pitches a batter can handle which are typically strikes. Ketel has been swinging at more pitches he can handle and as a result made better contact than ever before:

In 2017, Marte started driving the ball more consistently. He not only was hitting the ball harder, but he also was hitting it more in the air. Marte had 5 home runs this past season. His previous career high was 2. While he likely will never be a power hitter, he has shown he has some power and can perhaps be a 10-12 home run guy in his prime. However, as he showed in the Wild Card game, Marte doesn’t need to be a home run hitter to be valuable. His swing is tailor made for Chase and with his excellent speed (94th percentile in Sprint Speed), he can be an extra base machine if he continues to make more and more quality contact.

Defensively, Marte has all the skills to be an excellent defensive shortstop. He has great range, soft hands, and a very strong throwing arm. However, he also makes a lot errors. This is mainly due to a lot of errant throws particularly on more difficult plays. According to Inside Edge Fielding, this is where Marte ranks among percentage of plays converted based on the probability of that play being made:

Marte does a tremendous job making the plays he is supposed to make. He also has the range and athleticism to make the tough plays, but also can get wild particularly when throwing. He has the skills to be a terrific defender. It’s just a matter of continuing to hone those in.

Marte just turned 24 six days ago. He already has tremendous plate discipline and is just starting to drive the ball. Ketel has always been oozing with tools and potential and he’s now starting to put it together. Is he going to be a star? Maybe not due to a lack of power. Can he still be an immensely valuable player? Absolutely. Most importantly though, he just might be the franchise shortstop the Diamondbacks have been searching years for.