Poised for big things, Marte sees silver lining in offseason injury

2024 Top Prospect: Noelvi Marte

GLADYEAR, ARIZ Elvi Marte, a high prospect for the Reds and third baseman, attempted to make better preparation coming ahead out of a lemonade accident that occurred during the winter.

Marte was playing winter ball in his native Dominican Republic, as many young players from that country sometimes do. However, he was only able to appear in four games for the Cibao Gigantes before having to withdraw due to an injured right hamstring.

“I wasn’t very happy about it, but it wasn’t frustrating,” Marte remarked through interpreter Jorge Merlos. “When I consider everything that is bad, there is also something good about it. I gained a great deal of knowledge. Perhaps there are certain things that I’ve learned a lot about how to prepare myself a little bit better so it doesn’t happen again, like my food or how I stretch before games.

Marte, who MLB Pipeline ranks No. 21 overall and No. 1 in the organization, is attempting to make the squad out of camp following a successful big league debut in 2023.

Owing to the injury, he has been a little behind other players in his running and hitting regimen.

The good thing, according to Marte, is that injury occurred early in the winter season, so he knew he had a chance to fully heal. Maybe I’ll miss a few spring games, but I was certain I’d be back in time for the season to begin. I didn’t believe I would be significantly impacted.

Marte’s Cactus League debut against the Rockies is scheduled for March 2 by Reds manager David Bell, and the team anticipates that he will be ready for Opening Day.

Marte declared, “I feel fantastic.” “I’m rather pleased with the work we’ve accomplished over the last few weeks. We still have a few days left to complete our treatment, but we’ll be prepared to go outside when the time comes.

Here is additional information on Marte:

22 years old

Angelina Cotui, Dominican Republic is her hometown.

How he was acquired: The Mariners acquired rotation ace Luis Castillo via a transaction that included Marte on July 29, 2022. Pitchers Levi Stoudt and Andrew Moore, as well as shortstop prospect Edwin Arroyo (ranked No. 67 overall), were also acquired by Cincinnati.

Marte’s four-hit, three-RBI game

Player of choice: Manny Machado

Marte remarked, “I respect his leadership qualities, his ability to carry out his duties, and his interactions with other players.” “I kind of admire how he’s been able to advance in his work.”

Regarding anticipating seeing Machado, possibly this season:

“I would certainly give him a polite greeting. “With great admiration, I would say hello,” Marte remarked.

Season 2023: Marte started the season in Double-A Chattanooga and made his Reds debut on August 19 against the Blue Jays as a pinch runner. He also stole a base. On August 20 against Toronto, he got his first major league hit—a double—and made his first start.

Noelvi Marte’s first MLB hit

After appearing in 31 of the Reds’ last 39 games of the season as a starter, Marte made an immediate impression, batting.316 with an.822 OPS in 35 games. He only hit three home runs in spite of his strong power.

“Last year, I approached the plate with the mindset that I wasn’t only going to display my strength or hit home runs. “I’m attempting to insert players who are in scoring position,” Marte remarked. “I was just trying to find any way to help the team win and find ways to get the guys home.”

The manager’s opinion: Bell stated, “I see him as more of a line-drive hitter, but he has plenty of power.” “The home runs will eventually come, I believe, especially as you get older. We don’t want him to alter his swing in any way in order to get those home runs since his line-drive approach is so flat.

Remarkable: Beginning on August 30, Marte had a 22-game on-base streak at the end of the season. He also had a 16-game hitting streak that lasted until the end of the season, starting on September 5. Since Benny Zientara hit in 16 straight games from September 10–22, 1946, it was the longest rookie hitting streak for Cincinnati.

Notable also is the fact that Marte’s hitting streak lasted the majority of the time following the breaking of his nose on September 9 due to an error in teammate Elly De La Cruz’s warm-up toss. Marte missed two games as a result of it.

In 2024, will there be more power?It’s unquestionably present. It might blow up,” stated Marte. “It might blow up this year or the following year. Who can predict when it will blow up? No matter what, the team always comes first.

Mark Sheldon covered the Twins from 2001 to 2005 before moving on to cover the Reds for MLB.com in 2006. Adhere to his Facebook page.