If you’re a Pirates fan and someone asked you to name the biggest bright spot on the roster, most likely you’ll spit out two words: Andrew McCutchen. Now look a couple years into the future. Picture a possible future Hall of Famer in McCutchen standing in center field and then look just a little bit to your left. There you’ll find Starling Marte. Marte has the potential to be up there with the likes of Bryce Harper and Mike Trout, the two rookies who took Major League Baseball by storm this past season.
If you were to put Marte side-by-side with McCutchen, the reseblance would be uncanny; statistic wise anyways. (Marte doesn’t have the lucious head of hair that Cutch has). Here’s McCutchen’s stats from his rookie season with the Buccos:
AVG: .286 HR: 12 RBI: 54 SB: 22 OBP: .365
Now let’s compare that to Marte’s:
AVG: .257 HR:5 RBI:17 SB: 12 OBP: .300
McCutchen also played in 108 games, 61 more than Marte’s 47.
One other stat that sticks out is that both players tallied a hit in their first at-bat. McCutchen singled while Marte blasted one into the fans on the very first pitch.
Marte is a guy who has a very bright future ahead of him. He has a rare combo of speed and power that, I believe, could one day pass McCutchen’s prowess. He is a very bright young man who strives every day to work harder and make himself better. Playing beside McCutchen will surely help his work ethic and give him the role model that he will need to succeed in the majors. Marte brings the same aspect that Harper and Trout bring to the table: confidence. In an interview with MLB.com discussing his first career home run, Marte said, “I told the guys in the clubhouse before that game that I was going to hit a home run if I got a good pitch.” Anyone can say that they’re going to hit a home run if they get a good pitch, but Marte did it. On the first pitch, at that. He didn’t waste any time writing his name in the hearts of Pirates fans.
Marte will find his role within the offense and he will succeed beyond belief. There used to be a saying, “The Pirates are the best farm team in baseball” because they would groom guys and then trade them away. While many teams inquired about Marte last season, none of them could pry the star from the organization’s hands.
There is no doubt in my mind that Marte will become a staple within the Pirates’ clubhouse and become one of the greats to round the bases in the City of Champions.
Photo Credit: mlb.com
