Marte’s Defense Remains a Concern in 2024

Defensive mistakes have cost the New York Mets far too many games this season. A combination of things have been at the core of the issue, including taking a bad route in the outfield, failing to find the ball in the sunlight, among others things. More than a few players have been at fault, but right now, Starling Marte appears to be really struggling out in right field.

Saturday’s game was simply another example of that, as chose to not go after a short fly ball that seemed catchable in the bottom of the third inning. A run scored and the Philadelphia Phillies turned that into a six-running inning, helping them win the game 7-2.

“They were having a hard time seeing the ball off the bat, especially in that particular time when the sun’s coming down with the roof there, [Starling Marte] him and [Harrison] Bader,” Carlos Mendoza said after the game. Marte was not wearing sunglasses when that play occurred in the third inning, though he did have them resting on the top of his hat.

A lot of the advanced metrics don’t look great for Marte. Entering today, his -8 OAA (outs above average) ranked last among all right fielders. Among all position players, then ranked 261st out of 263 players. Not good to say the least. Marte also owns a -9 DRS (defensive runs saved), which is the second work mark in all of baseball, only behind San Diego Padres catcher Luis Campusano.

The Mets are 27-36 and four games out of a Wild Card spot in the National League. Marte has been one of the team’s best hitters over the last few weeks, but how long can they wait to make a change? His bat is certainly important, but his mistakes in the field are a big issue. It doesn’t seem as if the Mets can wait much longer to try something new.

Marte had less trouble when he played in left and center field earlier in his career. He is at 71 defensive runs saved and -2 outs above average in left field. In center, he sits at -13 defensive runs saved and 14 outs above average. In comparison, he is at -11 defensive runs saved and -15 in right field for his career.

Brandon Nimmo hasn’t played a lot of right field in his career (65 starts) but he has some experience at that position. Could Marte and him switch positions? Would it even help if the two switch positions? Maybe not. It’s more likely the Mets keep Marte in right field and hope he turns the corner.

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