Marte grew up on the outskirts of Santo Domingo,the capital of the Dominican Republic.[1] After his mother's death when he was nine,his grandmother raised him.[2]
Marte was ranked number 73 on Baseball America's Top 100 Prospects list in February 2012[13] and number 56 on Baseball Prospectus's Top 101 Prospect list in February 2012.[14] In 2012,while playing for the Indianapolis Indians,Marte was named an International League Mid-Season All-Star.[15] On July 2,2012,Marte was named the International League Player of the Week.[16]
2012
On July 26,2012,the Pirates promoted Marte from Indianapolis Indians,[17] becoming the first graduate of the Pirates' Latin American complex,located in the Dominican Republic,to reach the major leagues.[1] He hit a home run on the first pitch he faced in his major league career,off Houston Astros pitcher Dallas Keuchel.[18] The hit made Marte the third player in Pirates' franchise history to homer in his first at-bat and the first to do it since Don Leppert in 1961. He also became the first Pirate to homer on the first pitch of his major league career since Walter Mueller did so in 1922.[19] In his rookie season,Marte played in 47 games,batting .257/.300/.457 with 5 home runs,17 RBI,and 12 stolen bases.
2013
On June 25,2013,Marte hit two home runs in a 9–4 victory over the Seattle Mariners,marking the first multi-home run game of his career.[20] Marte made his postseason debut on October 1,going 2–5 with a double and a run scored during the National League Wild Card Game against the Cincinnati Reds.[21] He hit the first postseason home run of his career on October 4,during Game 2 of the National League Division Series,off of Shelby Miller of the St. Louis Cardinals.[22] Across 135 games for the Pirates in 2013,Marte batted .280/.343/.441 with 12 home runs,35 RBI,and 41 stolen bases.
2014
Marte and the Pirates finalized a 6-year,$31million deal on March 28,2014.[23][24] On August 18,he had his second career multi-homer game in a 7–3 loss to the Atlanta Braves. Across 135 games for the Pirates in 2014,Marte batted .291/.356/.453 with 13 home runs,56 RBI,and 30 stolen bases.
2015
In 2015,Marte played in 153 games,batting .287/.337/.444 with 19 home runs,81 RBI,and 30 stolen bases. After the season,he won his first career Gold Glove Award as the best defensive left fielder in the National League.[25]
Marte with the Pirates in 2016
2016
After hitting to the ninth best batting average in the National League (.316) and stealing the second most bases (27) during the first half of the season,Marte was selected to replace an injured Yoenis Cespedes in the first All-Star Game appearance of his career.[26]
Marte played in 129 games in 2016,batting .311/.362/456 with 9 home runs,46 RBI,and 47 stolen bases. After the season,he won his second career Gold Glove Award.[27]
2017
On April 18,2017,Marte was suspended 80 games without pay due to the use of Nandrolone,a type of performance-enhancing drug that violates the MLB's drug agreement. He was also deemed ineligible to play in the postseason,though the Pirates failed to qualify.[28] Marte issued a statement afterwards,[29] reading:"I have been informed that I have tested positive in one of the tests that are regularly done in my job. In this very difficult moment,I apologize to my family,my fans,and baseball in general. Neglect and lack of knowledge have led me to this mistake with the high price to pay of being away from the field that I enjoy and love so much. With much embarrassment and helplessness,I ask for forgiveness for unintentionally disrespecting so many people who have trusted in my work and have supported me so much. I promise to learn the lesson that this ordeal has left me. God bless you."
Across 77 games in 2017,Marte batted .275/.333/379 with 7 home runs,31 RBI,21 stolen bases.[30]
2018
Marte with the Pirates in 2018
In 2018,Marte played in 145 games,batting .277/.327/.460 with 20 home runs,72 RBI,and 33 stolen bases.[30] He and Jean Segura were the only two MLB players to have stolen 20 or more bases each season since 2013.[31]
2019
On July 13,2019,in a game against the Chicago Cubs,Marte hit the 99th and 100th home runs of his career,two solo shots off of Jon Lester in the 6th inning and Randy Rosario in the 8th.[32][33] He became the second player in Pirates franchise history to hit 100 home runs and steal 200 bases,second only to Barry Bonds,who recorded 176 homers and 251 steals with the team.[34] Across 132 games for the Pirates in 2019,Marte batted .295/.342/.503 and set career-highs with 23 home runs and 82 RBI.[30] However,on defense,he had a -11 Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) rating,the lowest in the major leagues among center fielders.[35]
On August 31,2020,the Diamondbacks traded Marte to the Miami Marlins for Caleb Smith,Humberto Mejía and Julio Frias.[37] Across 61 games between Arizona and Miami,Marte slashed .281/.340/.430 with 6 home runs,27 RBI,and 10 stolen bases during the shortened 60-game season.[38]
On September 30,during Game 1 of the 2020 National League Wild Card Series,Marte had two hits and scored a run before having his left hand broken by a fastball in the ninth inning.[39] The Marlins would defeat the Chicago Cubs 5–1 at Wrigley Field,giving Miami its first playoff victory since the 2003 postseason.[40]
2021
Marte was placed on the injured list on April 20,2021,with a fractured rib. A month later,he would enter his rehab assignment with the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp and return to the Marlins on May 28. Marte was named NL Player of the Week for June 7–13,the first Marlins player since 2017. In 7 games that week,he batted .500 (14-for-28),two home runs,one double,5 RBIs,and a 1.298 OPS. He also stole four bases without being caught.[41]
On July 18,Marte rejected a $30 million extension offer from the Marlins.[42]
Oakland Athletics
On July 28,2021,the Marlins traded Marte along with cash considerations to the Oakland Athletics in exchange for Jesús Luzardo.[43] Across 120 games between Miami and Oakland,Marte batted .310/.383/.458 with 12 home runs,55 RBI,and stole an MLB-leading 47 bases in 2021.
New York Mets
On November 30,2021,Marte signed a four-year,$78 million contract with the New York Mets.[44]
2022
Marte with the Mets in 2022
After hitting to a .291 average with an .881 OPS during the first half of the 2022 season,Marte was selected to play in the All-Star Game for the second time in his career.[45] Despite suffering from a groin injury throughout the year,Marte played in 118 games,batting .292/.347/.468 with 16 home runs,63 RBI,and 18 stolen bases.[30]
2023
After double groin surgery in November,Marte's injuries persisted into 2023. He missed games in April with a neck strain,was placed on the IL in July and August due to migraines,and finished the season early after suffering another groin injury.[46] Across 86 games in 2023,Marte batted .248/.301/.324 with 5 home runs,28 RBI,and 24 stolen bases.[30]
2024
Marte returned to the team and hit the first home run of the Mets' 2024 season on Opening Day,March 29,against the Milwaukee Brewers in a 3–1 loss.[47] On April 6,Marte recorded the 1,500th hit of his career,a first inning single,off of Miles Mikolas of the St. Louis Cardinals.[48] On April 17,he hit the 150th home run of his career,a two-run shot off of Bailey Falter of the Pittsburgh Pirates.[33] Marte missed two months of the season due to a bone bruise in his right knee,and he did not return to the team until August 18.[49] Across 94 games in 2024,Marte batted .269/.327/.388 with 7 home runs,40 RBI,and 16 stolen bases.[30]
In February,the Mets announced that Marte would be moved from the outfield to serve as a part-time designated hitter to avoid future injuries.[53] On April 23,2025,Marte hit a walk-off single in the 10th inning against the Philadelphia Phillies. In doing so,he clinched the Mets second ever perfect seven-game home stand in franchise history.[54]
Personal life
Marte has three children,sons Starling Jr. and Smerling and daughter Tiana,with his late wife,Noelia Brazoban. In May 2020,Brazoban suffered a heart attack and died while in the hospital awaiting surgery on a broken ankle.[55]
Marte's mother died when he was nine years old. Starling was then raised by his grandmother,who died in May 2022. Upon his return to the Mets after being placed on the bereavement list,Marte hit a home run on the first pitch he faced from Colorado Rockies starter Germán Márquez,dedicating his hit to his "loved ones up in heaven."[56]
In August 2023,Marte got engaged to Elianny Santana. They married in the Dominican Republic in December of that year.[57]
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
