Diamondbacks' Ketel Marte: May hit sixth Opening Day
Marte was deployed as the starting second baseman and No. 6 hitter in Tuesday's 6-5 exhibition loss to the Angels in what could be a preview of the Diamondbacks' Opening Day lineup, Owen Perkins of MLB.com reports.
Following his promotion to the big leagues in late June, Marte secured a starting gig and ran with it, finishing the 2017 campaign with a strong .260/.345/.395 line across 255 plate appearances. While Marte wasn't as aggressive on the bases as he had been in the past, stealing just three bags in four attempts, he showed more power than expected, racking up 17 extra-base hits in less than a half season of work. Don't expect Marte to see his involvement pick up dramatically in the run game based on his projected spot in the bottom half of the order, but his full-time role should make him a serviceable source of counting stats from the middle infield.
