Noelvi Marte Is Earning the Reds’ Trust Back

The biggest difference, in my eyes, has been Marte’s ability to turn on pitches and get to his pull side. Last year he did not seem confident in what he was reading out of the pitchers hand and often was late on fastballs causing weak ground balls and lazy pop outs.

Although Marte is talented enough to produce power to all fields, pulling the ball is going to lead to his best results. Jumping out in front of fastballs and doing damage is how he will make the most impact for this team. Velocity was an issue last year hitting only .211 with a .321 slugging percentage on fastballs. This year he’s hitting .311 with a .456 on velocity.

Another part of Marte’s game that I think is underrated is his speed. For one reason or another, Marte’s athleticism does not get the credit it deserves. His 29 ft/sec is slightly behind Elly De La Cruz (29.1) which puts him inline with Sal Frelick and Luis Robert Jr. The Reds have not been a team that runs much, but Marte could make Terry Francona reconsider that.

Of course, Marte is still a developing player. The flashes we have seen this season is more than we saw all of 2024, but there’s still plenty of room for improvement, which is to be expected. Keep in mind, Marte has yet to play 150 career games and is even more raw when you consider how much of that total has been inconsistent due to injury and his suspension.

Room for Improvement

The raw numbers are great and serve as reason to be excited, but there’s still a ways to go before we truly see what level of player Marte ultimately is. The first improvement will need to come from his swing decisions.

Marte is currently running a 29.1% whiff rate and 33% chase rate, both significantly below league average. His struggles against breaking balls will need to change in order for these numbers to improve, and pitchers know that.

Pitchers are throwing breaking balls more than any other pitch classification at against Marte and getting a 34.7% whiff rate. Knowing that Marte is willing to chase is going to entice pitchers to lean heavily on their breaking balls and not enter the zone until he can prove a willingness to lay off pitches.

This particular trend is very common with young players. The amount of movement major leaguers get on breaking balls compared to the average minor league pitcher is drastically different and the adjust period takes time. If he does not adjust, expect his strikeout rate to jump. It is not guaranteed that time on task will lead to improvement.

Another area where Marte could improve is making quality contact at a higher rate. His 89.4 mph average exit velocity is fine, but I know there’s more in the tank. He’s shown us that much by popping a 116 mph this season, which ranks in the top two percent in all of baseball.

He has the ability, now it’s just about execution. In my opinion, this goes hand in hand with swing decisions. If you are swinging at balls out of the zone, and make contact, it is likely that contact is going to be suboptimal. Laying off those pitches will force the pitcher to work back in the zone allowing Marte more opportunities to get his best swing off and make the most impact.

A New Defensive Home

When the Reds acquired Ke’Bryan Hayes at the deadline it came with a clear message: defense at third base was going to be a priority. Marte had struggled at third and although he’ll still see some time there, outfield is his new home.

A move to the outfield could help Marte, and the Reds, in more way than one. For the Reds, outfield production has been average to below average. Too many of the current options are better suited as fourth outfielders and Marte gives them an option with a high ceiling going forward.

Cincinnati lacks outfield depth in the farm system, especially options with Marte’s athletic ability, and the move could fill a hole the Reds have struggled with for a few seasons. Obviously, Hayes’ elite defense is an upgrade for third and I think Marte could develop into an above average defender in the outfield. Win-win.

For Marte, although learning a new position adds more to your plate, I think it will be easier than trying to improve at third. He had made a number of mental mistakes at the hot corner over the past year and you could tell something was simply not clicking with his movements.

Moving to the outfield is a fresh start and arguably easier for Marte. It might not be this season, but I think the move will eventually help his bat grow. Not having to struggle in the field and letting that carry over to the plate should help him focus on hitting.

Time will tell, but I like the move. The Reds adding Hayes was not a sign that they don’t believe in Marte, but quite the opposite. I think that they believe in his bat to the extent that they saw him as an answer to their outfield problems now, and into the future.

Final Thoughts

It might not feel like it, but Marte is still a very young player. He lost most of last season’s development in what was a crucial year for him as a player. No one to blame but himself there. Bouncing back and showing the organization you can be a piece moving forward has been a fun watch.

Although there are still improvement to be made, what I have seen from Marte is promising. I entered the year having zero confidence or trust in him providing much for the Reds in 2025 and he’s changed that perspective in short order.

If Marte continues on the track he’s on and makes strides in certain areas the Reds have another foundation piece moving forward.

Stats were taken prior to play on August 3.