I’m OK With Ketel Marte

I’ve been excited about Ketel Marte for a while now. He made the AAA all-star game after his stellar performance in Tacoma and his stock only grew in my eyes.

He’s fun to watch. He’s exciting. He adds the Mariners a dynamic that they haven’t really had since Ichiro left: Speed at the top of the order. Speed, and the ability to couple that with an idea of how to get on base.

He’s a good leadoff hitter. He fights off pitches. He doesn’t strikeout often. He’s only K’d 33 times in 41 games. He’s got 41 hits in those 41 games. He’s hiting .268 and has an on-base percentage of .341. He’s got 10 doubles. He’s got seven steals.

Defensively, I like his arm and his range. He’s been good at shortstop and I’ve enjoyed watching him use the glove.

I think Marte is a mainstay in Seattle’s lineup and I think this quarter of a season trial period has been excellent.

I see no reason why Ketel Marte is not the Mariners shortstop in 2016 and with him at the top of the order, I think the M’s lineup has a chance to produce like it has for the last month and a half, rather than how it did at the beginning of the year with Austin Jackson there.

Now, the M’s need to build around a nucleus of Robinson Cano, Nelson Cruz, Kyle Seager and Marte, and they need to figure out how to supplement the lineup and give it length.

The M’s take on the Angels again tonight.

Go M’s!

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