Starling Javier Marte (born October 9, 1988) is a Dominican professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to catch ...

for the

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(MLB). He previously played in MLB for the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central ...

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West Division. The franchise was established ...

Miami Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League East, East Division. The ...

, and

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (frequently referred to as the Oakland A's) were an American Major League Baseball (MLB) team based in Oakland, California from 1968 to 2024. The Athletics were a member club of the American League (AL) American League We ...

. He made his MLB debut in 2012 with the Pirates. Marte is a two-time

MLB All-Star The Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also known as the "Midsummer Classic", is an annual professional baseball game sanctioned by Major League Baseball (MLB) and contested between the all-stars from the American League (AL) and National ...

and a two-time

Gold Glove Award The Rawlings Gold Glove Award, usually referred to as simply the Gold Glove, is the award given annually to the Major League Baseball (MLB) players judged to have exhibited superior individual Fielding (baseball), fielding performances. It is awar ...

winner. In 2021, he led the major leagues with 47

stolen base In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a runner advances to a base unaided by other actions and the official scorer rules that the advance should be credited to the action of the runner. The umpires determine whether the runner is safe or out ...

s. He is the active leader in stolen bases and triples with 354 and 55, respectively.

Early life

Marte grew up on the outskirts of

Santo Domingo Santo Domingo, formerly known as Santo Domingo de Guzmán, is the capital and largest city of the Dominican Republic and the List of metropolitan areas in the Caribbean, largest metropolitan area in the Caribbean by population. the Distrito Na ...

, the capital of the

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. It shares a Maritime boundary, maritime border with Puerto Rico to the east and ...

. After his mother's death when he was nine, his grandmother raised him.

Career

Pittsburgh Pirates

Minor leagues

Marte signed with the

in 2007 and was primarily a

center fielder A center fielder, abbreviated CF, is the outfielder in baseball who plays defense in center field – the baseball and softball fielding position between left field and right field. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the ...

during his time in the minors. In 2010, he played 60 games for the Pirates' Class-A affiliate, the

Bradenton Marauders The Bradenton Marauders are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. They are located in Bradenton, Florida, and play their home games at LECOM Park, which also serves as the ...

, ending with a

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...

of .315. He hit 16

double Double, The Double or Dubble may refer to: Mathematics and computing * Multiplication by 2 * Double precision, a floating-point representation of numbers that is typically 64 bits in length * A double number of the form x+yj, where j^2=+1 * A ...

s and five

triple Triple is used in several contexts to mean "threefold" or a " treble": Sports * Triple (baseball), a three-base hit * A basketball three-point field goal * A figure skating jump with three rotations * In bowling terms, three strikes in a row * I ...

s that season while also stealing 22 bases. Marte represented the Pirates at the 2011

All-Star Futures Game The All-Star Futures Game is an annual baseball exhibition game hosted by Major League Baseball (MLB) in conjunction with the mid-summer MLB All-Star Game. A team of American League-affiliated prospects competes against a team of National League- ...

. In 2011, while playing for the

Altoona Curve The Altoona Curve are a Minor League Baseball team based in Altoona, Pennsylvania, named after nearby Horseshoe Curve (but also alluding to the curveball, a type of pitch). The team plays in the Eastern League and is the Double-A affiliate of ...

, Marte was an Eastern League Mid-Season All-Star and Post-Season All-Star, a ''

Baseball America ''Baseball America'' (BA) is a sports publication company that covers baseball at every level, including Major League Baseball (MLB), with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in Minor League Baseball (MiLB) college, high school, and inte ...

'' Double-A All-Star, a

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Double-A All-Star, and a Milb.com organization All-Star. On August 15, 2011, Marte was named the EL's Player of the Week. Marte also won the Eastern League batting title with a .332 batting average and was named the Eastern League Rookie of the Year. Marte was added to the Pirates 40-man roster on November 18, 2011. Marte was ranked number 73 on ''Baseball Americas Top 100 Prospects list in February 2012 and number 56 on

Baseball Prospectus Baseball Prospectus (BP) is an organization that publishes a website, BaseballProspectus.com, devoted to the sabermetric analysis of baseball. BP has a staff of regular columnists and provides advanced statistics as well as player and team perf ...

's Top 101 Prospect list in February 2012. In 2012, while playing for the

Indianapolis Indians The Indianapolis Indians are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. They are located in Indianapolis, Indiana, and play their home games at Victory ...

, Marte was named an

International League The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major ...

Mid-Season All-Star. On July 2, 2012, Marte was named the International League Player of the Week.

2012

On July 26, 2012, the Pirates promoted Marte from Indianapolis Indians, becoming the first graduate of the Pirates' Latin American complex, located in the

, to reach the major leagues. He hit a

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the Baseball (ball), ball is hit in such a way that the batting (baseball), batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safe (baseball), safely in one play without any error ( ...

on the first pitch he faced in his major league career, off

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. They are one of two major leag ...

pitcher

Dallas Keuchel Dallas Keuchel (, ; born January 1, 1988) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Houston Astros, Atlanta Braves, Chicago White Sox, Arizona Diamondbacks, T ...

. 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. 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 off of Jeff Locke in a 9–4 victory over the

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. The Mariners compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. The team joined the American ...

, marking the first multi-home run game of his career. 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 The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. The Reds compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Divisi ...

. He hit the first postseason home run of his career on October 4, during Game 2 of the

National League Division Series In Major League Baseball, the National League Division Series (NLDS) determines which two teams from the National League will advance to the National League Championship Series. The Division Series consists of two best-of-five series, featuring e ...

, off of

Shelby Miller Shelby Charles Miller (born October 10, 1990) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the St. Louis Cardinals, Atlanta Braves, Texas Rangers, ...

of the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Centra ...

. 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, $31 million deal on March 28, 2014. On August 18, he had his second career multi-homer game in a 7–3 loss to the

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Eas ...

. 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

as the best defensive left fielder in the

National League National League often refers to: *National League (baseball), one of the two baseball leagues constituting Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada *National League (division), the fifth division of the English football (soccer) system ...

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 An all-star game is an exhibition game that showcases the best players (the "stars") of a sports league. The exhibition is between two teams organized solely for the event, usually representing the league's teams based on region or division, bu ...

appearance of his career. 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

2017

On April 18, 2017, Marte was suspended 80 games without pay due to the use of

Nandrolone Nandrolone, also known as 19-nortestosterone, is an endogenous androgen. It is also an anabolic steroid (AAS) which is medically used in the form of esters such as nandrolone decanoate (brand name Deca-Durabolin) and nandrolone phenylpropionate ...

, a type of

performance-enhancing drug Performance-enhancing substances (PESs), also known as performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs), are substances that are used to improve any form of activity performance in humans. Many substances, such as anabolic steroids, can be used to improve at ...

that violates the MLB's drug agreement. He was also deemed ineligible to play in the postseason, though the Pirates failed to qualify. Marte issued a statement afterwards, 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.

2018

In 2018, Marte played in 145 games, batting .277/.327/.460 with 20 home runs, 72 RBI, and 33 stolen bases. He and

Jean Segura Jean Carlos Enrique Segura ( ; born March 17, 1990) is a Dominican former professional baseball infielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Milwaukee Brewers, Arizona Diamondbacks ...

were the only two MLB players to have stolen 20 or more bases each season since 2013.

2019

On July 13, 2019, in a game against the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...

, Marte hit the 99th and 100th home runs of his career, two solo shots off of

Jon Lester Jonathan Tyler Lester (born January 7, 1984) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Boston Red Sox, Oakland Athletics, Chicago Cubs, Washington Nationals, and St. Louis Cardinals. L ...

in the 6th inning and

Randy Rosario Randy Miguel Rosario Luperon (born May 18, 1994) is a Dominican former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Minnesota Twins, Chicago Cubs, and Kansas City Royals, and in Nippon Professional Baseball (N ...

in the 8th. He became the second player in Pirates franchise history to hit 100 home runs and steal 200 bases, second only to

Barry Bonds Barry Lamar Bonds (born July 24, 1964) is an American former professional baseball left fielder who played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). Bonds was a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1986 to 1992 and the San Francisco Giants f ...

, who recorded 176 homers and 251 steals with the team. Across 132 games for the Pirates in 2019, Marte batted .295/.342/.503 and set career-highs with 23 home runs and 82 RBI. However, on defense, he had a -11 Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) rating, the lowest in the major leagues among center fielders.

Arizona Diamondbacks

2020

On January 27, 2020, the Pirates traded Marte and cash considerations to the

in exchange for Liover Peguero, Brennan Malone, and international bonus pool signing money.

Miami Marlins

On August 31, 2020, the Diamondbacks traded Marte to the

for Caleb Smith, Humberto Mejía and Julio Frias. 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. On September 30, during Game 1 of the

2020 National League Wild Card Series The 2020 National League Wild Card Series were four best-of-three-games series in Major League Baseball (MLB) to determine participating teams in the 2020 National League Division Series. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, MLB expanded the postse ...

, Marte had two hits and scored a run before having his left hand broken by a fastball in the ninth inning. The Marlins would defeat the

5–1 at

Wrigley Field Wrigley Field is a ballpark on the North Side, Chicago, North Side of Chicago, Illinois. It is the home ballpark of Major League Baseball's Chicago Cubs, one of the city's two MLB franchises. It first opened in 1914 as Weeghman Park for Charl ...

, giving Miami its first playoff victory since the 2003 postseason.

2021

Marte was placed on the

injured list In Major League Baseball (MLB), the injured list (IL) is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players. Before the 2019 season, it was known as the disabled list (DL). General guidelines ...

on April 20, 2021, with a fractured rib. A month later, he would enter his rehab assignment with the

Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp The Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. They are located in Jacksonville, Florida, and are named for shrimp caught in th ...

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. On July 18, Marte rejected a $30 million extension offer from the Marlins.

Oakland Athletics

On July 28, 2021, the Marlins traded Marte along with cash considerations to the

in exchange for

Jesús Luzardo Jesús Guillermo Luzardo (born September 30, 1997) is a Peruvian-born Venezuelan-American professional baseball pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Oakland Athletics and Mi ...

. 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

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

for the second time in his career. 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.

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. Across 86 games in 2023, Marte batted .248/.301/.324 with 5 home runs, 28 RBI, and 24 stolen bases.

2024

Marte returned to the team and hit the first home run of the Mets' 2024 season on

Opening Day Opening Day is the day on which professional baseball leagues begin their regular season. For Major League Baseball (MLB) and most of the American minor leagues, this day typically falls during the first week of April, although in recent year ...

, March 29, against the

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. The Brewers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Di ...

in a 3–1 loss. On April 6, Marte recorded the 1,500th hit of his career, a first inning single, off of Miles Mikolas of the

. On April 17, he hit the 150th home run of his career, a two-run shot off of Bailey Falter of the

. 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. Across 94 games in 2024, Marte batted .269/.327/.388 with 7 home runs, 40 RBI, and 16 stolen bases. On October 3, in Game 3 the

2024 National League Wild Card Series The 2024 National League Wild Card Series (branded as the Wild Card Series presented by T-Mobile US, T-Mobile 5G Home Internet for sponsorship reasons) were two best-of-three playoff series in Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2024 Major League Baseb ...

, Marte hit a two-out RBI single in the 9th inning off of Devin Williams to insure a 4–2 victory and clinch the series win over the

. In Game 5 of the

National League Championship Series The National League Championship Series (NLCS) is a best-of-seven playoff and one of two League Championship Series comprising the penultimate round of Major League Baseball's (MLB) postseason. It is contested by the winners of the two Natio ...

on October 18, Marte had the best postseason game of his career, as he hit three doubles to cash in 3 RBI on four hits, defeating the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

12–6. Across 13 games of the

2024 MLB postseason The 2024 Major League Baseball postseason was the playoff tournament of Major League Baseball (MLB) for the 2024 Major League Baseball season, 2024 season. In each of the two leagues – National League (baseball), National and American League, A ...

, Marte batted .277/.345/.362 with no home runs, 9 RBI, and one stolen base.

2025

On April 23, 2025, Marte hit a walk-off single in the 10th inning against the

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. The Phillies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. Since 2004, the team's home stadium has ...

. In doing so, he clinched the Mets second ever perfect seven-game home stand in franchise history.

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 A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

and died while in the hospital awaiting surgery on a broken ankle. 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 The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. Th ...

starter Germán Márquez, dedicating his hit to his "loved ones up in heaven." In August 2023, Marte got engaged to Elianny Santana. They married in the

in December of that year.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Marte, Starling 1988 births Living people Águilas Cibaeñas players Altoona Curve players Arizona Diamondbacks players Bradenton Marauders players Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in the United States Dominican Republic sportspeople in doping cases Dominican Summer League Pirates players Gold Glove Award winners Gulf Coast Pirates players Indianapolis Indians players Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp players Leones del Escogido players Lynchburg Hillcats players Major League Baseball center fielders Major League Baseball left fielders Major League Baseball players from the Dominican Republic 21st-century Dominican Republic sportsmen Major League Baseball players suspended for drug offenses Miami Marlins players National League All-Stars New York Mets players Oakland Athletics players Pittsburgh Pirates players Baseball players from Santo Domingo State College Spikes players West Virginia Power players World Baseball Classic players of the Dominican Republic 2017 World Baseball Classic players