Written by: Michael Mawhinney
Yesterday, the Pirates promoted their top hitting prospect, Starling Marte, to the majors. Fans have been waiting for this day ever since Marte was destroying the ball in Spring Training this year, and they were calling for his promotion very early in the season. However, Marte started off slowly this year, but really picked it up in June, where he had a .944 OPS, along with improved power while continuing to play great defense in the outfield. By the time he was promoted, Marte was able to increase his overall batting line to .286/.348/.500, with 12 home runs, 61 RBI, 21 stolen bases, and an .848 OPS.
While most people are very excited about the promotion, there are definitely going to be skeptical fans and people within the baseball industry that are going to question if Marte is ready for the majors. There are reasons for these people to be skeptical, as Marte's average is way down from last season, even though it's still at .286, his strikeout rate is at 21.1%, and his walk rate is at 6.5%. Is Marte ready for the jump to the majors?
At the beginning of July, when Marte was on a huge hot streak where he had an OPS of 1.259 over a ten game span, I wrote a post asking Is it time for Starling Marte to be called up?. In the post I asked four questions to find out if and when Marte should be called up, and if there are other factors in his promotion. The questions were: 1.) Would the Pirates be rushing Marte to the majors?, 2.) How will Presley and Tabata be doing by the end of July?, 3.) Will they trade for another hitter?, and 4.) Will the Pirates be in contention by the end of July? I am going to answer these four questions with the current situation to once again see if it is the right time for Marte to be called up.
1.) Would the Pirates be rushing Marte to the majors?
Marte has had a total of 384 at bats at the AAA level this year, which is a good amount to determine how a player can handle pitching at that level. But, is it enough to determine if a player can handle major league pitching? In my early July post, I talked about Pedro Alvarez, who was rushed to the majors, and Andrew McCutchen, who the Pirates were patient with. Alvarez had 242 at bats in AAA, while McCutchen had 780. For a prospect of Alvarez's status, 242 at bats may have seemed enough at the time, as he was hitting well and was seemingly ready to contribute at the major league level. But, those 242 at bats may not have been enough for Pedro, as he has struggled a lot in the majors with strikeouts, with a career strikeout rate of 34.4%. With a number like that, it looks like Pedro was rushed and could have used more time in AAA to better his approach. In McCutchen's case, the Pirates were extremely patient with him, but it paid off in the end as he is the favorite to win the NL MVP this year. The McCutchen example will lead many people to believe that it is best for teams to give prospects a lot of experience at AAA to prove that they are ready for the jump to the majors.
With 384 at bats in AAA this year, Marte falls between Alvarez and McCutchen, in terms of at bats and experience in AAA. The Pirates rushed Alvarez a little and were extremely patient with McCutchen, and it isn't easy to determine what the right number of at bats is to see if a player is ready for the majors. For more of a reference, I looked up another recent call-up who is a similar player to Marte, and that is Anthony Gose of the Toronto Blue Jays.
Gose came into the 2012 season ranked as the #39 prospect in baseball, according to Baseball America. Just like Marte, Gose played a full season in AA last year, and he was getting his first taste of AAA this year. Before he was promoted, Gose had 377 at bats at AAA, with .808 OPS. The OPS may seem a little lower for a top prospect, but Gose is more known for his speed and his glove. The number of at bats and OPS are very similar to those of Marte, so compared to another similar top prospect, Marte is deemed ready for the majors.
In my opinion, Marte is not being rushed to the majors. 384 at bats is enough to show that Marte can handle major league pitching, and his glove is definitely ready to contribute. Only time will tell how he will fare in the majors, but after showing consistency at the plate through June and July, it doesn't appear that Marte is being rushed.
2.) How will Presley and Tabata be doing at the end of July?
They aren't doing well......Tabata was sent down to AAA where he has struggled a little, and Presley has an OBP of .270 and a .636 OPS, so there is definitely no one blocking Marte in the outfield. The Cubs series showed that the Pirates need another bat and we already have seen that Presley and Tabata aren't the answer, so hopefully Marte can fill the offensive void in left field, and provide good production along with McCutchen in center and Garrett Jones in right.
3.) Will they trade for another hitter?
This question has yet to be answered, as the only trade the Pirates have made was for left handed pitcher Wandy Rodriguez. The Pirates still have five more days to upgrade their offense, and they are looking at first baseman and outfielders. They are known to be interested in Chase Headley of the Padres, and there are rumors that the Pirates would be interested if Hunter Pence became available. A trade really wouldn't affect Marte at this point, as a new outfielder would go to right and Jones would become the first baseman. The Pirates do need an offensive upgrade, and if they can't acquire one via trade, Marte could be that upgrade.
4.) Will the Pirates be in contention by the end of July?
The Pirates are still in contention, as they are 2.5 games back in the NL Central, and 1.5 games ahead for the first wild card spot. If the Pirates want to stay in contention, they need another bat, and as I've said in the last two questions, Marte could be that bat. But, the trade for Wandy Rodriguez and Marte's promotion should not stop the Pirates from attempting to acquire another impact bat, like Chase Headley or Hunter Pence (I would prefer Pence).
The Pirates being in contention this late in the season probably contributed to management's decision to promote Marte. If the team was not in contention, it was more likely that the team would have waited until next season to promote Marte, as it may have been seen as a waste to start his arbitration clock for two months of being on a team that isn't in contention. Marte's promotion is good timing as now he is here for the pennant race, and he is an immediate upgrade from players that have played in the outfield like Drew Sutton, Alex Presley, Jose Tabata, and Josh Harrison, both offensively and defensively.
Marte is ready to contribute in the majors, and now is a good time for him to be promoted. Many people said at the beginning of July that Marte needed to show consistency throughout the month to prove he was ready for the majors. In July, he raised his OPS 22 points, hit four homers, and drove in 14 more runs. He was already major league ready with his glove, and now he has proven that he is ready with his bat. Marte is now up in the majors ready to help a team in the middle of a pennant race, and this team is in need of an impact bat that Marte could definitely provide
Any questions or comments can be sent to me on twitter @mikemaw45, or in the comment button below.
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