Ketel Marte

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Seattle Mariners #3 prospect in 2015
  Signed for $100,000 in 2010 as part of a $6 million Mariners international signing class, Marte has proved to be the group's best prospect. He spent just 100 at-bats at high Class A High Desert before jumping to Double-A Jackson and made it to Triple-A Tacoma before his 21st birthday. Marte shows a compact, line-drive stroke from both sides of the plate. He is comfortable with deep counts, but he's always looking to hit. He is a difficult hitter to strike out and nearly impossible to walk. Marte has above-average speed and has developed into a solid bunter. Defensively, Marte has the easy hands and actions scouts like, but he lacks focus and his .932 fielding percentage was worst among regular Southern League shortstops. Marte's arm limits him at shortstop. He'll show above-average arm strength occasionally, but more often his throws are average at best. A number of scouts see him eventually moving to second base, where he projects as an above-average defender. Marte will be one of the youngest players in the Pacific Coast League in 2015. With Chris Taylor and Brad Miller at shortstop and Robinson Cano at second base in Seattle, there's no clear path to the big leagues for him right now, but time is on his side.
• 
  Ranked Seattle Mariners #20 prospect in 2014
  Signed for $100,000 in 2010, Marte made his full-season league debut in 2013 by playing both middle infield positions at low Class A Clinton. His best attributes at this stage are speed and defense. He is a well-above-average runner who grades as a 60 on the 20-80 scouting scale. Marte also is a good defender with plus range and a strong arm, though he appears more comfortable at second base, where he turns the double play well, than shortstop. The biggest question about Marte is the hit tool. He consistently puts the bat on the ball and does not strike out much for a young player. However, he also draws few walks and swings at too many bad pitches. Marte will begin 2014 at high Class A High Desert. He could develop into a prototype No. 2 hitter capable of playing either middle-infield position or, more likely, a utility player and pinch-runner.

Minor League Top Prospects

• 
  Ranked Pacific Coast League #8 prospect in 2015
  Marte completed his breakout 2014 season with Tacoma and returned to Triple-A to start this year. He got off to a hot start before he broke his thumb at the end of May. He missed all of June, but recovered in time to play in the Futures Game and make his major league debut on July 31. A switch-hitter, Marte has quick, line-drive swing and a good feel for the barrel. He is an aggressive hitter, but doesn't strike out often and increased his walk rate this year. He has above-average speed and knows how to use it. For example, he swiped 20 bases in 65 games with Tacoma. Marte has primarily played shortstop and has the hands and infield actions for the position. But his average arm strength limits him, as does his propensity to make errors. He profiles better at second base, or possibly in center field, a position the Mariners briefly introduced him to this season.
• 
  Ranked Southern League #15 prospect in 2014
  Marte has rocketed through the Mariners system in the past two seasons, going from low Class A Clinton at the outset of 2013 to Jackson to open 2014 to Triple-A Tacoma in mid-August to close out this season. In his time with Jackson, Marte ranked fifth in the SL batting race (.302), though the only category in which he led the league was errors (28). A careless defender at shortstop who tends to sit back and let groundballs play him, Marte has great hands, above-average range and the instincts to profile as a regular at second base. His arm grades as solid-average and could enable him to play center field as well. A live-bodied switch-hitter, Marte has feel for contact from both sides of the plate with a handsy swing that enables him to manipulate the barrel and line the ball to all fields. He won't hit for more than gap power, but plus speed will ensure he racks up his share of doubles and triples to go with a healthy quantity of stolen bases. Difficult to walk or strikeout, Marte can bunt for hits and might fit as leadoff batter if he can boost his on-base ability.
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  Ranked Northwest League #19 prospect in 2012
  Marte's NWL statistics mean little because the Mariners were hyper-aggressive to place him in the NWL in his first year in the United States. They even gave him four starts in low Class A in May. The league's second-youngest player is still an intriguing prospect, even with a sub-.600 OPS. Marte's most advanced tools right now are his speed and his slick defense. He can really pick it at shortstop and shows flashy actions, plus range and an average arm. He's an above-average runner with natural instincts on the bases. A switch-hitter, Marte has a better swing from the left side of the plate. He's aggressive at the plate but shows good bat control and the ability to make consistent contact. He doesn't have much power and needs to get stronger, but even if he does he'll probably be a bottom-of-the-order hitter.

• December, 2014 Scouting Report
  Signed for $100,000 in 2010 as part of a $6 million Mariners international signing class, Marte has proved to be the group's best prospect. He spent just 100 at-bats at high Class A High Desert before jumping to Double-A Jackson and made it to Triple-A Tacoma before his 21st birthday. Marte shows a compact, line-drive stroke from both sides of the plate. He is comfortable with deep counts, but he's always looking to hit. He is a difficult hitter to strike out and nearly impossible to walk. Marte has above-average speed and has developed into a solid bunter. Defensively, Marte has the easy hands and actions scouts like, but he lacks focus and his .932 fielding percentage was worst among regular Southern League shortstops. Marte's arm limits him at shortstop. He'll show above-average arm strength occasionally, but more often his throws are average at best. A number of scouts see him eventually moving to second base, where he projects as an above-average defender. Marte will be one of the youngest players in the Pacific Coast League in 2015. With Chris Taylor and Brad Miller at shortstop and Robinson Cano at second base in Seattle, there's no clear path to the big leagues for him right now, but time is on his side.