A career season for D-backs second baseman Ketel Marte culminated in a third-place finish in the 2024 National League MVP voting, which was announced by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America on Thursday night.
Marte finished behind Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani, who unanimously became the first designated hitter to be named MVP, and Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor. Marte appeared on all 30 BBWAA ballots and tallied 229 points, besting his fourth-place finish in the 2019 NL MVP race.
The D-backs continue to search for their first MVP winner, as they’re one of three Major League clubs without one (the Mets and the Rays are the others). First baseman Paul Goldschmidt came closest to claiming the prize for Arizona, finishing runner-up in 2013 and ‘15.
Thursday’s results nevertheless put a bow on a fantastic campaign for the 31-year-old Marte, who also earned his second career All-Star selection, his first Silver Slugger Award and All-MLB First Team honors this year. Marte was also named a Gold Glove finalist at second base, underscoring his all-around excellence for the D-backs, who signed the Dominican infielder to a five-year, $76 million extension prior to the 2022 season.
Long viewed as one of the more underrated players in the Majors, Marte drew more national recognition after capturing the 2023 NLCS MVP Award and emerging as a key catalyst for Arizona’s surprise run to the World Series last fall. The switch-hitting slugger picked up right where he left off this year, slashing .292/.372/.560 while setting career highs in homers (36), RBIs (95) and OPS+ (155) over 136 games.
Overall, Marte’s 6.8 bWAR ranked fourth in the NL this year, trailing only Ohtani (9.2), Giants third baseman Matt Chapman (7.1) and Lindor (7.0).