At 35, outfielder Starling Marte still possesses the speed that makes him a threatening baserunner. More importantly, he became the only active player with 350 career stolen bases after getting one during their June 14 game against the San Diego Padres.
That stolen base helped the Mets pull out a 2-1 victory over the Padres, part of their current five-game winning streak and eight wins in their last ten games.
Marte has three stolen bases in June and 12 for the season. Those numbers indicate a healthy Marte after undergoing groin surgery. The Dominican baseball player is just 12 stolen bases away from tying his 2023 tally with 100 games left to play.
Last night, Starling Marte became the only active player with 350 steals! pic.twitter.com/IPfqWERe44
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) June 16, 2024
Throughout his career, he had a season-high 47 stolen bases with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2016. Meanwhile, he could have had more stolen bases if he had not been caught 97 times throughout his career.
In addition to his nifty way of covering the bases, Marte has found his stroke over his last 15 games. Over that stretch, he is hitting .391/.440/.630 with two home runs and 10 RBIs. He has a .316 batting average in his last 30 games and .440 the previous week.
Marte is hitting .281/.335/.424 for the season with seven home runs and 28 RBIs. More importantly, the Mets are in a good groove, helping them make a push for a postseason berth.
-Lance Fernandez