Reds' infielder Noelvi Marte is heating up, but still needs to improve in this area

Noelvi Marte has endured a number of struggles during his first full season in the major leagues. The Cincinnati Reds gave Marte a cup of coffee in The Show late last summer, and after seeing the former Seattle Mariners' farmhand display an acute ability to get on base and hit for power, it was assumed that the young infielder would be part of the team's Opening Day roster.

But an 80-game suspension took the entire Reds fanbase by surprise this past spring after Marte tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs. The 22-year-old had to put his 2024 debut on hold, and has just now begun to showcase his talents once again.

Marte struggled upon his return to the big leagues. Lack of reps surely impacted Marte early on, but the Reds' third baseman is beginning to hit his stride. Through his first 99 at-bats, Marte was hitting just .183/.222/.290.

And while Marte hasn't seen a much of an uptick in his batting average, he's been making loud contact. Over his last 10 starts, according to FanGraphs, Marte's slugging percentage is up to .342, his barrel rate is sitting at 11.5%, and his hard-hit rate is 46.2%. Every month since his return, Marte's OPS has gradually been increasing as well.

Reds 3B Noelvi Marte needs to draw more walks

But Marte is not reaching base the easy way. The Reds' third baseman has a meager walk rate of just 2.9% this season, drawing a grand total of four free passes in 135 plate appearances. Among Reds' players with a minimum of 100 at-bats, Marte owns the lowest walk rate and only Christian Encarnacion-Strand (.220) has a lower on-base percentage.

Marte has flashed the leather of late. The converted shortstop made two dynamite plays during the Reds' 4-3 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday afternoon, but Marte's bat was quiet. The Reds' infielder went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts and ended the series going 2-for-11 with four Ks.

Cincinnati needs Marte need be more patient at the dish, and after watching Elly De La Cruz struggle in that area earlier this season, Reds fans have reason for hope. While De La Cruz is still striking out 31% of the time, he's second on the team in walk rate (10.3%).

That's a figure that would look really good next to Marte's name on the box score, and it needs to become a priority for the Reds' young talent if he hopes to reach his ceiling. During his minor league career, Marte was drawing walks about 11% of the time, so it's definitely part of his arsenal.

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