Eventually, even the veteran outfielder who was a colleague of Kang Jung-ho stood shoulder to shoulder with Bae Ji-hwan (Pittsburgh Pirates).먹튀검증
Starling Marte (35, New York Mets) added two stolen bases in an away game against the Chicago Cubs on the 25th and 26th (hereinafter Korean time). On the 27th, against the Colorado Rockies, he did not steal, but he has stolen 3 bases in the last 6 games and is recording 14 steals for the season.
Along with Marte, Corbin Carroll (23, Arizona Diamondbacks) also stole his 14th base of the season against the Philadelphia Phillies on the 25th. On the 27th, against the Boston Red Sox, he failed to add a stolen base. In the end, Marte and Carroll tied for second in the National League in stolen bases along with Bae Ji-hwan and Jazz Chisom Jr. (Maimi Marlins).
If Bae Ji-hwan, Carol, and Chijom Jr. are young blood, Marte is a veteran outfielder. After debuting with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2012, he has been playing for the New York Mets since the 2022 season after passing through the Arizona Diamondbacks, Miami Marlins and Oakland Athletics. He spends the second season of a four-year, $78 million (approximately 103.6 billion won) contract.
In 118 games in the 2022 season, he had a batting average of 0.292, 16 home runs, 63 RBIs, 76 points, and 18 stolen bases with an OPS of 0.815. This season, in 47 games, he has a batting average of 0.235, 2 homers, 14 RBIs, 17 points, 14 steals, and an OPS of 0.593. His performance dropped sharply, but his stolen bases are at a much steeper pace than last year. He has only failed to steal three times this season.
Since he is a veteran, his stamina can drop in the middle of the season, and it is true that he is not good at batting this season. Still, he is the player who stole 328 bases in his major league career. He stole 41 bases in 2013 and 47 in 2016 and 2021. He is also a player familiar to Korean fans by eating rice with Kang Jung-ho in the early to mid-2010s. He is a new type of competitor for Bae Ji-hwan.
Bae Ji-hwan was good with 2 hits and 1 point in 4 at-bats in the away game against the Seattle Mariners that day. However, he never had a chance to attempt a steal. He failed to even attempt a steal in four consecutive games after the stealer against the Arizona Diamondbacks on the 21st. He also didn’t have the right timing to run.
The National League stolen base race is the solo system of Ronald Acuna Jr. (Atlanta Braves, 22 steals). It is already 8 ahead of the second place group such as Bae Ji-hwan. Acuna is poised to steal at least 50 bases with her unique explosive athletic ability. It doesn’t look easy for Bae Ji-hwan to catch up with Acuna. However, it is a good enough experience for him to compete in good faith for the second place.