Bucco fans have been clamoring for it for weeks. Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review heard from a front-office member that "It's time." Still, the question remains: when will Starling Marte be promoted? Perhaps the more important question for the Pirates as they approach the trade deadline in contention for a playoff spot is what kind of impact is Marte likely to have once he's called up?
The most obvious and immediate impact Marte could have is in the field. Lately, the Bucs have been running out a lineup that includes Drew Sutton and Garrett Jones in the corner outfield spots. Sutton, a utility infielder by trade, has looked lost in the outfield. He makes errors, he takes bad routes to balls and he gives his skipper enough indigestion that he's frequently replaced by defensive-minded Gorkys Herndandez when the Pirates are clinging to a lead late in games. The same is true of Garrett Jones, who looks much more comfortable at first base than trolling the outfield grass. Marte is a world-class defender, perhaps second only to Hernandez among outfield defenders in the organization. Many in the front office believe he will eventually force Andrew McCutchen to one of the corners. That kind of impact cannot be ignored.
But Marte would not be called up because of his defense. If he wouldn't make an impact with the bat, the Pirates are better off using Hernandez and Alex Presley, who is set to come off the 7-day DL in the near future. No, Marte is being considered for a call-up because of his potential as an impact bat. Marte has had some ups and downs in his first season at AAA, but overall he sports a .286/.349/.490 line with 38 extra-base hits and 18 stolen bases. He flashes good speed, improving power and excellent defense. There are some trouble spots, though. Marte is still a work-in-progress on the bases. His 18 stolen bases come with 12 caught stealing attempts. He also strikes out a lot and draws few walks. He has an 80/26 K/BB ratio this season and lack of plate patience has been a criticism of his game for a number of years.
Despite his mediocre on-base skills, Marte would likely be a nice spark-plug at the top of the Pirates lineup. Presley and Tabata struggled there early this season and it's been a revolving door ever since. Drew Sutton has manned the position lately, but he's not a terribly good fit there and is a poor bet to continue hitting enough to be an everyday player going forward. Of course, the Pirates could go a different route and trade for a player like Shane Victorino of the Phillies, but the truth is the Pirates could really use both.
In an ideal world, the Pirates would call up Marte and he would add a lot of energy and improved productivity. They would then trade for another corner outfielder to add a little pop and solid defense to the mix. That would allow them to put Garrett Jones back at first in a platoon with Casey McGehee and make Drew Sutton a reserve to strengthen their bench. Imagine this kind of a lineup:
Marte, LF
Walker, 2B
McCutchen, CF
Quentin, RF
Jones/McGehee, 1B
Alvarez, 3B
Barajas/McKenry, C
Barmes, SS
Despite the recent success of the current group offensively, I'm inclined to think that this offense is closer to the group that was last in the majors in offense in April/May than the one that led the majors in June. A trade for a corner bat would certainly make a big difference, but I've got to think that Marte is part of the equation as well. You don't want to call him up too soon and hurt his development, but you've also got to roll the dice on a guy showing the ability to contribute right now to the contending Pirates and potentially improve them in all facets of the game. Don't worry fans, I think the time is nigh.
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