When Starling Marte and Buck Showalter set about building a relationship last season, each needed something from the other: Showalter was seeking a right fielder and two-hole hitter, and Marte valued predictability. Over the course of two conversations, they established an understanding on those points.
“Last year when I got here and he told me that I was gonna play right field, I told him, ‘Fine,’” Marte told SNY on Thursday, through interpreter Alan Suriel. “Like, I’ll play right field, but don’t move me, because I’m trying to get comfortable in a position that I’ve never played before.”
People don’t talk enough about Starling’s Marte’s impact on this team. Indeed, a healthy Marte can lead this team to a World series.