With second-half surge, is Marte the favorite for NL MVP Award?

This story was excerpted from Steve Gilbert’s D-backs Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox. This week's edition was contributed by Cole Bradley.

PHOENIX -- To say Ketel Marte has been on a tear since the start of the second half would be an understatement.

Marte has seemingly played at an elite level all season, but his current outburst has seen him comfortably insert himself in the NL MVP conversation alongside the Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani, the Reds’ Elly De La Cruz and several other stars. The All-Star second baseman has played a pivotal role in Arizona’s surge in recent weeks.

Slashing .319/.393/.750 with an MLB-leading 10 home runs since the All-Star break, Marte’s performance at the plate has been matched by few across the sport. He has had numerous hits in crucial situations that have led Arizona to 13 wins over its past 16 contests.

During the D-backs’ sweep of the Guardians earlier this week, Marte belted a pair of homers, including a leadoff blast on Monday and a ninth-inning two-run shot in Game 1 of Wednesday’s doubleheader. As Marte’s MVP resume -- one that includes an NL-best 6.0 bWAR -- continues to take shape over the final seven weeks of the 2024 campaign, it sparks an intriguing discussion around his case for the award.

A couple of Marte’s teammates and his manager decided to chime in.

Zac Gallen: “He’s pretty much carried us this entire year. He’s been the guy maybe outside of [Christian] Walker offensively that has been there day in and day out and you can count on him. In terms of his MVP case, it’s called the Most Valuable Player award. I know there’s other guys in the league that have other statistics and what not, but I think when you talk about the most valuable player to a team, to me, it’s not even a discussion."

Kevin Newman: “He’s definitely at the centerfold of how well we’ve been playing and how hot we’ve gotten, all year really. We play off him. He’s incredible, and he’s won several games for us by himself and contributed in all of them to some capacity. In terms of the MVP race, in my opinion, if the season ended today, he would be MVP.”

Torey Lovullo: “I hope he continues to get very strong MVP consideration. He’s had a very good season. I don’t have to project anything. I know he’s got the numbers, and he’s going to continue to build upon those numbers.

“He has been so consistent in every aspect of his game, offensively and defensively. Producing runs, hitting home runs, getting big hits -- I can’t say enough good things about where his game is at right now.”