Why Reds' pitching coach is working with an infielder

This story was excerpted from Mark Sheldon¡¯s Reds Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- If Reds third baseman Noelvi Marte is able to clean things up defensively in 2025 -- namely his throwing -- some of the credit will belong to perhaps an unlikely source: pitching coach Derek Johnson.

Last week in camp, bench/infield coach Freddie Benavides had a high-speed Edgertronic camera set up to capture Marte fielding and throwing balls from third base. Then Benavides asked Johnson to review the video with him to figure out why Marte's throws were off-target. Last season, four of his 12 errors were made from throwing.

"I pointed out a couple of different things that I saw," Johnson said. "The next day or the day after, after the workout, Freddie brought him over and we worked a little bit. It¡¯s a small thing, but hopefully it helps."

The basic takeaway was Johnson suggested Marte adjust the positioning of his thumb behind the baseball.

¡°The ball has more carry, and I feel more comfortable with it now," Marte said.

Marte was once a top-end prospect of the Reds and Mariners, at shortstop and third base. How did he get this far without gripping the ball properly?

¡°He¡¯s got big hands and really long fingers, so his fingers swallowed up the ball,¡± Johnson said. ¡°It was trying to get him a little bit more centered to where it would fly better.

¡°I think stuff like that kind of slips because you can¡¯t always see it. You know you¡¯re trying to get him to transition to a four-seam grip, but you might not always be paying attention to that. So it¡¯s probably easy to not see, and it goes fast. If you¡¯re breaking down throwing the ball, you might not even [notice] it. We caught it because we put a better camera on him so we could look deeper into it.¡±

Marte, 23, had just about everything go wrong in 2024. In camp last year, he was suspended for 80 games for testing positive for performance enhancing drugs. Upon returning in June and playing full time, he struggled.

In 66 games, Marte batted .210 with a .549 OPS and four home runs in -- a steep decline from his first big league callup in 2023, when he hit .316 with an .822 OPS and three homers in 35 games.

Most stunning in 2024 was that Marte's well-regarded defensive skills also bottomed out.

Among third basemen, Marte's 12 errors were tied for fifth-most in the Major Leagues and his -11 outs above average tied for worst. This was despite logging only 55 games and 468 1/3 innings at the position, nearly three times less innings than the others on the leaderboard.

¡°I put it behind me, so I¡¯m focused on this year to get better," Marte said. "I want to help the team. That¡¯s my focus.¡±

Minor League infield coordinator Jose Nieves spent time on the field with Marte during the offseason in the Dominican Republic. Nieves started shortening Marte¡¯s throwing delivery, among the adjustments.

¡°I worked every day with Nieves. We focused on the little things," Marte said.

Marte is far from a lock to make Cincinnati's Opening Day roster, especially amid a crowded infield with third-base candidates that include Gavin Lux and Jeimer Candelario.

If he doesn't make the club, Marte would open the season at Triple-A Louisville.

¡°We kind of told him,¡± Reds manager Terry Francona said, ¡°that last year was kind of a lost year for him, for a number of reasons. We understand that, but this is not last year.

"Saying that, we want him to go earn everything he gets. I told him, ¡®We hope you do it. Nobody is rooting against you, but you¡¯ve got to go earn it.¡¯ I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything wrong with that.¡±

Most of Marte's opportunities to play third base in Cactus League games have come as a sub in the later innings.

"We can¡¯t play 11 guys at one time, and I don¡¯t want guys to go too long without playing," Francona said. "I explained to the guys early on that, ¡®You may get at-bats in different ways.¡¯ By no means is he in the penalty box. We¡¯ve got a bunch of third basemen. That¡¯s his position, and I¡¯m not going to have him sit too much.¡±

Marte is taking nothing for granted but feels he has made improvements.

¡°I¡¯m feeling very good right now," he said. "I¡¯m here and have another opportunity. I¡¯m working hard for my position.¡±