Diamondbacks’ Ketel Marte named NLCS MVP after setting MLB record to begin postseason career

Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte has been named Most Valuable Player of the 2023 National League Championship Series. Marte’s D-backs prevailed over the Phillies in Game 7 on Tuesday night and advanced to the World Series to face the Rangers. 

Across the seven-game series, Marte batted .387/.406/.581 with 12 hits, four doubles, a triple, and a stolen base. His series OPS of .987 was second only to Kyle Schwarber’s 1.669 among those who played regularly. As well, the 28-year-old infielder set an MLB record by recording a hit in each of his first 16 postseason games. He also now own the D-backs’ record for most hits in a single postseason (19) with one series left to play. He succeeds Bryce Harper of the Phillies as the winner of the award. 

Marte is just the second Diamondback to win the NLCS MVP award. The first was Craig Counsell in 2001. That year, the Diamondbacks bested the Braves in the NLCS and went on to beat the Yankees in a classic World Series for the first and only title. 

In addition to putting up big numbers in the D-backs’ NLCS win over the Phillies, their NLDS win over the Dodgers, and their Wild Card Series win over the Counsell-led Brewers, Marte was also one of the team’s top performers during the regular season. Across 150 games, Marte slashed .276/.358/.485 (128 OPS+) with 25 home runs. 

Marte has for a while been one of the most underrated players in baseball, but the addition of this particular piece of hardware and a trip to the World Series may change that.