Pittsburgh Pirates outfield prospect Starling Marte, who rated as the second best prospect in the system in our pre-season rankings, has been selected to play in the MLB Futures Game. Marte will play on the World roster, and would have been going up against Chase d’Arnaud, who was set to appear on the US roster. However, d’Arnaud’s upcoming promotion to the majors will remove him from the event.
Marte is currently hitting for a .338/.371/.475 line in 263 at-bats in Altoona, with four homers and 15 stolen bases. The 263 at-bats marks a career best for him. He was injured in 2010 after being hit in the hand with a pitch, and 2009 marked his first year in the US, and was shortened due to his time in Extended Spring Training.
Tim started Pirates Prospects in 2009 from his home in Virginia, which was 40 minutes from where Pedro Alvarez made his pro debut in Lynchburg. That year, the Lynchburg Hillcats won the Carolina League championship, and Pirates Prospects was born from Tim's reporting along the way. The site has grown over the years to include many more writers, and Tim has gone on to become a credentialed MLB reporter, producing Pirates Prospects each year, and will publish his 11th Prospect Guide this offseason. He has also served as the Pittsburgh Pirates correspondent for Baseball America since 2019. Behind the scenes, Tim is an avid music lover, and most of the money he gets paid to run this site goes to vinyl records.
