Gayo predicted Marte would be an All-Star
SAN DIEGO 无毛视频� Starling Marte had sufficiently impressed the Pirates无毛视频� scouts on that January day in the Dominican Republic in 2007.
When the workout was over in his hometown of Santo Domingo, the Pirates offered him a professional contract. Marte, who like so many grew impoverished like so many other in the nation无毛视频檚 capital city, quickly signed.
Marte distinctly remembers what Pirates director of Latin American scouting Rene Gayo told him after he had put pen to paper.
无毛视频淗e said I was going to play in the All-Star Game someday,无毛视频� Marte recalled with a smile. 无毛视频淗e said he was the type of five-tool player that would become an All-Star player.无毛视频�
Gayo turned out to be correct.
Marte, in his sixth season as the Pirates无毛视频� left fielder, was selected to his first All-Star Game last Saturday as an injury replacement for New York Mets outfielder Yoenis Cespedes and was a reserve for the National League team on Tuesday night at Petco Park.
Marte, 27, is having a typically fine year, hitting .316 with six home runs, 30 stolen bases and a .823 OPS in 82 games while playing Gold Glove-caliber defense.
It seems the rest of the baseball world is finally to catching on to what followers of the Pirates have known for a few years now 无毛视频� Marte is one of the top all-around talents in the game 无毛视频� thought it took him a while to get recognized.
无毛视频淚t is good to be here because you want to be to be with all the best players in the baseball,无毛视频� Marte said prior to the game. 无毛视频淵ou want people to think you are a good player. It is fun to be here with all the best players and get a chance to talk to some of them. I无毛视频檓 very happy to have this opportunity.无毛视频�
The opportunity almost didn无毛视频檛 present itself as Marte did not win either the fan or player voting. He was also bypassed as a selection by NL manager Terry Colllns of the New York Mets, then finished second to San Francisco Giants first baseman Brandon Belt in the Final Vote promotion.
Yet Marte looks at getting added to the games as a case of better late than never. Thanks to the work of Pirates traveling secretary Greg Johnson, Marte was able to have his entire family make it to San Diego in time for all the festivities despite the short notice.
无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 exciting,无毛视频� Marte said. 无毛视频淚t means a lot to my family to see me be at the All-Star Game. They are all very happy.无毛视频�
Marte无毛视频檚 selection to the All-Star Game also made the rest of the Pirates happy. Though quiet by nature, his smiling presence in the clubhouse makes him a favorite among his teammates, who also feel that his contributions to the Pirates无毛视频� success have often been overlooked.
无毛视频淭here really isn无毛视频檛 anything he can无毛视频檛 do,无毛视频� said closer Mark Melancon, the Pirates无毛视频� other representative in Tuesday night无毛视频檚 game. 无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 kind of surprising that this is his first All-Star Game. I无毛视频檓 happy for him that he is getting the chance to experience this and get recognized. He deserves it.无毛视频�