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.
