Reds Beat: Noelvi Marte Represents Exactly How Reds Have Remade Their Image In 2025

CINCINNATI — Terry Francona saw great potential in Noelvi Marte in spring training. But the new Reds manager knew that his talented infielder needed a remedial course in his approach to fielding, hitting and preparing every day to be the best player possible.

Francona knew of Marte’s great talent from watching tape of him, talking to him in the Dominican in the offseason after taking the job and from conversations with Nick Krall, Brad Meador and everyone in the Reds front office.

Marte was a player with untapped ability to transform the Reds lineup. But would he?

That’s what the Reds needed to find out by assigning him to minor league camp midway through spring training and letting him start the season at Triple-A Louisville. His approach there would at least give them a hint to the answer.

So far, the answer has been an overwhelming yes.

Marte went 1-for-2 with an RBI triple and two walks in Monday’s 3-1 series-opening win over the Cardinals. The third baseman is 16-for-39 with 16 RBIs in his last nine games, coinciding with Cincinnati’s season-best five-game win streak that has them above .500 for the first time this season.

“He’s been a good worker, and he was the same worker when we sat him down in spring training, which is always a good sign. And like hitting, he’s moving his feet better third, which is good offensively,” Francona told me. “You can tell he feels good about himself because swinging hard, but he’s also not just abandoning that right-center approach, which I think really keeps him keeps him, balanced and staying through the ball.”

After batting .316 in 10 games and with an injury to Christian Encarnacion-Strand, the Reds promoted Marte and have sent veteran Jeimer Candelario to the bench in a reserve role.

Ever since being acquired in the 4-for-1 trade for Luis Castillo in 2022, Marte has been trying to prove his worth to the Reds.

“He’s been a good worker, and he was the same worker when we sat him down in spring training, which is always a good sign,” Francona said. “And like hitting, he’s moving his feet better at third, which is good offensively. You could tell he feels good because he’s swinging hard. But he’s also not just abandoning that right-center approach, which I think really keeps him balanced and staying through the ball.”

Watching Francona handle Marte is precisely why the Reds wanted Francona’s presence over this young team.

“I thought we were really honest with him and up front and we told him we wanted him to earn it, but we also told him we were pulling for him, like wasn’t nothing wrong with earning it, kind of doing that, which is a good thing,” Francona said. “I mean, he’s earned everything he’s got but he has done a really good job.”

“He helped me a lot, because he showed me that he’s a competitive person, and it was a challenge,” Marte said through interpreter Tomas Veras. “I know when he talked to me and sent me down there, I took it as a challenge, and that challenge showed me that he wants to win and he want to compete, and that’s how I’m doing it right now. It was a really good point for me.”

What Francona stressed about the little things, the details of the game, is really what stuck to Marte and is precisely what’s paying off now.

“I think the way I interpreted it was that if you do the little things and you do the details, and you put attention to the little details, you’re going to accumulate and I’m gonna create something bigger,” Marte added. “But when you try to do something big, you fail on the way because this is too big for you. So yes, I think putting attention to the little detail was the key for me to do what I do.”

Little things apply in the field, too. Marte fielded a grounder from Nolan Arenado and started an inning-ending double play in the sixth to get Nick Martinez out of trouble in his final inning of work. His throwing and fielding have also improved and his work has put Jeimer Candelario on the bench for now. A move Francona acknowledged before the game Monday in a frank conversation with Candelario. Francona afterall, is not afraid of that. “It’s the only way I know how to do it,” the Reds manager said.

Some key nuggets on Marte from the Reds media relations staff:

Per Elias, on Sun at Col became the fourth Red since RBI became an official stat
in 1920 with at least 15 hits and 15 RBI through his first 10 starts of a season,
joining Brandon Phillips (2006), Ken Griffey Sr. (1976), & Ted Kluszewski (1952).

From 4/20 at Bal to 4/27 at Col became the fourth Red (5th occurrence) since
RBI became an official stat in 1920 with at least 15 hits and 15 RBI in any 7-game
span, joining George Foster (1976), Tony Perez (2x in 1970), and Gus Bell (1959).

Since being recalled from AAA-Louisville on 4/17, leads MLB with 15 RBI, while
also ranking in extra-base hits (7, T1st), slugging percentage (.737, 4th), OPS
(1.162, 4th), total bases (28, 5th), hits (15, T6th), and batting average (.395, T6th).

On 4/22 at Mia hit a 116.7-mph, solo HR off Edward Cabrera…marked the
third-hardest HR by a Red in the Statcast era (since 2015), behind Elly De La
Cruz (119.2mph, 9/26/23 at Cle) & Aristides Aquino (118.3mph, 8/8/19 vs Chc).

On 4/20 at Bal, he (7rbi) and Austin Wynns (6rbi) became the first pair of Reds
since RBI became an official stat in 1920 to each have 6 RBI in the same game.

Marte is just like a new addition to the Reds lineup, no different that Gavin Lux, Jose Trevino and Austin Hays. The Reds have remade their lineup and their image in the likeness of Terry Francona’s vision for productive, consistent and accountable baseball. The Reds are giving up far few at-bats, walking more and putting more pressure on opposing pitchers.

How?

Lux and Elly De La Cruz both went opposite field to left to extend their hitting streaks to 12 games Monday. Jose Trevino isn’t expected to produce middle-of-the-order numbers but he homered to tie the game Monday and give the Reds an early offensive boost. Marte stayed true to his approached and lined a rocket to left-center that scored Hays from first base and give the Reds a 2-1 lead. Yes, they left Marte at third with one out and didn’t get him home and there have been plenty of examples lately – like Friday and Saturday in Colorado – where the Reds had chances to blow the game open and didn’t.

Add Marte, Lux, Trevino and Hays to a lineup that already includes the likes of Matt McLain, De La Cruz and TJ Friedl and you can start to expect bigger and bigger things. And we haven’t even gotten to Tyler Stephenson, arguably the biggest bat of all when healthy, ready soon to rejoin the lineup and add even more depth.

Bigger and better days seem to be in the very near future, and a big reason is the new attitude adopted by many of the Reds, starting with Noelvi Marte.