Noelvi Marte has spent the better part of four years as the Reds’ most frustrating kind of prospect: the one who keeps hinting at something bigger, then slips back into the pack. But his winter-league run in the Dominican Republic is at least giving Cincinnati a fresh reason to hold off on writing him off.
That patience has been hard to come by. The Reds have needed a steady stream of young talent, and too many of their prospects have stalled instead of taking off. Sal Stewart and Chase Burns stand out as exceptions, but Marte has been the clearest example of the organization waiting for promise to turn into production.
There was a stretch in 2023 that made it easy to dream. Over the final six weeks of that season, the then-21-year-old Marte hit .316/.366/.456 with three homers and six steals across 123 plate appearances. It looked like the breakout was finally here.
Instead, 2024 opened with an 80-game PED suspension. When Marte returned, the strikeouts piled up - he fanned 31% of the time.
He showed some improvement in 2025, batting .263/.300/.448 while learning right field after moving over from third base. Then came 2026, and the progress evaporated.
This past season, Marte’s glove in the outfield was an issue, but his bat was the real problem. He finished with a career-worst .189/.229/.321 line and was sent back to Louisville twice.
The second demotion, and the last one, came after the August 17 doubleheader against the St. Louis Cardinals.
Now he’s back home with LIDOM’s Gigantes del Cibao, and the early returns are much better. Through 12 games and 55 plate appearances, Marte is hitting .360/.382/.480 with one homer and eight RBI.
It’s a small sample, and winter ball isn’t the highest level of competition, but it still matters. LIDOM rosters are full of big leaguers in Marte’s lane - players trying to get their careers back on track - and every so often a real star shows up there, too.
The numbers are encouraging because they point back to the raw ability that made Marte such an intriguing name in the first place. He has well-above-average bat speed, and in 2023 that showed up in strong hard-hit rates and exit velocities.
He also brings 93rd percentile arm strength and 91st percentile sprint speed. Those are gifts.
The harder parts are the ones that have kept tripping him up. Plate discipline and pitch recognition have been major problems, and they’ve blunted the impact of that fast swing.
The same goes defensively in the outfield, where positioning, route-running, and reading fly balls all remain works in progress. If those pieces come together, Marte has the tools to become a plus defender out there.
There’s also the simple matter of age. Marte just turned 25 on October 16, even if it feels like he’s been around forever. He already has parts of four major league seasons behind him, but he’s still young enough for this story to change.
And from the Reds’ side, the contract situation keeps the door open. Marte remains inexpensive and controllable, will still be making the league minimum in 2027 because of the suspension, and is under team control through 2030. After everything that’s gone wrong, there’s still no reason to give up on him yet.
That matters because Cincinnati’s projected 2027 outfield is expected to lean heavily left-handed, with Héctor Rodriguez, Carlos Jorge, and JJ Bleday all lined up for regular run. Any of them could use a right-handed complement. If Marte’s winter-ball surge keeps going and turns into something real, he could grow into that role, bounce around multiple spots, and pick up near-starter playing time.
That would be the sign that everything is finally clicking - the tools turning into actual production. For the Reds, that would be a major win.
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