Noelvi Marte struggled this past season for the Cincinnati Reds. This offseason, Marte joined the Gigantes of the Dominican Winter League. After not playing in the league in 2025, he’s off to a hot start there this year, and Friday night was a big night for him.

Marte's Big Night

On Friday night against Escogido, Marte started in center field and batted leadoff. Marte led off the bottom of the 1st inning with a double into the left-center gap. He came back up in the second inning. This time there were two outs and a runner on second base for him. After getting ahead 1-0, he got a changeup and cracked his second double in as many innings. This one came off his bat at 107.1 MPH, made it to the wall down the left-field line, and brought in a run.

In the fifth inning, Marte was back at the plate, leading off. He fell behind 1-2 in the count, but the pitcher hung a curveball, and the outfielder did what you are supposed to do with those, and he hit it 375 feet over the wall in left field. In his final at-bat, he would fly out to center, ending his day 3-for-4 with two doubles, a home run, two runs, and two RBI.

Marte was the difference in this ball game as his contributions led to the Gigantes edging out the win 5-4.

He's Looked Good

Marte has been playing well this winter ball beyond just Friday's game. He also had a big game on Saturday, October 24th. He also followed up Friday's game with a 2-for-4 performance on Saturday night.

Overall, Marte is hitting .358 (24-for-67) in 16 games for Gigantes. He also has an impressive .912 OPS and has shown off his arm defensively with an assist.

However, his plate discipline remains an area of concern. Marte has drawn just three walks compared to nine strikeouts in the early part of the LIDOM season. It's an aspect of his game that he still needs to improve upon moving forward.

Marte has shown to be a free swinger at Triple-A Louisville and has not had great walk rates in the past. If he is going to be a productive major leaguer, his pitch recognition and discipline not to swing at bad pitches must improve. Otherwise, he might continue to be a minor league player who puts up gawdy stats but struggles when called up to the majors.

Follow me on X at @RedHotRedsPod