Noelvi Marte might not be a household name in most fantasy baseball circles, but the Dominican Republic native is coming off the best season of his career in 2025. He’s slated to open the season as the Reds’ everyday right fielder, but he could also see time in the infield to boost his versatility. The numbers don’t lie, and while his stats aren’t eye-popping, his numbers evidence a clear sign of growth on a year-to-year basis.
Marte played in 90 games and delivered a .263/.300/.448 slash line with a .748 OPS. Marte also smacked a career-best 17 homers while also adding 51 RBI and 45 runs scored, both career-high marks as well. He was coming off 66 games in 2024 and just 35 games in his first cup of coffee in the majors in 2023. What does the 2026 fantasy baseball season have in store for Marte?
Fantasy Baseball: Strengths, Weaknesses and 2026 Projection
It’s simply too early to make a proper judgment of what Marte will bring to the table in terms of fantasy value. Between his injury history, the missed time due to a PED suspension and a few slumps, Marte hasn’t shown the required consistency to make fantasy owners believe that he can be an everyday contributor in most formats.
That said, Marte does bring some interesting traits to the table, and if he manages to replicate them over the course of an entire season, the 24-year-old might have some value in both points-based and category-based leagues. Through 191 career games across three different seasons, Marte has put up 21 homers to go along with 25 steals.
Essentially, he’s a player who has 20-20 upside if he stays healthy. Another positive trait for Marte is his eligibility in both positions, as the former top prospect enters the 2026 season with eligibility at both third base and the outfield.
Marte does have some concerns, though. Even though he has the ability to hit for power and be a threat on the basepaths, it’s unclear if he’ll be able to hit for average. He also doesn’t walk much and has posted a below-average walk rate in each of the last two seasons. He walked in just 3.8% of his plate appearances in 2024, and while he experienced some growth in 2025, it was still a below-average rate at 4.5% while striking out in 23.6% of his PAs.
Marte has an ADP of around #145, so he figures to be a player worth targeting in the mid-to-late rounds in standard formats. He has shown enough progress to be worthy of a late-round flier, but he’s more of a utility type of player instead of a regular starter. That said, that could change if his 2025 numbers take another step forward in 2026.
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