As a teenager in the Dominican Republic, Starling Marte began his baseball career as a shortstop. Although former international scouting director for the Pirates Rene Gayo wanted to sign Marte, others in the organization were not persuaded, partially due to his poor defense at shortstop. Then, two things happened: Marte became an outfielder and he showed up to a workout he wasn’t invited to. In 2007, the Pirates signed the 18-year-old Marte for $85,000.
After his big league debut in 2012, Marte spent the first eight seasons of his major league career in Pittsburgh. In 953 games with the Pirates, Marte batted .