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Bucs' Marte powers up into pending star

Patrick Gorski/Icon Sportswire

One of the reasons Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Starling Marte was among my top 40 players this season was because his second half in 2014 showed power potential, and not everyone needs to be laden with plate discipline to truly break out. I recall how slow I was to react to Carlos Gomez back in 2012 when the so-called failed prospect showed newfound power that he kept. Gomez could always run, but couldn’t hit for average and his power spike that season seemed out of place. Today, of course, Gomez is the only player in baseball with a an active streak of consecutive seasons with at least 20 home runs, 20 steals -- and a lot more than 20 of those -- and a .280 batting average, and he achieves this despite swinging and missing quite a bit. Marte reminds me of Gomez, so -- I think it’s safe to ask without looking ridiculous -- is Starling Marte the next Gomez?