By the time you finish this story, New York Mets outfielder Starling Marte may have collected his 1,500th career hit. That’s a milestone hall of famers Roy Campanella, Hack Wilson and Ralph Kiner never reached. The mark is not only a testament to Marte’s consistency at the plate over 13 seasons mostly with the Mets, Miami Marlins and Pittsburgh Pirates, it’s further validation that the decision he made many years ago to journey from his native Dominican Republic to fulfill his big-league dreams in the U.S. was right.
In the offseason, Marte usually makes his way back to the DR, visiting with family and sharing his baseball wisdom with the next generation of Caribbean sluggers. During the MLB season, however, the only travel on his mind centers around whatever city is next on the Mets’ schedule.
With all the packing, flying and being away from loved ones, life on the road for a pro athlete can be grueling. But as the big smiles and latest stats — at press time, Marte was leading his team in batting average, hits and stolen bases — show, the 35-year-old is taking it all in stride.
Forbes Travel Guide recently caught up with the two-time All-Star to talk (through an interpreter) about his game, his road-trip packing routine and his favorite NYC restaurant.
Have the Mets done enough to compete with the Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies in the National League East this year?
They did great adjustments. They added some good pitchers, one of those being Luis Severino. They also brought along J.D. Martinez, who’s a good batter. You know, it’s baseball. We know it’s a hard division. But as hard as they play, we’ll play just as hard. To win this division would be something amazing.
You’ve dealt with some injuries in the past few years. Beyond staying healthy, what are some of your on-the-field goals this season?
I’m a player that’s focused on my body as a whole — like every part of it. I want to improve. I’ve worked on my levels of body fat to avoid [injuries]. I look to get better every day and just ask to keep strong. Obviously, I don’t want to get hurt again, but if it does happen, I’ll accept it and just work on being just as strong as I was the last time and keep pushing to improve myself.
You’ve had some time to adjust to New York life. What’s that been like?
I like everything about New York. I like that I have family and friends here. People who may not have been able to see me in other opportunities are closer to home and can come to see me at games. [Citi Field, the Mets’ home stadium] is very nice. I like it a lot. I always try to go out to restaurants with my family. I get invited to a lot of players’ and friends’ homes, but I’m more of a homebody.
Have you found any great Dominican restaurants around town?
There’s one in particular called La Casa del Mofongo. Yeah, that’s in Washington Heights. But because I mostly like home food, I tend to not eat out as much.
Were you able to spend some time in the Dominican Republic this past winter?
Yes, very tranquil. I like to spend time at home working out and tending to the several businesses that I have back home. I try to make a lot of time for my family, those that live there that I can’t see on a regular basis during the season. I just try to get the most out of my time with them when I’m down there.
I spend time with my kids. I try to support my son in Miami because he plays Little League baseball. He’s actually very good. He’s going to be better than his dad. I try to do that a lot in the offseason. I try to be on top of my gym routine, too. And I like to also smoke cigars and just chill out.
When it’s time to train or prepare for a game, do you have a music playlist that you rely on?
I love music as a whole. I like music with rhythm. I like something that’s fun and moving. I’m always putting it up loud in the clubhouse as much as I can. I prefer dembow and salsa — salsa being the preferred. I can listen to it all day. But when it comes to game time, I want something more energetic, something that’s going to liven me and the guys in the clubhouse. I also like típico, which is a traditional kind of Dominican folk music.
Can you give me one or two artists you like in the típico style?
Banda Real and Yovanny Polanco.
When you hit the road during the season, what are some things that are always in your travel bag?
My wife is the one that tends to pack it for me. She does a very good job at it. She focuses on making sure that I not only have clothes to go to the stadium but that I have something decent that I can wear out to a nice restaurant. I always make sure that I have all of my toiletries. I’m very organized. I always need to have a speaker so that I can put my music on wherever I’m at.
What are a couple of cities around the league that you love visiting most?
Miami and Pittsburgh. Miami is a happy city.There, you can find everything easily. There’s lots of things to do. Same with New York. Pittsburgh is deep in my heart because it’s grown a lot as a city.
But when I asked my kids that question, they always prefer Pittsburgh as opposed to the Dominican Republic. I have a feeling that it may be because they were born there. They were mostly raised there for the first few years of their childhood. It’s great there. [PNC Park, the Pirates’ home stadium] is fabulous. And there’s a mountain view from where I was living. In the evening, I would like to stand on the balcony and just have a view. It made me feel very nice.
