Highly-touted Pirates prospect Starling Marte will officially make his long-awaited Major League debut against the Astros on Thursday night in Houston. The Pirates list him leading off in the lineup and playing left field. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Michael Sanserino tweets that Marte has chosen No. 6 as his uniform number.
Before his call-up, the 23-year-old Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic native was hitting .286 with 12 home runs, 62 RBIs and an .847 OPS for the Indianapolis Indians, the Bucs' Triple-A affiliate. Last season a Double-A Altoona, he hit .332 with 12 home runs, 50 RBIs and and .870 OPS.
Here are some photos of Marte getting ready for Thursday's game, via the team's official Twitter account.
Meeting the media before the game...
Taking batting practice at Minute Maid Park.
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