Reds prospect Noelvi Marte crushed a huge homer in the Arizona Fall League

To be blunt, the Cincinnati Reds cannot have missed on making Noelvi Marte the centerpiece of their trade of Luis Castillo. Everybody wanted Castillo at last summer’s trade deadline, and the Reds turned back to their old trading buddies in Seattle as their preferred destination, Marte being the highest profile prospect in the ‘haul’ received for moving their ace.

Is that a pressure-packed spot to be in? It is, I suppose, though the spotlight on all-things Reds anymore doesn’t burn nearly as bright as it once did. It’s more like a mini Maglite whose AAA battery probably needs a change.

Anyway, after the last rebuild a) swung and missed on at least one high draft pick and b) swung and missed terribly on the returns from trading high-profile veterans, all eyes are firmly on this deal - and Marte, in particular - to help dig the club out of its second doldrums of the last half-decade. So, it’s incredibly encouraging to see him put bat to ball on a showcase stage in a way few have done before him.

On Tuesday evening, the Glendale Desert Dogs saw their 3B - a newly minted 3B, it should be pointed out - sock an absolute monster of a home run, a 461 foot blast that you can watch below.

It was the second blast of Arizona Fall League play for Marte, who at least sports a nice enough .353 OBP in his time in the Land of the Endless Strip Mall despite the rest of his game being more slow to round into form. Hopefully, this behemoth paroxysm will be the kind of swing that gets him back on the kind of offensive tear we know he is capable of ripping off at any time.

Nice swing, Noelvi!