Starling Marte’s throw to get Paul Goldschmidt out at second base was a beautiful thing (VIDEO)

By Kevin Kaduk
Big League Stew
August 7, 2012

Pat Lackey of Where Have You Gone, Andy Van Slyke? tweeted it best: It's not every day that you see a left fielder throw out a runner at second base and come away completely impressed.

Yet mad respect is exactly what Pittsburgh Pirates rookie Starling Marte earned after nailing Arizona's Paul Goldschmidt at second base during Monday's 4-0 victory at PNC Park.  Watch as Marte displays the arm strength that had him rated as a top prospect before being called up by the big-league team last month:

Seriously, Goldschmidt was thrown out by at least 10 feet there and through no fault of his own — you can see the D-backs first baseman trucking around first base as Marte gets the ball near the corner. Goldschmidt later turned in one of the better sheepish quotes of the year.

"Obviously he's got a really good arm," Goldschmidt told reporters. "I didn't realize it was that good.

Marte was called up on July 26 and made headlines by homering in his first at-bat. He's been a little below average at the plate since — he's hitting .244/.271/.422 with two homers and six RBIs in 11 games — but has given the Buccos a few glimpses of why they should be excited for the future. This throw will be at the top of the reel for awhile.

Want more baseball fun all season long?
Follow @bigleaguestew, @KevinKaduk and the BLS Facebook page!