Luis Arraez has a chance at an all-time great season
More than one-third of the MLB season is in the books and Luis Arraez continues to dazzle at the plate for the Miami Marlins.
Arraez, traded from the Twins to the Marlins for right-hander Pablo Lopez before the season, went 5-for-5 with three doubles, two singles and five RBIs Saturday in Miami's 12-1 win over the Oakland A's to raise his MLB-leading batting average to .390.
Five hits raised his batting average 16 points and puts him back within range of the elusive .400, which hasn't been done since Ted Williams hit .406 in 1941. A few players have threatened .400 since but none have done it.
Even if Arraez doesn't do the unlikely and hit .400, he's given himself a chance to have one of the highest batting averages in MLB single-season history. Simply hitting .370 for a full season has only been done 12 times since 1941.
Ted Williams: .406 in 1941 Tony Gwynn: .394 in 1994 George Brett: .390 in 1980 Ted Williams: .388 in 1957 Rod Carew: .388 in 1977 Larry Walker: .379 in 1999 Stan Musial: .376 in 1948 Tony Gwynn: .372 in 1997 Nomar Garciaparra: .372 in 2000 Todd Helton: .372 in 2000 Ichiro Suzuki: 372 in 2004 Barry Bonds: .370 in 2002
Considering Arraez won the AL batting title with the Twins by posting a .316 average last season, the odds of him continuing to hit .370+ the rest of the season aren't great. But he's damn near a shoe-in to win the NL batting title barring a big collapse. At .390 entering play Sunday, Arraez is 51 points ahead of the next best batting average in the big leagues: Freddie Freeman at .339.
The craziest stat about Arraez this season is that the lowest his batting average has been at ANY point is .371. If that's his low point, may the baseball gods have mercy on opposing pitchers' souls.
Again, hitting .400 is highly unlikely. Hitting .370 is going to be difficult, but he's put himself in contention to do it and if he does he'll be in the company of only ten players to hit .370+ for an entire season since 1941.
Seven of those ten, by the way, are in Cooperstown. Ichiro is eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2025 and he's likely a first ballot player. Bonds isn't in because of performance-enhancing drugs and Garciaparra, despite some great seasons with Boston, isn't in the HOF.
Source: Sports Illustrated
