'Nothing fazes him': Arraez impresses with 2 hits in All-Star start

SEATTLE -- Luis Arraez has been slugging his way through the regular season, so it should come as no surprise that he impressed at the plate in a showcase of the game’s best talents, too.

Arraez went 2-for-2 with an RBI on Tuesday in the 2023 All-Star Game, his second selection. The second baseman, who batted .383 in the first half of the season, made his offense look effortless at T-Mobile Park in front of a crowd of 47,159.

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“It's hard, especially the shadows here, but I put my mind [to it] and trust myself. ... And then I did it,” he said.

What the 26-year-old also did was leave his All-Star counterparts with admiration for his offensive dominance.

“It doesn’t look hard for him,” said Juan Soto. “I always say that hitting is easy; we make it harder. It’s unbelievable what he’s doing. And he’s a great guy. It’s incredible the skill that he has to put the ball in play.”

Many had watched from afar this season as Arraez hit for the cycle and hovered around the .400 mark with his batting average, the year after winning the AL batting title. The in-person experience was even more head-turning.

“Every time I watch him on TV, he gets base hits, like every single time,” said Shohei Ohtani. “So it's very, very impressive.”

In his first at-bat, Arraez singled a line drive into center field off right-hander Nathan Eovaldi. He followed in the fourth with a ground-ball single into right against Mariners righty George Kirby, driving in J.D. Martinez from second for a game-tying run.

“I think we’re all cheering him on,” said Freddie Freeman. “It’s incredible to watch. Just today in the game, he hit an 0-0 splitter for a hit and then on a 99 mph fastball for a hit. What shadows? Nothing fazes him. It’s incredible. And when he was in there, he kept telling us he likes watching us hit, and we’re like wait a second, we like watching you hit. We hope he gets to .400.”

Just last month, Arraez had hit an 0-for-12 skid at T-Mobile Park, where he also made his Major League debut in 2019. His efficiency in the All-Star Game is another example of his ability to make adjustments and be dominant.

“Especially now with the computers and all the stuff you have to deal with now, the pitching is tougher, the defense is tougher,” said Mookie Betts. “Everything is just harder, and he’s making it easier. It’s just pretty neat to watch.”

Echoed Matt Olson, “Every time he hits the ball, it goes where nobody's standing. It's impressive. I'm sure the high-analytics guys don't like it because he doesn't always hit the ball 115 [mph], but the guy has some of the best bat-to-ball skills I've seen. It's the art of hitting the ball where they're not. There's very few guys where you feel like he's actually picking the balls where he's hitting them in, but that's how it seems."

Teams around the league will try to limit Arraez, but with the way he has been delivering, many will end up observing with an appreciation Arraez has earned from his peers.

“He’s such a good dude,” Betts said. “I think that’s the main thing. He’s so easy to root for. He’s just genuine, it’s a pleasure to watch it.”