Arraez hitting like Ted Williams, calling his shots like Babe Ruth
Christina De Nicola
@cdenicola13Marlins fans got an early glimpse of newcomer Luis Arraez during Team Venezuela’s World Baseball Classic games in March, but his two-homer quarterfinal performance against the USA likely painted an inaccurate picture of his game.
La Regadera (“Watering Can”) sprays hits across the field, and he is by no means a slugger. Of his MLB-high 110 hits this season entering Sunday, 91 are singles (82.7%). Arraez has belted a home run in 0.99% of his plate appearances, making him one of 10 qualified hitters to have a homer in fewer than 1% of his plate appearances in 2023.
And yet Arraez broke up a scoreless deadlock with a two-run homer in the fifth and then pulled off a majestic bat flip in Saturday’s 4-3 win in 11th innings over the Pirates at loanDepot park. It was Arraez’s first dinger in 39 home games and his third overall, and he kept his average above .400.
"He told [bench coach Luis Urueta] that he was going to hit a home run that next at-bat," manager Skip Schumaker said. "He hasn't done that all year. He did it. Again. The guy just tells you what he's going to do every single time, and he does it, and I'm just kind of at a loss for what's happening, because it's almost July and he's still calling his shot. It's just wild. I don't even know what to say."
From noon ET Monday through Thursday, fans can vote in Phase 2 of the 2023 Scotts MLB All-Star Ballot for Arraez, who is a finalist at second base in the National League. All-Star starters will be unveiled at 7 p.m. on ESPN.
Phase 2 voting is available exclusively online and via mobile devices at MLB.com/vote, all 30 club websites, the MLB App and the MLB Ballpark App. Fans have the opportunity to vote once per day during this second phase of voting, with daily voting limits resetting each day at midnight.
"It feels amazing because I think I play good, and I deserve it," said Arraez, who was an All-Star with the Twins in 2022. "I just need to keep continuing playing like that, and then I want to say thank you to the fans for supporting me. Let's go, Marlins."