In 2022, infielder Luis Arraez, then with the Minnesota Twins, was the only reason why Aaron Judge didn’t win the AL hitting Triple Crown: he took the batting title.
In the offseason, he was sent to the Miami Marlins in exchange for pitcher Pablo Lopez.
It was one of those rare trades that ends up working out for both teams.
Lopez blossomed into an ace with the Twins and Arraez had an even better season in South Florida.
He raised that .316 batting average from last year and turned it into a .354-average performance this year to win the batting title again, this time in the National League.
According to a tweet by the team, that’s a first.
Luis Arraez, a name for the history books. pic.twitter.com/DGL7lCLuWj
— Miami Marlins (@Marlins) October 1, 2023
Arraez just became the first player in the history of baseball to win batting titles in the American and National Leagues in consecutive years.
Talk about a unique campaign!
He actually flirted with a .400 batting average in the first few months of the season.
Even if he “settled in” with the .354 batting average, it’s still more than any other hitter this year.
Both the Twins and Marlins missed the playoffs last year, but their respective trade acquisitions helped them take the next step.
In the specific case of Arraez, he totaled 203 hits, 30 of which were doubles, with three triples, and 10 home runs.
Miami needed all the offense it could get, and Arraez, without being a top slugger or OPS artist, was a blessing for their lineup.
He is currently dealing with a sprained ankle, but the team hopes to have him ready as the playoffs begin on Tuesday.
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