Minnesota Twins: Luis Arraez has been elite at the plate
Luis Arraez has shown that he’s a great hitter throughout his minor and major league career, and he’s been even better since July.
Arraez had a lot of success in the minors, slashing .331 over six years. His best season was in 2016 when he hit .347 and batted in 66 runs. There wasn’t a season in the minors in which he didn’t hit over .300.
Since his arrival to the majors in 2019, he’s carried over that success. However, it’s important to note Arraez has had an history of injuries and is yet to play a full season.
| Year | G | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS | OPS+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 92 | 366 | 326 | 54 | 109 | 20 | 1 | 4 | 28 | 36 | 29 | .334 | .399 | .439 | .838 | 125 |
| 2020 | 32 | 121 | 112 | 16 | 36 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 8 | 11 | .321 | .364 | .402 | .765 | 114 |
| 2021 | 79 | 312 | 278 | 42 | 88 | 13 | 4 | 1 | 27 | 28 | 32 | .317 | .378 | .403 | .781 | 121 |
| 3 Yr | 203 | 799 | 716 | 112 | 233 | 42 | 5 | 5 | 68 | 72 | 72 | .325 | .385 | .419 | .804 | 122 |
| 162 | 162 | 638 | 571 | 89 | 186 | 34 | 4 | 4 | 54 | 57 | 57 | .325 | .385 | .419 | .804 | 122 |
Despite not being able to play 162 games, Arraez has performed well when he’s on the field. He has a career batting average of .325 and an on-base percentage of .385. While he won’t hit for power, his ability to get on base and take quality at-bats are just as important to the Twins’ success.
If his batting averaged qualified, he’d rank seventh in the MLB behind Nick Castellanos.
Arraez started the season cold, but he’s improved each month:
- April: .273/.374/.338
- May: .281/.338/.328
- June: .304/.340/.478
- July: .373/.415/.458
- August: .406/.457/.500
It’s a small sample size, but he’s been on fire over the last month and a half.
Arraez is responsible for 3.0 wins above replacement – tied for 66th with Randy Arozarena and Yuli Gurriel.
One of Arraez’s strengths is his ability to take quality at-bats. Rarely will he strike out, only going down 32 times in 312 plate appearances. His whiff percentage rate ranks in the 100th percentile and his strikeout rate ranks in the 99th percentile.
Arraez may not be the best defender, but he offers defensive versatility. He can play second, shortstop, third and left field. His arm and defensive instincts aren’t the best, but he has a career fielding percentage of .984 and has only caused six errors.
It feels like Arraez is in his late 20s, but he’s only 24 years old and is a part of the Twins’ long-term plans. If he can stay healthy, it’s easy to see him competing for a batting title next season.
