Minnesota Twins DH Byron Buxton on former teammate Luis Arraez: "Hitting is hard. He makes it look like it's a backyard baseball game"
Miami Marlins second baseman Luis Arraez is the latest MLB player to chase the hallowed .400 batting average.
The former Minnesota Twins second baseman was dealt to the Marlins for starting pitcher Pablo Lopez this past offseason. Arraez is hitting an MLB-leading .399 heading into Tuesday's game against the Boston Red Sox.
Twins players have been following their former teammate's efforts in Miami and are quick with praise for the 2022 American League batting champion. Minnesota designated hitter Byron Buxton told the Minneapolis StarTribune:
"Hitting is hard. He makes it look like it's a backyard baseball game."
One of the nightly rituals for many Twins players is checking the Marlins box score to see if Luis Arraez is still batting .400.
“Hitting is hard. He makes it look like it's a backyard baseball game.” startribune.com/luis-arraez-40…
Luis Arraez became the first player to carry a .400 batting average past June 18 since Red Sox shortstop Nomar Garciaparra.
The five-year MLB veteran has built a career batting average of putting the ball in play all over the field. In an era of exit velocities and launch angles, he is a throwback hitter. He strikes fear in the hearts of opponents, despite his 5-foot-10, 175-pound frame.
Twins shortstop Carlos Correa, a .274 career-hitter struggling to hit just .213 this season, told the StarTribune:
"We live in an era where the long ball and hitting the ball hard is what we're looking to do. He sticks to his plan, to his game, and he's just trying to put the ball in play. He has the talent to just manipulate it and put it where he wants it. It's a great gift."
Red Sox legend Ted Williams was the last MLB player to hit .400, batting .406 in 1941. Since then, some tremendous players have made their runs at the mark, only to fall short.
Tony Gwynn of the San Diego Padres hit .394 in 1994, just three hits shy of .400. George Brett of the Kansas City Royals was five hits away when he hit .390 in 1980. Rod Carew of the Twins graced the front cover of Sports Illustrated with Williams in 1977 when he hit .388, seven hits shy.
Luis Arraez's run at .400 is no fluke
Luis Arraez's run at .400 is no blip. He is a high-contact hitter that has posted batting averages over .300 in four of his five MLB seasons.
Last year, he prevented New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge from winning the triple crown by hitting .316, five points better than Judge. The Yankees captain was the MLB leader with 62 home runs and 131 RBIs.