The Miami Marlins made a huge move over the winter when they traded right-hander Pablo Lopez to the Minnesota Twins.
What they got in return was something special.
Reigning American League batting champion Luis Arraez went back to Miami from Minnesota in the deal.
So far, Arraez has been everything the Marlins could have hoped for, as he leads all of baseball with a .403 batting average.
After another impressive night on Wednesday, Arraez joined some elite company.
Through the first 447 games of his career, he has posted some impressive numbers that are comparable to that of an MLB legend in the late Tony Gwynn, per Jeremy Frank.
Through 447 career games
Tony Gwynn
.324/.375/.411
551 H, 105 XBH
238 R, 168 RBI
139 BB, 93 K
MLB avgs of .264 BA/13% KLuis Arraez
.326/.384/.421
531 H, 116 XBH
242 R, 162 RBI
156 BB, 142 K
MLB avgs of .247 BA/23% K— Jeremy Frank (@MLBRandomStats) June 8, 2023
Arraez has posted a slash line of .326/.384/.421 through his first 447 games.
He has picked up a total of 531 hits while also amassing a total of 116 extra-base hits.
Arraez has scored 242 runs and driven in 162 while walking 156 times and striking out just 142 times.
Gwynn had a slash line of .324/.375/.411 while picking up 551 hits, 105 of which were extra-base hits.
The San Diego Padres legendary slugger also had 168 RBI and 238 runs scored.
Gwynn had walked 139 times and had recorded just 93 strikeouts.
Needless to say, Arraez has found himself in some elite and legendary company.
The deal appears to have worked out quite well for the Marlins so far, as Arraez is quickly rising through the ranks among some of the greatest hitters of all time and some of the best in the business today.
The MLB averages at the time of Gwynn’s achievement were a .264 average and a 13 percent strikeout rate.
This year, the averages are an average of .247 with a 23 percent strikeout rate.
