The Thread with a Looming Expiry Date: Luis Arraez Aims for .400

Only thing similar i can think of is that Soto could lead the league in BB for three different teams if he keeps it up this year. And he’s only 25!

Same basic point for both guys: even in the FA era, when you're that good, a third team this early in your career is (I think) relatively rare, or at least for non-pitchers.

“The guy is probably the closest to Tony Gwynn that there is right now, so I’m looking forward to seeing him in the lineup. Only seven batting titles away [from passing Tony Gwynn],” Tatis said with a laugh. “That why I said the closest.”

3-3 with a double!

Answer to question I posed above: no, no one's ever won batting titles with three different teams.

https://www.mlb.com/news/luis-arraez-can-win-batting-title-with-third-team-in-2024

Didn't realize Bill Madlock won four batting titles--most by anyone not in the HOF. I'm trying to remember if he was thought of as a good-bet HOF'er back in '83, after he won his fourth. Where he stood going into his age-33 season: 1,557 hits, .317/.378/.459, OPS+ of 130, 34.3 WAR, one World Series title ('79 Pirates), MVP votes in seven seasons, and the four batting titles. I don't think he was...I know one place to check when I get home.

i remember Madlock as a kid because he was the first example i saw of a guy who was simply a professional *hitter*, in the respect that he didn't have much else to his game beyond that. i don't recall him being a guy anyone talked about as a legend beyond his batting titles, and i think once Boggs and Gwynn came up with their more well-rounded game and won numerous titles between them, he was kind of forgotten. i suppose maybe he's kind of a little bit Michael Young, a little bit Mark Grace, a really excellent player that no one seriously considered an all-timer but an of-his-timer.

I was interested because batting titles were a bigger thing in the '70s and into the '80s, but you're right, Boggs and Gwynn (and later Ichiro) brought much better overall games (although, as I said on another thread, Madlock was a much better hitter than the superficially similar Bill Buckner). I wanted to check what James had to say while Madlock was still active, and he wasn't much of a fan--had him ranked 48th among third baseman in the revised Historical Abstract. "I never saw any other player who was as focused on batting championships as Bill Madlock." (Rose?) Wasn't meant as a compliment.

To be honest, I liked him better on the mariners

*marlins damnit lol

.419 as a Padre, up to .341 for the season (16 hits in last 6 games).

Can't remember where I read this - here? - that Arraez has one of the slowest bat speeds in the majors

Yeah but his swing is also one of the shortest

https://www.mlb.com/news/luis-arraez-bat-tracking-breakdown

xp

Posnanski's whole column the other day was about this...The most beautiful compact swing I've ever seen was Paul Moitor's.

He still doesn't score many runs--31 in 226 PA this year--and he'll never be a great player as measured by WAR: doesn't walk enough, so-so fielder (it looks like), doesn't steal much, only 43 XBH/162 games. I just think he's a fun throwback and seemingly a wizard in terms of bat control. It's like he's somewhere between Bill Madlock and Tony Gwynn.

Or like Willians Astudillo, but good.