The San Diego Padres finished the 2024 season with a record of 93 wins and 69 losses, which was good for a second-place finish in the National League West behind the Los Angeles Dodgers.
93 wins is the most wins by the Padres in a season since 1998, and they will enter the 2024 playoffs as the first wild card in the National League.
The star power on the Padres roster is high, but one player appears to not get the recognition that he deserves.
According to The Athletic MLB on ‘X,’ Padres Manager Mike Shildt describes Luis Arraez as elite in a variety of different categories.
Luis Arraez has been traded twice in two years. He has lost a salary arbitration hearing. He has seen his impact downplayed by front offices and scores of baseball watchers viewing the game through an analytical lens.
Not the Padres, writes @dennistlin.https://t.co/X3Hkj2hewW pic.twitter.com/gWK1NGOT20
— The Athletic MLB (@TheAthleticMLB) September 30, 2024
Shildt places Arraez in the elite category when it comes to the energy he brings to the team, his passion and dedication for the game, and his preparation.
Not only does Arraez check the boxes off the field, but he also has a pretty decent bat in the Padres lineup as well.
Arraez won the American League batting title in 2022 with the Minnesota Twins where he batted .316, in 2023 with the Miami Marlins where he batted .354, and will win his 3rd straight batting title in 2024 with the Marlins/Padres where he batted .314.
His bat-to-ball skills are elite and his ability to avoid the strikeout will be an asset in the postseason this year.
Along with the .314 batting average in 2024, Arraez also had 4 home runs, 41 runs batted in, and a .790 on-base plus slugging percentage.
Arraez doesn’t get the recognition he deserves due to not being a power hitter, but the Padres will look to their batting champion to help lead them to a long postseason run.
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