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Luis Sangel Arráez (born April 9, 1997) is a Venezuelan professional
baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...
infielder An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field, between first base and third base. Standard arrangement of positions In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns pla ...
for the
San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. ...
of
Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...
(MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the
Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team is named afte ...
and
Miami Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League East, East Division. The ...
. Arráez represents the Venezuelan national team in international competitions. He is nicknamed "La Regadera" (
Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...
for "The Sprinkler"). Arráez signed with the Twins as an international free agent in 2013 and made his MLB debut with them in 2019. He is a three-time All-Star and a two-time
Silver Slugger Award The Silver Slugger Award has been awarded annually since 1980 to the best Batting (baseball), offensive player at each Baseball positions, position in both the American League (AL) and the National League (baseball), National League (NL), as determ ...
winner. He became the first Marlins player to
hit for the cycle Hit means to strike someone or something. Hit or HIT may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities * Hit, a fictional character from '' Dragon Ball Super'' * Homicide International Trust or HIT, a fictional organization ...
in 2023. Known for his ability to put the ball in play and not striking out, Arráez is considered one of the best contact hitters of his generation. From 2022 to 2024, Arráez became the first player in MLB history to win three consecutive batting titles with three different teams. In doing so, he spoiled two Triple Crown pursuits (
Aaron Judge Aaron James Judge (born April 26, 1992) is an American professional baseball right fielder for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB). He is a six-time MLB All-Star and two-time American League (AL) Most Valuable Player Award (MVP ...
in 2022 and
Shohei Ohtani is a Japanese professional baseball designated hitter and pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB). Nicknamed "Shotime", he has previously played in MLB for the Los Angeles Angels and in Nippon Professional Basebal ...
in 2024). He was also the second player in the modern era to win a batting title in each league and the first to do so in consecutive years.


Professional career


Minor leagues

Arráez signed with the
Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team is named afte ...
as an international free agent in November 2013. He made his professional debut in 2014 with the Dominican Summer League Twins, hitting .348/.433/.400 with 15 RBIs. He played for the
GCL Twins The Florida Complex League Twins are the Rookie-level affiliate of the Minnesota Twins, competing in the Florida Complex League of Minor League Baseball. The team plays in Fort Myers, Florida, at the Lee County Sports Complex. Prior to 2021, the ...
in 2015, hitting .306/.377/.388 with 19 RBIs, and was an FCL post-season All Star, and an MiLB.com Organization All-Star. In 2016, he played for the
Cedar Rapids Kernels The Cedar Rapids Kernels are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. They are located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and play their home games at Veterans Memorial Stadium (Cedar Rapids), Veter ...
, hitting .347(2nd in the
Midwest League The Midwest League is a Minor League Baseball league established in 1947 and based in the Midwestern United States. A Class A league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganizat ...
)/.386/.444 with 67 runs (8th), 31 doubles (9th), 3 home runs and 66 RBIs, and was a Midwest League mid-season and post-season All Star, and an MiLB.com Organization All-Star. Arráez played in only three games for the
Fort Myers Miracle The Fort Myers Mighty Mussels are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. They are located in Fort Myers, Florida, and play their home games at the Lee County Sports Complex at ...
in 2017 due to a
torn anterior cruciate ligament An anterior cruciate ligament injury occurs when the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is either stretched, partially torn, or completely torn. The most common injury is a complete tear. Symptoms include pain, an audible cracking sound during in ...
. He returned from the injury in 2018, playing for Fort Myers and the
Chattanooga Lookouts The Chattanooga Lookouts are a Minor League Baseball team of the Southern League and the Double-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. They are based in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and are named for nearby Lookout Mountain. The team plays its home g ...
, hitting a combined .310/.361/.397 with 3 home runs and 36 RBIs. The Twins added him to their
40-man roster A Major League Baseball roster is a list of players who are allowed, by league agreement, to play for a Major League Baseball (MLB) team. Each MLB team maintains two rosters: an active roster of players eligible to participate in an MLB game, an ...
after the 2018 season. Arráez opened the 2019 season with the
Pensacola Blue Wahoos The Pensacola Blue Wahoos are a Minor League Baseball team of the Southern League (1964–present), Southern League and the Double-A (baseball), Double-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. They are based in Pensacola, Florida, and play their home ga ...
, hitting .342/.415/.397 with 14 RBIs in 38 games. He was promoted to the
Rochester Red Wings The Rochester Red Wings are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They are located in Rochester, New York, and play their home games at Innovative Fie ...
on May 14, 2019.


Minnesota Twins (2019–2022)

On May 17, 2019, the
Twins Twins are two offspring produced by the same pregnancy.MedicineNet > Definition of Twin Last Editorial Review: 19 June 2000 Twins can be either ''monozygotic'' ('identical'), meaning that they develop from one zygote, which splits and forms two e ...
called Arráez up to the major leagues for the first time. He made his major league debut on May 18 versus the
Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. The Mariners compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. The team joined the American ...
. and got a double, his first career hit, off Mariners pitcher
Cory Gearrin Cory Nathanial Gearrin (born April 14, 1986) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Atlanta Braves, San Francisco Giants, Texas Rangers, Oakland Athletics, Seattle Mariners, New York ...
. Arráez hit his first major league home run on May 21 against the
Los Angeles Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, ...
. He finished the 2019 season hitting .334 in 326 at bats over 92 games with 36 walks and 29 strikeouts, and placed sixth in American League (AL) Rookie of the Year voting. He led the AL in percentage of balls hit to the
opposite field This is an alphabetical list of selected unofficial and specialized terms, phrases, and other jargon used in baseball, along with their definitions, including illustrative examples for many entries. 0–9 0 :"Oh and ..." See count. 1 ...
, at 36.7%. In
2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...
, Arráez hit .321/.364/.402 with 13 RBIs in 112 at bats over 32 games. In 2021, he batted .294/.357/.376 in 428 at bats, with 6 triples (4th in the American League). Arráez reached base five times on June 5,
2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...
, including four hits and one walk, in an 8–6 win over the
Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Since 1989, the team has p ...
. On June 9, the trio of Arráez,
Byron Buxton Byron Keiron Buxton (born December 18, 1993) is an American professional baseball center fielder and designated hitter for the Minnesota Twins of Major League Baseball (MLB). Buxton was considered by some baseball analysts to be the most talent ...
, and
Carlos Correa Carlos Javier Correa Oppenheimer Jr. (born September 22, 1994) is a Puerto Rican professional baseball shortstop for the Minnesota Twins of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Houston Astros, who selected him f ...
each hit consecutive home runs off
Gerrit Cole Gerrit Alan Cole (born September 8, 1990) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Houston Astros. Cole played for the bas ...
to open the bottom of the first inning versus the
New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...
. On June 11, Arráez connected for his first major league grand slam, versus
Shane Baz Shane Austin Baz (born June 17, 1999) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Tampa Bay Rays of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2021. Early life Baz was born to Lebanese father Raja and American mother Tammy. ...
of the
Tampa Bay Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in the Tampa Bay area. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. They are one of two major ...
. Arráez was chosen for his first career MLB All Star Game as a reserve for the
American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is the younger of two sports leagues, leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western L ...
. In 2022, Arráez slashed .316/.375/.420 with 50 walks and 43 strikeouts in 547 at bats, leading the AL in at bats per strikeout (12.7). He struck out in 7.1% of his plate appearances, the lowest percentage of all major league batters in 2022. He had the highest contact percentage with all pitches thrown to him of any major leaguer at 94.1%, when swinging at pitches outside the strike zone he made contact 91.1% of the time, tops in the major leagues, and with pitchers in the strike zone he made contact with 96.0% of all pitches he swung at, again tops in the majors. He played 65 games at first base, 41 at second base, 38 at DH, and 7 at third base. Arráez was named winner of the Luis Aparicio Award for the first time in his career, along with
Jose Altuve Jose Carlos Altuve (; born May 6, 1990) is a Venezuelan professional baseball second baseman for the Houston Astros of Major League Baseball (MLB). Having played for the Astros since 2011, he is the longest-tenured current member of the team, an ...
of the
Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. They are one of two major leag ...
, as the year's best Venezuelan players in Major League Baseball. His .316 batting average earned him the AL
batting title In baseball, batting average (AVG) is a measure of a batter's success rate in achieving a hit during an at bat. In Major League Baseball (MLB), it is calculated by dividing a player's hits by his at bats (AB). In MLB, a player in each league win ...
.
Aaron Judge Aaron James Judge (born April 26, 1992) is an American professional baseball right fielder for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB). He is a six-time MLB All-Star and two-time American League (AL) Most Valuable Player Award (MVP ...
of the
New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...
, who led the AL in home runs and RBI, finished second to Arráez with a .311 average, denied of the Triple Crown.


Miami Marlins (2023–2024)

On January 20, 2023, the Twins traded Arráez to the
Miami Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League East, East Division. The ...
for Pablo López, José Salas, and Byron Chourio. Arráez's $6.1 million salary for the 2023 season was set by the arbitration process. On April 11, 2023, Arráez became the first player in Marlins history to
hit for the cycle Hit means to strike someone or something. Hit or HIT may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities * Hit, a fictional character from '' Dragon Ball Super'' * Homicide International Trust or HIT, a fictional organization ...
in an 8–4 win over the
Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. The Phillies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. Since 2004, the team's home stadium has ...
(at the time the Marlins were the only team to have never had a player hit for the cycle). Later that season, on June 6, Arráez went 2-for-4 with two runs and an RBI, becoming the first player since
Chipper Jones Larry Wayne "Chipper" Jones Jr. (born April 24, 1972) is an American former professional baseball third baseman who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Atlanta Braves from 1993 to 2012. The Braves chose Jones with the first overall p ...
of the
Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Eas ...
to bat over .400 at least 62 team games into the season. However, that run only lasted four days, when on June 11, he went 1-for-5, bringing his average down to .397. He then went 0-for-4 and 0-for-5 in the next two games. After going 5-for-5 on June 19, he raised his average over .400 once again. Arráez's three 5-hit games in June, a Miami Marlins record over a single season, tied a mark set by
Ty Cobb Tyrus Raymond Cobb (December 18, 1886 – July 17, 1961), nicknamed "the Georgia Peach", was an American professional baseball center fielder. A native of rural Narrows, Georgia, Cobb played 24 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He spent ...
,
George Sisler George Harold Sisler (March 24, 1893 – March 26, 1973), nicknamed "Gorgeous George", was an American professional baseball first baseman and player-manager. From 1915 through 1930, he played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the History of t ...
, and
Dave Winfield David Mark Winfield (born October 3, 1951) is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) right fielder. He is the special assistant to the executive director of the Major League Baseball Players Association. Over his 22-year career, he playe ...
for the most five-hit games in a single month. At the midseason, Arráez was voted as the starting second baseman for the National League in the
2023 Major League Baseball All-Star Game The 2023 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 93rd Major League Baseball All-Star Game, held between the American League (AL) and the National League (NL) of Major League Baseball (MLB). The game was played on July 11, 2023, and was broadc ...
. Arráez ended the season with an MLB-leading .354 average. He won the
National League National League often refers to: *National League (baseball), one of the two baseball leagues constituting Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada *National League (division), the fifth division of the English football (soccer) system ...
batting title, becoming the second player in the modern era to win a batting title in both leagues, following
DJ LeMahieu David John LeMahieu (; born July 13, 1988) is an American professional baseball infielder for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Chicago Cubs and Colorado Rockies. The Cubs selected LeMah ...
. Arráez was the first to do so in consecutive seasons.


San Diego Padres (2024–present)

On May 4, 2024, the Marlins traded Arráez and cash considerations to the
San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. ...
in exchange for
Dillon Head Dillon Head (born October 11, 2004) is an American professional baseball outfielder in the Miami Marlins organization. Amateur career Head grew up in Glenwood, Illinois. He had attended middle school at James Hart Middle School and went to high-s ...
, Jakob Marsee, Nathan Martorella, and Woo-suk Go. On September 29, Arráez recorded his 200th hit of the season. He became the first player in league history to win three consecutive batting titles with three different teams, finishing with a .314 batting average. Arráez struck out 4.3% of the time, the lowest percentage of all MLB batters, and led MLB with a 26.5% line drive percentage. Arráez only struck out once every 22.0 at bats, leading the league in that metric with a significant lead over second place Steven Kwan, who struck out once every 9.4 at bats. His strikeout rate was the lowest recorded since Tony Gwynn's 1998 season in which Gwynn struck out just once every 25.6 at bats, and the fifth lowest strikeout rate of the preceding 35 years. On October 16, Arráez underwent surgery to repair a torn ligament in his thumb.


International career

Arráez was selected to the
Venezuela national baseball team The Venezuela national baseball team (Spanish: ''Selección de béisbol de Venezuela'' or ''Selección de Venezuela)'' is the national team of Venezuela. It is currently ranked third in the world by the World Baseball Softball Confederation, b ...
for the 2012 15U Baseball World Championship in Chihuahua, Mexico, where the team won gold. Arráez also represented Venezuela in the
2023 World Baseball Classic The 2023 World Baseball Classic (WBC) was an international professional baseball tournament and the fifth iteration of the World Baseball Classic. It began on March 8, 2023, and ran until March 21. It was originally scheduled to take place in ...
. He slashed .235/.314/.647, with four hits and two walks over 19 plate appearances. Arráez homered twice in the tournament (tied with
Anthony Santander Anthony Roger Santander (born October 19, 1994) is a Venezuelan professional baseball outfielder for the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Baltimore Orioles. He made his MLB debut in 2017 an ...
for the team lead in home runs), both in the quarterfinal game against
Team USA The United States national team or Team USA may refer to any of a number of sports team representing the United States in international competitions. Olympic teams Additionally, these teams may compete in other international competitions such as ...
. The first was off Lance Lynn in the 1st inning, and the second, a game-tying home run off David Bednar in the 7th inning. However, Venezuela would ultimately lose the game in the 9th inning and be eliminated from the tournament.


See also

*
List of Major League Baseball batting champions In baseball, batting average (baseball), batting average (AVG) is a measure of a Batting (baseball), batter's success rate in achieving a Hit (baseball), hit during an at bat. In Major League Baseball (MLB), it is calculated by dividing a player's ...
*
List of Major League Baseball players from Venezuela Since 1939, over 400 Venezuelan baseball players have played in Major League Baseball. This list shows players who appeared in at least one game in MLB, including number indicating order of arrival, name of player, position, starting team, and dat ...
*
List of Major League Baseball players to hit for the cycle In baseball, completing hitting for the cycle, the cycle is the accomplishment of hit (baseball), hitting a single (baseball), single, a double (baseball), double, a triple (baseball), triple, and a home run in the same game. In terms of freque ...


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Arraez, Luis 1997 births Living people American League All-Stars American League batting champions Cedar Rapids Kernels players Chattanooga Lookouts players Dominican Summer League Twins players Fort Myers Miracle players Gulf Coast Twins players Major League Baseball infielders Major League Baseball players from Venezuela 21st-century Venezuelan sportsmen Miami Marlins players Minnesota Twins players National League All-Stars National League batting champions Navegantes del Magallanes players Pensacola Blue Wahoos players People from San Felipe, Venezuela Sportspeople from Yaracuy Rochester Red Wings players San Diego Padres players Silver Slugger Award winners St. Paul Saints players Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in the United States World Baseball Classic players of Venezuela 2023 World Baseball Classic players