A 40 on a test is a failing grade, but a .400 batting average in baseball is considered to be in the realm of mythology. In Major League Baseball (MLB), there is a man chasing the impossible. He’s Miami Marlins left fielder Luis Arajuez (26-Venezuela).
Araúez went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs in the Marlins’ 6-1 win over the Kansas City Royals on Aug. 8. Riding a six-game winning streak, the Marlins are in second place in the National League East (35-28, .556 winning percentage).
At first glance, you might think he had one good day. But right now, Arajuez is the hottest hitter in the MLB. He went 5-for-5 against the Oakland Athletics on April 4, his first five-hit game of the season, and then pounded out nine hits in his next four games. His batting average has jumped from .374 to .403 (87-for-216) through eight days. That’s the best batting average in all of MLB. There’s a big gap between him and the Toronto Blue Jays’ Bo Bissett (25), who is second (0.331). It’s too early to tell as the team has only played 38% (63 games) of its regular season schedule (162 games), but the baseball world is watching with interest to see if Arajuez can break into the “four-figure batting average” club.
The four-hit game is long gone in MLB. The last player to achieve it was Ted Williams (.406) in 1941. The next closest was Tony Gwynn’s .394 average in the 1994 season, which ended early in August due to a labor strike.메이저놀이터
Araújo, who made his debut in a Minnesota Twins uniform in 2019, has a lanky frame (5-foot-9, 178 pounds) and is not a big hitter. He has never hit double-digit home runs in a season. Instead, he has a good eye for the ball and uses his sensible bat to drive in runs. Last year, with the Twins, he led the American League (AL) in batting average (.316), surpassing Aaron Judge (31-New York Yankees). Since being traded to the Marlins this year, Arajuez has challenged the “myth” with his hot hitting. In April, he became the first player in franchise history to Hit for the Cycle (hit a single, double, triple, and home run in the same game) against the Philadelphia Phillies. “It’s a thrill every time I see it on the scoreboard when I’m hitting in the quadruple digits,” Araez said. He’s making $6.1 million this year and could earn as much as $17 million if he renews his contract.