Luis Arraez isn't saying he's going to hit .400 over the course of the season, but he's not dismissing the possibility.
The Miami Marlins star certainly understands the difficult task ahead of him over the balance of this season. But after his latest stellar performance - a 5-for-5 night Friday against the Washington Nationals that snapped his mini-slump and bumped his average back up to .390 - Arraez addressed the idea of actually reaching one of the sport's most revered and mythical numbers.
"Baseball is hard. Hitting .400 is hard - even hitting .300 is hard - but it's not impossible," Arraez said, according to Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald. "I just go out there and want to get a hit every at-bat. I just try to put the ball in play and try to do something for my team."
Though it's only June, Arraez's early flirtations with the number have already captivated many baseball fans. When he jumped above .400 on June 6, it marked the ninth-highest average through his team's first 62 games, and the highest to that point in a season by any player since 2008. His average has yet to drop below .371 this year.
But after bumping his average to .402 on June 10, Arraez went into his first extended skid a few days later. The 26-year-old was just 1-for-19 over his next four games, dropping him down to .378. He was held hitless during the Marlins' three-game series in Seattle, the first time that had happened in nearly two years.
Friday's perfect night made up for all of that. Arraez's second five-hit game of the season included his second homer of the year, along with three RBIs and two runs scored. In addition to upping his average, the contest increased his league-leading OBP to .441 and moved him into a tie with Bo Bichette for the MLB hits lead (96).
"Siri, play hits from @Arraez_21" pic.twitter.com/Cem2Bn669l
— Miami Marlins (@Marlins) June 17, 2023
Marlins manager Skip Schumaker said he never lost any sleep over his star's brief skid. Neither did Arraez, who said that he'd already "forgot" about Seattle.
"It's a long season. We're human. This is baseball," he said. "This is a new series. It's a new game. It's a new day. This is beautiful. Five-for-five."
