The Miami Marlins have an underrated star!

The Miami Marlins pulled off a trade that looks better daily. I wrote about The Fish being affected by the World Baseball Classic, but didn't expect it to be this way. The recent USA vs Venezuela game was an instant classic, but just as memorable was the performance of The Fish's new second baseman. Luis Arraez deserves more recognition and could be headed for a big year.

Luis Arraez is showing that he is a legitimate superstar.

Did you watch the USA vs Venezuela game on Saturday? That was an instant classic and one of the best games that I've personally ever seen. I'll be honest I was supporting Team USA, despite Luis Arraez playing for Venezuela, but Venezuela has nothing to be embarrassed about after an awesome performance. Luis Arraez was acquired by Kim Ng for an injury-prone starting pitcher with a 3.94 career ERA. That is remarkable, when you remember that Arraez won the AL Batting Title last season you realize that the Miami Marlins have a very valuable player.

Luis Arraez hit two home runs in that aforementioned game! That's phenomenal. He's not typically a power hitter, his career high was 8 in the 547 AB in 2022. He has an 88.9 Exit Velocity, that doesn't really scream power hitter. Of course Arraez doesn't need power to be a very good hitter. He was worth 4.3 WAR last season after batting .316/.375/.420. Just look at these numbers... the .316 batting average was the HIGHEST IN THE MAJOR LEAGUES.

It wasn't a fluke either, as the LOWEST batting average of his career was the .294 that he batted in 2021. He's a career .314/.374/.410 bat. The OBP is remarkable as well, considering how that statistic has been dropping for the average player for years now. Arraez is elite at getting on base, elite at contact hitting and is a very valuable player in general.

If there's one downside with Luis Arraez, it's that he's not the greatest defender and putting him at second base may not be the best idea. The Miami Marlins may be better off putting him at first base instead, at least in the long-term. One thing that we know for sure is that Luis Arraez is a star.