‘Nothing fazes him’: Arraez impresses with 2 hits in All-Star start
Arraez went 2-for-2 with an RBI on Tuesday within the 2023 All-Star Game, his second choice. The second baseman, who batted .383 within the first half of the season, made his offense look easy at T-Mobile Park in entrance of a crowd of 47,159.
“It’s hard, especially the shadows here, but I put my mind [to it] and trust myself. … And then I did it,” he mentioned.
What the 26-year-old additionally did was depart his All-Star counterparts with admiration for his offensive dominance.
“It doesn’t look hard for him,” mentioned Juan Soto. “I always say that hitting is easy; we make it harder. It’s unbelievable what he’s doing. And he’s a great guy. It’s incredible the skill that he has to put the ball in play.”
Many had watched from afar this season as Arraez hit for the cycle and hovered across the .400 mark along with his batting common, the 12 months after successful the AL batting title. The in-person expertise was much more head-turning.
“Every time I watch him on TV, he gets base hits, like every single time,” mentioned Shohei Ohtani. “So it’s very, very impressive.”
In his first at-bat, Arraez singled a line drive into middle area off right-hander Nathan Eovaldi. He adopted within the fourth with a ground-ball single into proper in opposition to Mariners righty George Kirby, driving in J.D. Martinez from second for a game-tying run.
“I think we’re all cheering him on,” mentioned Freddie Freeman. “It’s incredible to watch. Just today in the game, he hit an 0-0 splitter for a hit and then on a 99 mph fastball for a hit. What shadows? Nothing fazes him. It’s incredible. And when he was in there, he kept telling us he likes watching us hit, and we’re like wait a second, we like watching you hit. We hope he gets to .400.”
Just final month, Arraez had hit an 0-for-12 skid at T-Mobile Park, the place he additionally made his Major League debut in 2019. His effectivity within the All-Star Game is one other instance of his means to make changes and be dominant.
“Especially now with the computers and all the stuff you have to deal with now, the pitching is tougher, the defense is tougher,” mentioned Mookie Betts. “Everything is just harder, and he’s making it easier. It’s just pretty neat to watch.”
Echoed Matt Olson, “Every time he hits the ball, it goes the place no person’s standing. It’s spectacular. I’m certain the high-analytics guys do not prefer it as a result of he would not all the time hit the ball 115 [mph], however the man has a number of the greatest bat-to-ball expertise I’ve seen. It’s the artwork of hitting the ball the place they are not. There’s only a few guys the place you’re feeling like he is really selecting the balls the place he is hitting them in, however that is the way it appears.”
Teams across the league will attempt to restrict Arraez, however with the best way he has been delivering, many will find yourself observing with an appreciation Arraez has earned from his friends.
“He’s such a good dude,” Betts mentioned. “I think that’s the main thing. He’s so easy to root for. He’s just genuine, it’s a pleasure to watch it.”
