Front Page: Was Luis Arraez for Real in 2019?

[tony&rodney]

Arraez was an exciting player for the Twins last summer. Can he get better? There are institutes, trainers and coaches who assess and advise the players on strategies for improvement: running, fielding, strength, swing and so on. I have no real idea what Arraez is like intellectually or otherwise, but he is on a minimum salary and we can believe that his motivation to succeed received a major boost of confidence with his results in 2019. Confidence and motivation with specific attention to details intended towards future improvement and further success are certainly a daily focus of Arraez in this off season as he looks to 2020. He strikes me as determined.

[beckmt]

The 2.6 WAR would have been about 4 given if he was in Minnesota all year.  That is a nice number. 

[ewen21]

I dont think the shift will kill Arraez the way it got Mauer because Mauer became a one trick pony. He literally would go weeks at a time without pulling the ball unless it was a ground ball. He was an opposite field hitter and he dedicated everything to that.

 

I don’t see Arraez as being that. I feel he is going to adjust constantly where Mauer never did. That’s more on him than him being “victimized” by any shift.

[adorduan]

His dWAR was -.6 in the 92 games he played.  Just by he eye test, he looked to be a below average defender too, IMO.  He'll have to continue to hit to make up for that.  The league will adjust to him, will he be able to adjust back?   We are going to find out...