Twins teammates and coaches often talk about Luis Arraez’s plate appearances as if they’re works of art, reveling in their beauty and recalling little details that make them unforgettable. Arraez has had no shortage of big, game-changing moments. Three weeks ago, he ripped a go-ahead three-run homer in the seventh inning against Cleveland. Two weeks before that, he sparked a comeback victory with a third-inning grand slam against Tampa Bay. And that’s just last month. Those were highlight-reel homers and they’re part of why Arraez has been one of MLB’s best players this year, leading the AL with a .348 batting average and .420 on-base percentage while cracking the top 10 in OPS, but many times it’s been smaller-scale plate appearances that get everyone in the Twins clubhouse really buzzing. “Think about all the great hitters we’ve all seen,” manager Rocco Baldelli said. “You remember games. You remember a swing. That happens all the time. But rarely do you remember an entire at-bat, where the at-bat itself is the memory. And that’s what Luis does. I can’t think of anyone else I’ve ever played with or coached or managed in my life, that the memory of them is the at-bat.”…
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Luis Arraez, artist: 5 at-bats that define Twins' first-time All-Star – The Athletic
