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Luis Arraez 2023 Outlook: Strong Batting Average and Versatility Make a Great Bench Piece
2 years agoLuis Arraez's 2022 campaign is most well-known for his AL batting title, but his .316/.375/.420 line with eight homers and four steals was nothing to sneeze at in fantasy. His plate discipline was superlative, with an 8.3 BB% exceeding his 7.1 K% and a microscopic 2.5 SwStr% unheard of in today's game. Arraez's BABIP drives his fantasy value as a result, and last year's .331 BABIP was right in line with his career mark of .336. His 25.8 LD% might seem inflated, but it was actually a career worst. Arraez rarely pops up as well (32.9 FB%, 3.6 IFFB%), so he should continue posting plus BABIPs and batting averages. Arraez's power metrics are terrible with a 3.6% rate of Brls/BBE and 90.8 mph average airborne exit velocity, so expecting more homers is unwise. Similarly, his 50% success rate on steal attempts means that you'll have to find your steals elsewhere. Now a Miami Marlin, fantasy managers can expect Arraez to get consistent playing time at 2B. Arraez figures to score runs at the top of Miami's lineup too, and he should qualify at 1B, 2B, CI, and MI in most formats. Overall, Arraez is a great pick at ADP 207.89 for fantasy managers looking for average help from a versatile bench piece.
