Miami Marlins’ Luis Arraez runs away with NL batting title, makes MLB history in process

Miami Marlins All-Star second baseman Luis Arraez on Sunday became the first player in MLB history to win a batting title in consecutive seasons in different leagues. He won the American League batting title in 2022 while playing with the Minnesota Twins before being traded to the Marlins in the offseason in exchange for right-handed pitcher Pablo Lopez and two prospects.

Arraez finished the season with a .354 batting average, well ahead of runner-up Ronald Acuna Jr. in the National League.

Two others have won a batting title in both leagues but they weren’t in consecutive years. DJ LeMahieu was a batting champion in the National League in 2016 and the American League in 2020, while Ed Delahanty won the NL title in 1899 and the AL title in 1902.

“It means a lot,” Arraez, who last started on Sept. 23 while dealing with a left ankle injury, said Sunday. “I worked hard for this. I worked hard to help my team win. This is amazing.”

Arraez is the first player to finish a season with a batting average above .350 in a full season (excluding the pandemic-shortened 2020 season) since Josh Hamilton in 2010 (.359) with the Texas Rangers and the first in the National League since Chipper Jones (.364) with the Atlanta Braves and Albert Pujols (.357) with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2008.