Luis Arraez's Stats Are Eerily Similar to Those Of San Diego Padres Legend
The San Diego Padres went big game hunting once again on Friday. Padres general manager A.J. Preller pulled the trigger on a trade, bringing in two-time batting champion Luis Arráez.
Arráez will make his way from South Beach to Southern California. The 27-year-old will be responsible for taking this Friar team over the top and becoming contenders once again. If his numbers tell us anything, he will indeed do just that.
Arráez is not off to such a hot start in the season, but his numbers through his first five seasons are special. CBS Sports' social media manager, Danny Vietti, shared via Twitter that his numbers are very similar to those of the Hall of Famer and Padres legend Tony Gwynn.
This doesn't mean the Padres have themselves the next Tony Gwynn, but this is crazy.
Mr. Padre is one of a kind, and no one will ever be like him. In his legendary 20-year career, Gwynn finished with a .338 batting average, .847 OPS, 3,141 hits, 135 home runs, 1,138 RBIs, and only 434 strikeouts in 2,440 games and 10,232 plate appearances. On top of that, he's a five-time Gold Glove winner, seven-time Silver Slugger, eight-time batting champion, and a 15-time All-Star. It's safe to say Arráez won't accomplish that.
While the numbers are similar through their first five seasons, comparing Arráez to Gwynn is unfair. Nonetheless, Arráez is an elite-caliber player. They'll need him to be as the Padres sit at 17-18, second in the National League West. The two-time All-Star has had himself one heck of a career thus far. He's recorded a .324 batting average in six seasons, .801 OPS, 122 OPS+, 688 hits, 24 home runs, and 206 RBIs in 569 games, and 2,124 at-bats.
Men lie, women lie, but numbers do not lie. Preller has done it again.
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