Giants second baseman Luis Arraez, high-fiving teammates in the dugout after scoring in a win over the Padres on Monday, has set an example for his teammates on field and off.
Carlos Avila Gonzalez/S.F. Chronicle
Second baseman Luis Arraez rates as the Giants’ most valuable player this season, leading the club in wins above replacement as measured by Baseball Reference (1.5) and FanGraphs (1.3).
Jeff Chiu/Associated Press
When it comes to all things offense, the San Francisco Giants are lagging, with few exceptions beyond Casey Schmitt. But Luis Arraez is the biggest, and not just because of his exceptional stroke at the plate.
For Giants fans in search of offseason moves that have panned out and then some, he’s it. Arraez entered Friday hitting .316. His defense at second base, a major question mark entering the season, isn’t just acceptable, it has been the best in the majors, according to both FanGraphs and Statcast advanced metrics.
So Arraez is hitting up a storm. He’s playing exceptionally well in the field. And he is a superb role model, as manager Tony Vitello emphasized in postgame comments this past week. Young utility player and fellow Venezuelan Jesús Rodríguez, in particular, is learning as much as possible from Arraez.
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All of this points toward Arraez, 29, being a no-brainer for a contract extension, right? The three-time batting champ signed just a one-year deal with San Francisco specifically because the Giants committed to playing him at second. He looks like a bargain at $12 million.
The glaring reality, though, is that Giants fans might have to enjoy Arraez while they can. If the club remains out of contention, the front office probably would be remiss not to try to trade Arraez, who could bring back a nice return if his numbers on both sides of the ball are even close in July to what they are now. Plus there’s the wrinkle that Schmitt, the team’s other top offensive performer, can play second base.
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The stats are all on Arraez’s side. In wins above replacement, he entered the weekend leading the Giants in both Baseball Reference’s WAR (1.5 bWAR over Matt Chapman’s 0.9) and FanGraphs’ (1.3 fWAR, with Schmitt at 0.9). In FanGraphs’ overall defensive metric (DEF), Arraez was at 6.0, handily ahead of the Cubs’ Gold Glove second baseman, Nico Hoerner, at 4.6. In Statcast’s Outs Above Average, Arraez entered Friday with nine OAA, Hoerner had six.
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The Giants’ Luis Arraez has shown great improvement on his defense at second base under the offseason tutelage of infield coach Ron Washington.
Carlos Avila Gonzalez/S.F. Chronicle
This is a testament to Arraez betting on himself and following through, as well as to coach Ron Washington’s track record for transforming mediocre infielders into reliable defenders. The Giants are drawing understandable criticism from all corners for the horrid start to their season — they entered Friday at 14-23, tied with the Mets for the worst record in the majors — but they come in for praise here, for taking the chance on Arraez and bringing Washington in to work with him.
Even Arraez’s baserunning is worthy of note. He isn’t fast, but he’s smart on the basepaths, always aware of the situation, pitchers’ and catchers’ tendencies, outfielders’ arm strength.
All that, and he brings an element of leadership. Vitello mentioned after Monday’s win — the first in a week for the Giants — that Arraez had said some words to the team.
“When you put yourself out there and say it verbally, now you kind of have a contract with yourself and with your teammates — and he went out there and backed it up,” Vitello said of Arraez’s two-double night, adding later, “Have your son or your nephew or your young player or a player you coach watch that game tonight. That is exactly how you want anyone you coach to play baseball is the way he played baseball tonight.”
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Center fielder Drew Gilbert high-fives Luis Arraez in the fourth inning of the Giants’ 3-2 win over the San Diego Padres on Monday at Oracle Park.
Carlos Avila Gonzalez/S.F. Chronicle
Rodríguez knows all about Arraez and was a fan well before the Giants signed him. So when Arraez came aboard in February, Rodríguez said, “I was fired up. In Venezuela, everyone loves this guy, I’ve only ever heard great things about him. To be in the same clubhouse as he is makes me so happy.”
Like Arraez, Rodriguez makes a lot of contact at the plate. Though he’s a right-handed hitter and Arraez bats lefty, the 24-year-old Rodríguez feels he can still learn a lot from watching Arraez’s approach.
“He focuses so much on his work and on getting better every day,” Rodríguez said. “I’m watching everyone, I’m trying to pick everyone’s brain — but Luis a little bit extra.”
How is Arraez so consistent? He learned the knack from his father, Ernesto, who taught him, “Keep it simple, just try to hit it the other way,” Arraez said. “So that’s what I do.”
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Ernesto hung a ball from a mango tree to help Arraez’s swing. Arraez also liked to hit black beans to hone his eye. Fast-forward 20 years or so, and Arraez has the lowest strikeout rate among all qualified hitters, at 4.2%. He swings plenty, but he misses very little.
“Luis is one of the more pure hitters I’ve ever been around,” hitting coach Hunter Mense said, “but it’s not just that. His competitiveness takes him over the top.”
The other Giants occasionally find themselves in awe of Arraez’s abilities.
“That’s something we are all aiming for, to be that kind of hitter,” outfielder Heliot Ramos said. “If we could all implement his plate discipline, it would take us places.”
How does Arraez manage to be so disciplined, though? He seldom swings outside the zone, something that seems to have afflicted some of the Giants’ biggest bats.
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“It’s confidence,” Ramos said. “That’s it. He doesn’t lack confidence, ever. It’s amazing.”
“You have to trust yourself,” Arraez said. “You have to think that no one can beat you.”
It’s confounding for opposing pitchers and catchers, who become weary after Arraez refuses to swing at balls just off the plate or fouls off tough pitch after tough pitch. A game plan against him is almost impossible to formulate.
“It gets to the point where it’s like, ‘Hey, try not to waste pitches. Throw a strike and hopefully he hits it at one of our guys,’” catcher Patrick Bailey said. “That’s how good Luis is. There are no holes in his swing.”
Arraez’s consistency always makes him a threat for a batting title. Through Thursday, he was just 10th in the NL in batting average, but it’s early. He said he doesn’t think about it at all, but Mense said, “He could do it every year. I hope he does.”
Giants second baseman Luis Arraez, a three-time batting champion, hits a double down the left-field line in the sixth inning of Monday’s 3-2 win over the San Diego Padres at Oracle Park.
Carlos Avila Gonzalez/S.F. Chronicle
Arraez has repeatedly said that he’d like to find a home, rather than bouncing from team to team, having moved from Minnesota to Miami to San Diego to San Francisco in just the past five seasons. The trade deadline might dash those hopes for this year, while the Giants’ woeful initial record might weigh heavily on any extension talks.
“I don’t feel good, because we’re losing,” Arraez said. “No one feels good when we’re losing. I want to win. That’s why I’m here: to win.”