The San Diego Padres can’t wait for Luis Arraez to return to the leadoff spot in 2025 but they want him to make a big change.
San Diego would love for Arraez to raise his on-base percentage and take more pitches.
The Padres are hoping Arraez can get his on-base percentage closer to his .379 career average over his first five seasons.
“I don’t think it’s like he can’t,” general manager A.J. Preller said this week. “I think he chooses to hit versus taking a walk and getting on base. I think he can make an adjustment. To me, he’s very valuable.”
Arraez secured his third straight batting title with a league-leading .314 average this season, but his overall performance didn’t match the high level of production he had in recent years.
The infielder, who played through a torn ligament in his left thumb during the final three months of the season, finished 2024 with a .314 batting average (.318 with the Padres), securing his third straight batting title. However, his .346 on-base percentage was the lowest of his six MLB seasons, and his 3.6 percent walk rate was less than half of the 7.9 percent rate he had entering 2024.
Arraez had surgery on his torn ligament in mid-October. He injured it June 25 against the Washington Nationals on a headfirst slide into third base on a triple.
San Diego acquired Arraez from the Marlins for four minor leaguers in early May.
In 2022, Arraez batted .316 for the Twins and .354 for Miami in 2023. He has a career .323 batting average, with 28 home runs and 247 RBIs across 686 games over six seasons with the Twins (2019-2022), Marlins (2023-2024), and Padres.
“He’s going to go out and rake,” Preller said when asked about the value Arraez provides in his final year of arbitration eligibility. “… The question, I think, for him is going to be, does he tighten it up and can he take the on-base percentage higher.”
Arraez is the first player to win three straight batting titles since Miguel Cabrera of the Detroit Tigers (2011-13). He also became the first Padres player to claim the batting crown since Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn.
