"Pest that doesn't have a stinger" - Ex-Mets GM downplays Luis Arraez's value despite batting accolades

Criticism around San Diego Padres slugger Luis Arraez came in on Thursday when former Mets general manager Steve Phillips brought his one-dimensional hitting to the fore.

Arraez won his third straight batting title in 2024, which makes him the fifth player to do so. All above him are in the Hall of Fame. Moreover, if Arraez wins one more batting title, he will join Hall of Famers Honus Wagner, Rogers Hornsby, Rod Carew, Wade Boggs and Tony Gwynn.

However, the criticism has to do with his one-dimensional hitting, which only includes singles and not a lot of power-hitting. He only hit four home runs in 117 games played last year, which gives enough reason for Phillips to downplay his value.

"I mean, he was a 'one WAR' player this year. A 'one WAR' player," Phillips said on MLB Network. "I mean, listen, he hit .314—I get it. He had 24 walks this year.

"Two hundred hits. He's a good singles hitter. He can't run. He's a negative in base running value. He's a negative defender as well. And he doesn't score from second on a single because he's not very fast.

"And his singles to left field don’t drive in runs because they're hit too softly to left field. The defense plays in too much, so he does. Listen, he gets on base. He's got a .370 current on-base percentage, but he doesn’t do any damage. You know what he is? He’s a fly that flies around. He’s a pest, but he doesn’t have a stinger, so you're not worried about him that much."

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Reds HOFer disagrees with Steve Phillips assessment of Luis Arraez

Luis Arraez found support in Reds Hall of Famer Sean Casey who defended him against Steve Phillips' verdict on one-dimensional hitting of the slugger.

"I totally disagree. And first off, in 2023, he was a five WAR player, right? Five five win five WAR player," Casey said.

The Reds legend went on to recall one story about Arraez's heroics when he was with the Miami Marlins facing the New York Yankees on Aug. 13, 2023.

"When I was with the Yankees in 2023, late in the game, Clay Holmes comes in to close it out. I think we had a four-run lead. We get the bases loaded," Casey said. "And here comes Arraez. Everyone in the dugout was like, this is the guy we don't want to see. Bam. Double down the line. All three runs score, ties the game. He's a tough out.

"He hits well. If you're hitting for a high average, that means you hit good pitching. That means when the game's on the line and you're facing the elite closers, you want a guy like Luis Arraez. No doubt he’s going to put a ball in play and square it up," Arraez added.

In 2024, for much of the season, Luis Arraez persisted with a thumb injury, which in turn may have affected his power numbers. After the playoffs, he underwent surgery to repair it.