How have Marlins hitters fared the year after winning batting titles?

[Mike Ferguson]

What's in store for Luis Arráez in 2024?

Last season, the Miami Marlins were one of the most pleasant surprises in baseball. With a record of 84-78, Miami made the postseason for the first time since 2020 and for the first time during a full 162-game season since 2003.

The sparkplug at the top of the order for Miami was second baseman and National League batting champion Luis Arráez. After winning the American League batting title as a member of the Minnesota Twins in 2022, Arráez joined DJ LeMahieu as the only players to win batting titles in both leagues.

Arráez batted .354 for the Marlins during an All-Star campaign, becoming the third player in franchise history to claim the NL batting title. Through the first week of 2024 spring training games, he is still finding his form, entering Saturday's game without any hits (0-for-7).

Here's a look back at what the previous two did during their title defenses:

 

Hanley Ramírez

Batting title season (2009): .342/.410/.543, 24 HR, 106 RBI, 27 SB

Following season (2010): .300/.378/.475, 21 HR, 76 RBI, 32 SB

Overview: After finishing second in the National League MVP voting while leading the Florida Marlins to 87 wins in 2009, Ramírez and the Marlins took a step back in 2010, finishing with a record of 80-82. In addition to the batting average, Ramírez's power numbers also declined as he finished with three fewer homers and 14 fewer doubles than the year before. Despite the dip in production, Ramírez still earned a third straight All-Star appearance—the last of his career—and batted .300 for the fourth year in a row. 

 

Dee Strange-Gordon

Batting title season (2015): .333/.359/.418, 4 HR, 46 RBI, 58 SB

Following season (2016): .268/.305/.335, HR, 14 RBI, 30 SB

Overview: In addition to winning the batting title, Dee Strange-Gordon (then known as Dee Gordon) also led the league in hits (205) and stolen bases in 2015 while winning a Gold Glove and a Silver Slugger. Strange-Gordon's numbers dripped in 2016, but the bigger issue was his availability. The two-time All-Star served an 80-game suspension for performance-enhancing drug use. Strange-Gordon would bounce back with a solid 2017—his final season in Miami—but was never able to return to his 2015 All-Star form.

 

---

What's in store for Arráez?

After finishing with the highest average of any National League batting champion since 2008, it's expected that Arráez will like see some decline in 2024, at least in terms of batting average. What's encouraging is that Arráez became a better all-around hitter in 2023. Although he won't be breaking any home run records, Arráez also set new career-highs with 10 home runs and 69 RBIs last season. What will be interesting to see is how the Miami second baseman fares without Jorge Soler—now with the San Francisco Giants—providing protection behind him in the lineup. 

View full article