As one would anticipate, data and milestones usually mirror the eras wherein they’re achieved. Pitching data are usually set in low-offense eras, whereas offensive milestones rack up extra rapidly at instances when runs are plentiful. As the sport ebbs and flows, sure benchmarks which can be achievable in a single period change into far tougher, and even not possible, in one other. One of those achievements, which has lengthy fascinated followers, is hitting .400. Even as batting common grew to become a much less related quantity within the post-Deadball period (and even much less in order entrance places of work gravitated towards different metrics 75 years later), baseball observers have nonetheless rooted for somebody to hit .400. I’m one in every of them; not every little thing that’s enjoyable must be an incredible analytical instrument, and vice-versa. Hits are, for lack of a greater phrase, cool, and the flexibility to rack up worth primarily by way of batting common has change into far rarer than it was. And if hits are cool, Luis Arraez is in super-rad territory, because the Marlins second baseman is at the moment sitting at .398 as we method the season’s midway mark.

Whether you assume the newest .400 hitter was Ted Williams, who put up a .406 common in 1941, or Josh Gibson, who put up a formidable .466 for the Homestead Grays in 69 video games a few years later, there are only a few baseball followers remaining who've a residing reminiscence of a .400 hitter. After the Splendid Splinter hit .388 in 1957, it was one other 20 years till anybody got here that shut (Rod Carew in 1977). There have been all the time scattered makes an attempt, corresponding to George Brett‘s effort to sneak up to .400 when he hit a stunning .421 in the second half of the 1980 season (he ran out of calendar, finishing at .390). The offensive outburst of the 1990s wasn’t simply in house runs, however in batting common as effectively, and there was one other mini-run of .400 makes an attempt. From 1993 by means of 2000, there have been a shocking variety of first-half hitters above .380: Tony Gwynn (twice), Larry Walker, Nomar Garciaparra, John Olerud, Darin Erstad, Todd Helton, Frank Thomas, and Paul O’Neill. Nobody’s been at .380 within the first half extra just lately, and since 2010, solely Justin Turner’s gone into the All-Star break with a batting common north of .370.

As I famous above, data are usually set in eras which can be pleasant to these achievements. The league hit .270 in 2000. This yr, that determine is .248; the league hasn’t hit .260 since 2009. The lack of .400 hitters isn’t only a change in method, both. While gamers are much less centered on batting common nowadays, from 1901 to at the moment, no qualifying participant in a season of not less than 100 video games has crushed .390 in a season wherein the league hit .260 or underneath:

Highest BAs, 1901-2022, League <.260

Simply put, no participant who isn’t an inside circle Hall of Famer has hit even .370 in a low-batting common setting because the Deadball Era, so Arraez’s .398 within the first half has earned some raised eyebrows. Indeed, my colleague Michael Baumann examined Arraez’s robust begin only a few weeks in the past, again when he was solely hitting .392. There are nonetheless a number of weeks go to finish the primary half of the season, but when Arraez can maintain onto his present common, he would have the third-best first half batting common since Teddy:

Best First Half BAs, 1942-2023

SOURCE: Baseball-Reference

We aren’t taking it straightforward on Arraez by solely contemplating his efficiency by means of June 21, both; he’s solely seven video games wanting Musial and is almost a dozen previous Carew.

So, will he do it? Probably not. But the state of affairs wherein he does end the season with a 4 as the primary digit isn’t not possible and even implausible, simply unlikely. Let’s run this by means of the ZiPS projections.

Like the in-season mannequin, the complete ZiPS mannequin sees Arraez as a .334 hitter over the remainder of the season. Since he’s projected to have lower than half of his ultimate 2023 at-bats (utilizing ZiPS enjoying time), he would wish to hit .403 over his 290 at-bats to complete the season at .400. I’m additionally not rounding up right here; .3999999999 just isn't .400. Hitting .400 would imply 117 hits in these 290 at-bats, so to determine his possibilities of getting these 117 hits, we may begin along with his .334 batting common and get a 0.79% probability of Arraez ending at or above the .400 mark.

We may do it this fashion, however we’d be incorrect.

ZiPS thinks Arraez is a .334 hitter however the system is conscious that it’s not really certain of that. He may be a .290 hitter or a .320 hitter or a .370 hitter. ZiPS doesn’t actually know, and sees his underlying likelihood of successful being an entire distribution round .334, not exactly .334. That uncertainty is what provides him a greater probability than 0.79%, not less than by the ZiPS’ estimation of his skills. Because if Arraez is sometimes a .360 hitter, that’s a much bigger enhance to his probabilities than sometimes being a .300 hitter damages them.

Through Wednesday’s video games, ZiPS thinks that Arraez will, on common, end the season with a .364 batting common. That’s spectacular in itself, the very best batting common since Joe Mauer’s .365 in 2009 (I’m not counting DJ LeMahieu’s .364 mark in 50 video games in 2020). But you’re actually right here for that candy .400 fan service, and ZiPS thinks Arraez will ship on that 2.9% of the time, or about as soon as in 35 tries (sadly, he solely will get one try this yr). That’s unlikely however simply throughout the realm of risk. Marcus Semien has hit a house run in 2.9% of his plate appearances this yr; it’s not a probable consequence any given time on the plate, however I assure your thoughts isn’t fully blown when he knocks one over the fences. Arraez additionally has a 1.1% projected probability of catching Williams at .406. Nap Lajoie’s .426 from 1901 is unfortunately in that realm of implausibility, however I’m not grasping sufficient to be disillusioned about that one.

Arraez isn’t prone to end at .400, however he has an actual probability. Hitting .400 isn't straightforward, and nowadays, it could be a monumental achievement. If it have been straightforward, then it wouldn’t matter. Plus, Arreaz has already achieved one feat that few would have ever anticipated: he’s made watching the Marlins bat must-see TV!

Content Source: blogs.fangraphs.com