Stacking Wins

The new era of Major League Baseball has seen a huge swing in the favor of the home run and the strikeout. Players seem to be much less concerned about playing with a situationally intelligent mindset and overlooking some smaller things to help their team win. Just this past season we saw New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge set an MLB single season record for homeruns (62) while being top 4 in the league in strikeouts (175). While the boom or bust approach may be acquainting itself with many of the league's best players, there is little to suggest that it is leading to wins and rings for franchises. 

This year one player has set his sights on seeing the pendulum swing back away from baseball's overarching trends. Luis Arraez, 5 '10 175 lb second baseman for the Miami Marlins, does not have the powerful swing that fits the mold in today’s game. However, Arraez still seems to have a profound impact on his team with a simple game plan- get on base. Nearing the All-Star break, Arraez is leading this MLB in hits (111), batting average (.399), and on-base percentage (.451). Those numbers are almost unheard of in today's game as he is looking to be only the second player since the turn of the millennium to hold the .400 batting average mark at the midpoint of the season. Arraez is at the forefront of a frequently struggling Marlins team that is reaping the benefits of his success at the plate currently sitting at second place in their division and in control of a wildcard spot for the postseason. 

The contrasting playing style of Luis Arraez and the tendencies of the MLB as a whole can be applied to much more than baseball. Taking the Arraez approach to our lives may not yield “home run” results in a world searching for instant gratification, but capitalizing on our strengths can allow us to have small wins. Maintaining this discipline and having a smart approach throughout our daily operations can make small wins quickly begin to add up and tilt the scoreboard in our favor.