Miami Marlins second baseman and National League All-Star Luis Arraez has captivated fans with his pursuit for a .400 batting average, one of the most immortalized feats in all of sports. Make no mistake, though, players are just as mesmerized by his contact-hitting mastery.

Even one of the best hitters of this era is in awe of the 2022 American League batting champion. “What’s he’s doing is incredible in today’s game,” Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman told Bob Nightengale of USA Today. “It’s amazing, it’s fun to watch. He’s an incredible hitter, he really is.”

Freeman is not exaggerating. Although Arraez's quest for .400 is in a fragile state at the All-Star break (batting .383), his bat-to-ball skills is truly something to behold. A singles machine who places the ball precisely where he wants to is extremely rare these days. Extra-base power reigns supreme. Yet, somehow the 26-year-old is turning back the clock and exciting fans in the process.

While Miami's successful season (53-39) can sometimes feel like a secondary narrative to Arraez's daily at-bats, which included the first cycle in franchise history, they are inextricably linked. His arrival in South Beach can coincide with a monumental postseason berth. That is a lot of pressure to carry, but he remains completely composed at the plate like few others.

Freeman, who is a pure-hitting savant himself, knows just how difficult it is to accomplish what Arraez has done during the first half of the season. Hitting is an art form. “Most of the time you’re facing three different pitchers, they’re throwing 95-97 (mph), nothing straight, and you’re trying to cover four different pitches,” he said.

Even if the Venezuelan native does not rally and become the first MLB player to hit .400 since Ted Williams in 1941, he is likely to snag his second consecutive batting title, and be just the second man in the modern era to wear the crown in both the AL and NL. Fans should not take the anomaly that is Luis Arraez for granted. Watching him hit is an unexpected luxury in 2023.