Luis Arraez DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

San Diego Padres first baseman/designated hitter Luis Arraez (thumb) had surgery last October to fix a torn UCL in his left thumb that he suffered on June 25, but it shouldn't be an issue going forward. " I feel like I got a new thumb," Arraez said. The three-time All-Star still managed to win his third straight batting title after being traded from the Miami Marlins to the Padres in the first half of the season, and he also led the league with 200 hits. However, Arraez's slugging percentage was down considerably and he had only four round-trippers, 46 RBI, nine stolen bases and 83 runs scored in 672 total plate appearances and 150 games played. The 27-year-old left-handed hitter should continue to hit for a very high average to help fantasy managers, but he's a one-category producer and won't do much else. RotoBaller has him ranked as the No. 19 fantasy first baseman.

San Diego Padres president of baseball operations A.J. Preller said he sees infielder Luis Arraez as the team's starting first baseman this year. "They're everyday guys that'll be on the field," manager Mike Shildt said of Arraez and Jake Cronenworth being on the right side of the infield in 2025. Arraez will surely also see time as the club's designated hitter, but it appears he'll spend most of his time at first, with Cronenworth at the keystone. The 27-year-old left-handed hitter won his third straight batting title in 2024 by hitting .314 (200-for-637) while also being named to his third straight All-Star team. The Venezuelan has a unique skill set at the plate with elite bat-to-ball skills, and what he did last year is even more impressive, considering he played a large chunk of the season with a torn UCL in his left thumb. Arraez is great for your team batting average, but he does very little else.

According to Dennis Lin of The Athletic, the San Diego Padres would prefer to hold infielder Luis Arraez. Arraez has had his name circling around several trade discussions throughout the offseason. However, the Padres and Arraez settled on a $14 million to avoid arbitration last week. Lin noted that even though the team remains focused on winning a championship, they remain open to moving a few of their higher contracts to create some roster flexibility. Starting pitcher Dylan Cease and right-handed relief pitcher Robert Suarez have also had their names around trade talks. Last season, Arraez posted at least a .300 AVG for the third-straight campaign. Last summer, he held a .314 AVG across time with Miami and San Diego. Under the hood, he posted a stellar 4.3% K rate but lacked in power production. The 27-year-old remains one of the top targets for batting average but carries very low power upside.