Marlins’ Luis Arraez hits another major milestone with 200-hit season. ‘It means a lot’

Luis Arraez watched as the ball floated toward center field in the first inning Monday. When it dropped in front of Brandon Nimmo, the Miami Marlins’ All-Star second baseman had reason to celebrate.

The leadoff single in the Marlins’ eventual 2-1 loss to the New York Mets was the 200th hit of his 2023 season.

Arraez is just the fourth player in franchise history to log 200 hits in a season. The others: Dee Strange-Gordon (2015 and 2017), Juan Pierre (2003 and 2004) and Hanley Ramirez (2007).

Arraez is also the second player in MLB this season to get to the 200-hit mark, joining the Braves’ Ronald Acuna Jr., who hit the mark Friday against the Marlins.

“It means a lot,” Arraez said. “200 hits is a lot for everybody. It’s hard to hit in the big leagues, but I did it. I worked hard for it.”

It’s just the latest milestone in Arraez’s dominant 2023 season, his first with the Marlins.

In April, he hit for the first cycle in Marlins history. At the All-Star Break, he was still flirting with a chance to post a .400 batting average — something that hasn’t been done since Ted Williams in 1941.

Even though he hit a rough patch in August, Arraez still leads MLB with a .354 batting average, putting him in position to be the first player in MLB history to win a batting title in consecutive years in different leagues.

Arraez added another single in the sixth inning for hit No. 201 on the season. The Marlins’ record for hits in a season, for what it’s worth, is 221 by Pierre in 2004.

“He’s been phenomenal,” Marlins manager Skip Schumaker said. “I think he’s going to have a couple of these in his career. With [the work] he puts in, he deserves to get 200 hits every year. He has stayed healthy the whole year, and that’s been a big part of it as well.”

More milestones looming

Arraez very likely could be the first of several Marlins players to hit big individual milestones down the stretch this season as Miami continues its playoff push.

Here are four others:

▪ 200 strikeouts for Jesus Luzardo: Luzardo has 194 strikeouts through a career-high 166 1/3 innings. With at least one start left in the season, Luzardo has a chance to become just the second left-handed pitcher in Marlins history to strike out 200 batters in a season. Al Leiter in 1996 is the only southpaw to accomplish the feat with the Marlins.

Seven total pitchers have had 200-strikeout seasons for the Marlins: Sandy Alcantara (2021 and 2022), Jose Fernandez (2016), Anibal Sanchez (2011), A.J. Burnett (2022), Ryan Dempster (2000), Kevin Brown (1997) and Leiter.

▪ 100 strikeouts for Tanner Scott: Scott, who has been arguably the Marlins’ most reliable reliever this season, ranks first in the National League and fourth in MLB among relief pitchers with 96 strikeouts. Should he get four more by the end of the season, he would be the first left-handed reliever in Marlins history to strike out at least 100 batters. Scott has recorded 29 multistrikeout games in relief, ranking second among National League relievers and sixth overall in MLB.

▪ 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases for Jazz Chisholm Jr.: In 86 games played this season, Chisholm has 18 home runs and 22 stolen bases. If he can hit two more home runs, he would become just the fifth player in franchise history to have 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases in a season. The others are Hanley Ramirez (four times — 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010), Preston Wilson (three times — 2000, 2001 and 2002), Cliff Floyd (two times — 1998 and 2000) and Derrek Lee (2003).

▪ 40 home runs for Jorge Soler: Sure, Soler has already accomplished this feat before, mashing 48 in 2019 with the Kansas City Royals. But in terms of Marlins history, only two players has ever gotten to the 40-homer mark in a season: Giancarlo Stanton with 59 in 2017 and Gary Sheffield with 42 in 1996. Soler entered Tuesday with 36 home runs.