One former MLB player believes that Luis Arraez could be the difference maker that the Philadelphia Phillies have been missing in the playoffs.
One of the biggest trade deals at the deadline this season was the Philadelphia Phillies landing Luis Arraez from the San Francisco Giants.
Arraez had put together a very good season with the Giants, turning things around from his previous year. But since he has joined the Phillies, Arraez has been an incredible difference-maker.
So far, he has played in 31 games for Philadelphia, hitting. 289 with two home runs and 14 RBIs. But Arraez has 35 hits during this span, giving the Phillies a type of player that they have been missing.
Arraez is an old-school type of player, using strong contact to put the ball in play to find success. Philadelphia needed someone like this, and he could be the key to everything this season.
Ahead of the Phillies' opener with the Houston Astros, former MLB player Jeff Francoeur discussed the impact of Arraez on the lineup. Francoeur has been impressed with Arraez so far and believes he could be the biggest difference for Philadelphia in the playoffs this season.
"In the playoffs, you have got to be able to put the ball in play at times. You're not going to hit the big home run when you're facing this elite pitching like that. And I think one thing that Luis Arraez has done, talking to some of these players, even calling them out, like dude put the ball in play every once in a while, in a good, friendly way. But it's contagious, man, when you see a guy spraying it all over the place, not scared to hit with two strikes. All of a sudden, as an offense, you kind of click and go," Francoeur said.
The Phillies are again one of the best teams in baseball, with the offense being a strength of the team. But having someone like Arraez could change everything for this group when the games get tighter in the playoffs.
Far too often, Philadelphia has relied on power-hitting in the postseason, and it's come back to hurt them. But Arraez can get on base, while also helping to drive in runs with his incredible contact ability.
"You know what you're gonna get from Schwarber, right?... But in the playoffs, as we've talked about, the Phillies have to be able to manufacture runs, and that is the guy who can do it right there as far as getting someone over, a sack fly, putting the ball in play. He's kind of changed and lengthened this lineup," Francoeur continued.
Only time will tell if Arraez will make an impact for this team in the playoffs. But if he continues to perform at the level he has, Philadelphia will be a very tough out come playoff time.
