With the many changes in baseball over the years, the one that has become more evident is that a high .300 + batting average is not as sexy as a hard hit home run or even just a hard hit ball, even if it turns into an out.
The days of Tony Gwynn, a player that consistently got on base and batted above .300 for 19 straight seasons, are long gone. Gwynn did not hit a lot of home runs, as his high was 17 in 1997, but he won eight batting titles, three straight from 1987 to 1989 and four straight from 1994 to 1997. His best season was in 1994 when he came just shy of .400, with a .394 batting average. It was not about power with Gwynn, as it was more about putting the ball in play and setting the table for the rest of the offense. And he did just that, as he recorded at least 200 hits in four separate seasons, topping off with 220 hits in 1997 at 37 years old.
Now that was then, in an era that was made for Tony Gwynn. But you don’t see that style of baseball these days, unless you look at what Luis Arraez did in 2023 with the Miami Marlins, as he led the league by hitting .354 and recording 203 hits. Arraez who is not known for his power, has hit above .300 in six of his eight seasons in the majors.
Miguel Villarroel -MiLB.com
There is one ball player that stands out in the minors today and is looking like he is having a Gwynn type season thus far.
The Palm Beach Cardinals Miguel Villarroel is currently batting .348 (46 for 132), with just six doubles, three triples, no home runs and 12 RBI through 33 games.
Villarroel has been in the minors for four seasons, and has consistently hit above .300. He started the 2024 season off slow, batting just under .300 on May 2, but since he has turned the corner for the better.
The Guiria, Venezuela native entered the game on May 3rd batting .291, and after a 4 for 5 game, he bumped his average to .319. At that point he was in the midst of a six game hitting streak after coming off a seven game hitting streak, two days prior.
After an 0 for 3 day on May 8th, the 22-year old, was back in the hit column with a 2 for 5 night on the 9th, which started another hitting streak which is currently six games as of May 15th.
For the season, he has hit safely in an astonishing 27 of 33 games, while leading the Florida State League with 46 hits.
Villarroel is doing to a baseball what this generation is not used to seeing, just a hitter putting the ball in play just the way Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn played the game.
Time to bring back hitting for a higher average, which is probably more important than what the velo is coming off the bat.
I promise you the game would be just as exciting or even more than it is today.
