WBSC U-15 Baseball World Cup winner Luis Arraez became the first player in the history of Major League Baseball (MLB)'s Miami Marlins to hit for the cycle.
On 11 April, Arraez helped the Marlins beat the Philadelphia Phillies in front of over 43,000 fans at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. He went 4-for-5 with two RBIs and two runs scored.
He batted third and played second base. Arraez doubled to right field in the first and tripled to the right in the sixth off right-handed starter Aaron Nola, homered in the seventh off right-hander Connor Brogdon and hit an RBI single in the eighth off right-hander Andrew Bellatti. Nola and the Phillies got him out only in the third.
Born in San Felipe, Central-Western Venezuela, Arraez appeared in eight games for Venezuela at the WBSC U-15 Baseball World Cup 2012. He started three at second base and two in right field, including the World Championship game that Venezuela won against Cuba. He went 6-for-15, a .400 batting average.
Arraez signed as an international free agent for the Minnesota Twins in 2013 and made his MLB debut on 18 May 2019. He appeared in 389 MLB games for the Marlins, primarily at second base. He became the 2022 American League batting champion with a .316 batting average. He also earned the Silver Slugger award and appeared in his first All-Star Game. At the end of the 2022 season, the Twins traded him to the Marlins in exchange for three players.
Arraez was the starting first baseman for Venezuela at the 2023 World Baseball Classic.
