There’s something about the title of batting champion that still carries a mystique, a special weight, a grandeur.
Batting average may no longer be everyone’s favorite hitting statistic, but leading the league in it still points to a special season for a special hitter.
That’s the potential accomplishment on hand on Sunday across the National League. It’s the final day of the MLB regular season, and three players in the NL have a legitimate shot at the batting average crown.
Ironically, the top-two battling it out are the Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Gabriel Moreno and the Philadelphia Phillies lefty Luis Arraez. Those teams are competing for the third-and-final NL Wild Card spot, and they’re also competing for a batting title.
Moreno enters the day with a .311 average.
Arraez is at .310.
And in third, with an outside chance to catch up, is Marlins infielder Otto Lopez at .306.
The matter is complicated by the fact that Arraez won’t be playing on Sunday. He’s injured, not enough to go on the IL but enough for the Phillies to need to hold him out in the hopes that he can recover and be back for the playoffs — if they can indeed hold off the on-charging Diamondbacks to get into the postseason.
In the meantime, that leaves Moreno with a chance to be the rare catcher to win a batting title.
How Gabriel Moreno Can Win NL Batting Title
The simplest solution for Moreno is to hit .333 or better for the day.
Since Arraez isn’t playing, he’s going to remain at his .310. And since Moreno is at .311, the surest thing is to put up a stat line that raises his batting average.
Obviously it’s easier said than done, but anything at 1-for-3 or better would do the trick, because that equates to .333, and would slightly bump Moreno’s average upward.
It’s worth noting that even an 0-for-1 by Moreno puts him fractionally below Arraez.
A 1-for-4 by Moreno also puts him fractionally below Arraez.
That means that, of all the realistic hitting lines, Moreno really has to go 1-for-3 or better — assuming Arraez doesn’t get an at bat on the final day for the Phillies.
Lopez could technically catch up, but if Moreno bumps his average up even a little bit, it’d be near-impossible for the Marlins infielder to make up the gap.
Diamondbacks Playoff Scenarios
The Diamondbacks need two things to happen to make the playoffs on Sunday.
They need to win their game in San Diego against the Padres, and they need the Phillies to lose at home against the Tampa Bay Rays.
If that happens, Arizona goes to the postseason.
It’d be quite the day for the Diamondbacks if they can get into the playoffs and get a batting champion.
How Diamondbacks’ Gabriel Moreno Can Win NL Batting Title Over Phillies’ Luis Arraez