Twins sparkplug Luis Arraez rises to top of batting race
By DAVE CAMPBELL
AP Sports Writer
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Cleveland manager Terry Francona predicted Luis Arraez would one day win a batting title when he arrived three years ago with division rival Minnesota. Francona is halfway there this season. Arraez led the American League with a .344 average entering Wednesday. That’s more than 100 points above the major league average. Arraez is also among baseball’s leaders in on-base percentage, strikeout rate and two-strike hitting. He’s made a strong case for his first All-Star team. Healthy knees and a narrowing of his positions on defense have also helped him at the plate.