It hasn't been easy for players other than Aaron Judge to get much attention this MLB season, what with the 62 home runs and putting up 10.7 WAR while leading the New York Yankees to the playoffs and the looming specter of his free agency status. It makes sense -- what a season, right? But it's not like Judge has been the only player excelling this season.
Consider the case of Luis Arraez, the 25-year-old utility infielder for the Minnesota Twins. He's a high-average hitter in a modern game where that isn't emphasized. He finished the season hitting .316 -- two points higher than his career mark -- which was enough to win him the American League batting title for the first time in his career.
Crucially, it was also enough to prevent Judge from winning the Triple Crown -- Judge's .311 average was five points short of Arraez's. Arraez went 1-for-2 with two walks in the final game of the season, while Judge did not play. The Twins engaged in some good-natured trolling of the new American League home run champion in a tweet celebrating Arraez's achievement after the game.