Gabriel Moreno becomes 1st Diamondbacks player to win batting title

SAN DIEGO — Gabriel Moreno would have much rather competed on Sunday with the Arizona Diamondbacks in a must-win game than resign to the bench due to a hamstring injury, but his absence from the lineup locked in his National League batting title.

Moreno hit .311 this season edging out Philadelphia’s Luis Arraez’s .310 to win the Diamondbacks’ first batting crown in franchise history. Arraez also sat out a pivotal game on Sunday, as he suffered an ankle sprain on Thursday.

Moreno is additionally the fifth catcher to secure the honor since 1900, the first since Buster Posey for the 2012 San Francisco Giants.

Moreno balanced his appreciation for the honor with his frustration for missing the postseason while not being able to play in the final game.

“I feel good, feel good to be the first here,” Moreno said. “I know it’s not a good moment to talk about, but at the same time it’s something that’s good for the organization, too. It’s not enough to make the playoffs, you know, but next year we’ve got to keep pushing, trying to get better and make the playoffs.”

Moreno should receive top 10 MVP consideration for the first time in his career, and perhaps his stamp as the batting champion will help with that.

Looking beyond batting average, Moreno finished fourth in the NL in on-base percentage (.388), 14th in slugging (.486) and fifth in OPS (.874).

He went on a tear from the middle of May that lasted essentially through the end of the season.

Since May 13, Moreno’s .921 OPS was sixth in MLB, trailing NL MVP favorite Pete Crow-Armstrong, AL MVP favorite Yordan Alvarez, perennial sluggers Pete Alonso and Rafael Devers, along with Shohei Ohtani.

His 5.4 wins above replacement (FanGraphs) in that timeframe were second in MLB, trailing Crow-Armstrong.

General manager Mike Hazen called Moreno the best catcher in baseball on Friday.

“Trust my routine. I worked really hard during the season and I was in a good rhythm, swinging at good pitches, taking good at-bats, making good swings,” Moreno said has been working.

“I just feel like I was seeing the ball really good. … So I think the credit for the hitting coaches to help me with pitch sequences, I think the credit is for the hitting coaches and I appreciate that.”

Moreno continued to display his elite contact skills and ability to hit the ball to all field, including “Gabi Lane” through the 3-4 hole. But he took his shots this season, too, clubbing a career-high 16 home runs and 33 doubles.

Gabriel Moreno joins shortlist

Here is the list of catchers to win the batting title in MLB history:

• Gabriel Moreno (2026)
• Buster Posey (2012)
• Joe Mauer (2006, 2008, 2009)
• Ernie Lombardi (1938, 1942)
• Bubbles Hargrave (1926)

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