​PHILADELPHIA – Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani, two figures towering figuratively and literally over the sport of baseball, won’t be found at this All-Star Game.The 6-6 Judge and 6-4 Ohtani are sidelined by injuries, though power-hitting luminaries like James Wood, who at 6-7 looks down on Judge, and hometown heroes Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper will be destroying baseballs all week, from the Home Run Derby to fan-pleasing batting practice sessions and finally the Tuesday, July 14 Midsummer Classic.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementSomehow, amid these hulking figures and headline-grabbing talents, Otto Lopez and Luis Arraez found their way to Philly, too.They are virtual twins in many ways, both listed at 5-10 and 185 pounds, and both atop the major league leaderboard in batting average, that old maid of a baseball statistic, Lopez batting .334 and Arraez right there at .330.And their mere presence here is a reminder that pride and fortitude can go a long way in a game increasingly given over to measurables that have only so much to do with hitting a ball.“Baseball,” Lopez, the Miami Marlins’ shortstop tells USA TODAY Sports, “needs us, too.”AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAnd if the casual fan isn’t fully familiar with their games, they may soon get tutorials.Otto Lopez and Luis Arraez.Lopez and the Miami Marlins are the game’s biggest surprise, posting a 26-11 record, best in the majors, since June 1 to threaten Atlanta and Philadelphia atop the NL East and firmly establish themselves in wild card position.Things have gone sideways for the San Francisco Giants, but Arraez, at 29, has authored the greatest chapter of a baseball story that already includes three batting titles. Under the tutelage of infield guru Ron Washington, Arraez transformed himself from a defensive liability – a singles hitter at DH – into a likely Gold Glove second baseman.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAnd with the Giants struggling at 41-55, Arraez will be one of the most sought-after commodities on the trade market come Aug. 3.And then he’ll hit free agency, he believes after proving a point after his finest season.“A lot of people want to change the game,” says Arraez. “They just look at the computer, and then the computer can play baseball. They put the computer at home plate, and it can hit.“But we are human. They forgot we are human. And I hope they recognize my job. But I don’t care. I just go out there and play my game.”Perhaps at his highest level yet, a designation Lopez can also claim.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementLopez, a 27-year-old Dominican Republic native, and Arraez, 29, from Venezuela, each played for the Marlins in 2024, at least until May 4, when the Marlins dealt Arraez to the Padres for a three-player package that includes current center fielder Jakob Marsee.They still talk frequently about hitting, and Lopez’s evolution within it. His nine home runs put him easily on pace to surpass