Randy Arozarena González (born February 28, 1995) is a

Cuban Cuban may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Cuba, a country in the Caribbean * Cubans, people from Cuba, or of Cuban descent ** Cuban exile, a person who left Cuba for political reasons, or a descendant thereof * Cuban citizen, a perso ...

Mexican Mexican may refer to: Mexico and its culture *Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America ** People *** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants *** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to cat ...

for the

Tampa Bay Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. Since its inception ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB). He previously played for the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals hav ...

. In 2020, Arozarena set the MLB record for home runs in a single postseason with ten. Four of those came against the

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after ...

in the

2020 American League Championship Series The 2020 American League Championship Series was the best-of-seven series between the two American League Division Series winners, the defending American League Champion Houston Astros and the Tampa Bay Rays, for the American League (AL) pennant ...

, netting him series MVP honors. The following year, he won the

AL Rookie of the Year In Major League Baseball, the Rookie of the Year Award is given annually to two outstanding rookie players, one each for the American League (AL) and National League (NL), as voted on by the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA). The aw ...

award.

Career

Cuban and Mexican career

During the 2013–14 and 2014–15 seasons, Arozarena played for

Vegueros de Pinar del Río Vegueros de Pinar del Río (English: Pinar del Río Meadow Growers) is a baseball team in the Cuban National Series. Based in the western city of Pinar del Río, the ''Vegueros'' are historically one of the more successful teams in the Cuban Nati ...

of the

Cuban National Series The Cuban National Series (, SNB) is the primary domestic professional baseball competition in Cuba. Formed after the dissolution of the Cuban League in the wake of the Cuban Revolution, the Series is a part of the Cuban baseball league system. ...

. In his final season, he

slashed ''Slashed'' is a low budget independent horror film, financed and directed by Ash and written by Jed Shepherd.

.291/.412/.419 with three home runs, 24 RBIs, and 15 stolen bases over 74 games. In 2016, Arozarena arrived in Mexico and had brief stints in the Mérida Winter League, Norte de México League, and with the

Toros de Tijuana The Toros de Tijuana (or Tijuana Bulls) are a Mexican Baseball team based in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico. They are members of the Mexican Baseball League and play their home games at Estadio Chevron. Team history Original Attempt The fran ...

of the

Mexican League The Mexican League (, ) is a professional baseball league based in Mexico and the oldest running professional league in the country. The league has 18 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games each season. Five te ...

, before playing for the

Mayos de Navojoa The Mayos de Navojoa ( en, Navojoa Mayos) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican Pacific League based in Navojoa, Sonora. They have been champions of the league twice. The first time was for the 1978–79 season, with Rickey Henderson o ...

of the

Mexican Pacific League The Mexican Pacific League (), known as Liga ARCO Mexicana del Pacífico for sponsorship reasons or simply LMP for its acronym in Spanish, is a professional baseball winter league based in Northern Mexico. The ten-team regular season schedule run ...

during the winter.

St. Louis Cardinals

Minor leagues

Arozarena signed with

as an international free agent in July 2016 for $1.25 million. He made his minor league debut in 2017 and spent his first full professional season with both the

Palm Beach Cardinals The Palm Beach Cardinals are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. They are located in the town of Jupiter in Palm Beach County, Florida, and play their home games at Roge ...

, with whom he was named a

Florida State League The Florida State League (FSL) is a Minor League Baseball league based in the state of Florida. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following ...

All-Star, and the

Springfield Cardinals The Springfield Cardinals are a Minor League Baseball team based in Springfield, Missouri. They compete as a member of the Texas League's North Division. The Cardinals began play in 2005. The team is owned by the 11-time Major League Baseball ...

, posting a combined .266 batting average with 11 home runs, 49 RBIs and 18 stolen bases over 121 games between both clubs. Following the season, he returned to the

to play for the

for the 2017–2018 season, where he slashed .292/.366/.558 with 14 home runs and 37 RBIs in 64 games. That season the Mayos made it to the championship series. Although the team did not win the series, Arozarena had a game winning hit in the bottom of the ninth inning in game 6. Arozarena was a non-roster invitee to 2018 spring training. He began the season with the

Memphis Redbirds The Memphis Redbirds are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. They are located in Memphis, Tennessee, and are named for their Major League Baseball affiliate. The Redbir ...

. In July 2018, he was selected to represent the Cardinals in the 2018

All-Star Futures Game The All-Star Futures Game is an annual baseball exhibition game hosted by Major League Baseball (MLB) in conjunction with the mid-summer MLB All-Star Game. A team of American League-affiliated prospects competes against a team of National League ...

. Arozarena also spent time during the season with Springfield. With Memphis, he helped them win the

Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...

title, and was named a co-MVP of the PCL playoffs alongside teammate

Tommy Edman Thomas Hyunsu Edman (born May 9, 1995) is an American professional baseball second baseman and shortstop for the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball (Major League Baseball, MLB). Born in Pontiac, Michigan, and raised in San Diego, Edman ...

. Over 113 games between Memphis and Springfield, he batted .274/.359/.433 with 12 home runs, 49 RBIs, and 26 stolen bases. Arozarena returned to play for

in 2018 for the third time, but appeared in only 15 games.

2019 season

Arozarena began the 2019 season on the

injured list In Major League Baseball (MLB), the injured list (IL) is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players. Before the 2019 season, it was known as the disabled list (DL). General guidelines ...

with Memphis due to a fractured hand suffered during spring training. He returned to play in May with Springfield before being promoted back to Memphis in June. On August 12, 2019, the Cardinals selected Arozarena's contract and promoted him to the major leagues. He made his major league debut on August 14 versus the

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team was founded as an expans ...

. Over 19 games with St. Louis, Arozarena hit .300 with one home run, two RBIs, and two stolen bases.

Tampa Bay Rays

2020 season

On January 9, 2020, Arozarena was traded to the

(along with José Martínez and the Cardinals’ Competitive Balance Round A Draft Pick) in exchange for

Matthew Liberatore Matthew Joseph Liberatore (born November 6, 1999) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball (MLB). Born and raised in the suburbs of Phoenix, Arizona, Liberatore was selected by the Tampa ...

, Edgardo Rodriguez, and the Rays’ Competitive Balance Round B Draft Pick. Over 23 games for the 2020 season, Arozarena batted .281 with seven home runs and 11 RBIs. In Game 7 of the

American League Championship Series The American League Championship Series (ALCS) is a best-of-seven playoff and one of two League Championship Series comprising the penultimate round of Major League Baseball's (MLB) postseason. It is contested by the two winners of the American ...

against the

, Arozarena hit a two-run home run, surpassing

Evan Longoria Evan Michael Longoria (born October 7, 1985), nicknamed "Longo", is an American professional baseball third baseman who is a free agent. He previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Tampa Bay Rays from 2008 through 2017, and the S ...

for most home runs by a rookie in the postseason. Arozarena was named the

MVP In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...

of the ALCS, becoming the first rookie position player to win the award. In the series, he hit .321 with four home runs and six RBIs. In the

World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the World ...

, Arozarena hit home runs in the third, fourth, and sixth games, breaking the all-time record for most home runs in a single postseason. In Game 3, he surpassed

Derek Jeter Derek Sanderson Jeter ( ; born June 26, 1974) is an American former professional baseball shortstop, businessman, and baseball executive. As a player, Jeter spent his entire 20-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career with the New York Yankees ...

for most hits by a rookie in the postseason. In Game 5, he recorded his 27th hit in the postseason, surpassing

Pablo Sandoval Pablo Emilio Sandoval Reyes (born August 11, 1986) is a Venezuelan-American professional baseball third baseman for the Olmecas de Tabasco of the Mexican League. He previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Francisco Giants, ...

for the most hits in a single postseason. Arozarena has attributed his playoff power stroke to his wearing of a special pair of lucky cowboy boots, which he calls his "power boots".

2021 season

For the

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...

season, Arozarena batted .274/.356/.459 with 20 home runs, 69 RBIs, and 20 stolen bases in 141 games. During game one of the 2021 ALDS against the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...

, Arozarena became the first player in baseball history to hit a home run and steal home in the same game during the playoffs. Following the season's end, Arozarena won the AL Rookie of the Year Award, becoming the first Ray to do so since

Wil Myers William Bradford Myers (born December 10, 1990) is an American professional baseball outfielder and first baseman for the Cincinnati Reds of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Tampa Bay Rays and San Diego Padre ...

in 2013.

2022 season

In 2022 while he stole 32 bases (tied for third in the majors) he also led the major leagues in caught stealing with 12; he batted .269/.344/.463. In October 2022, it was announced that Arozarena intended to represent Mexico in the 2023 World Baseball Classic.

Personal life

Arozarena has a daughter who was born in Mexico in 2018. His younger brother is

soccer player A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...

Raiko Arozarena, who currently plays as a

goalkeeper In many team sports which involve scoring goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or intercepting o ...

for

Tampa Bay Rowdies The Tampa Bay Rowdies are an American professional Association football, soccer team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The club was founded in 2008 and first took the pitch in 2010. Since 2017, the Rowdies have been members of the USL Champions ...

who compete in the

USL Championship The USL Championship (USLC) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that began its inaugural season in 2011. The USL is sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation (U.S. Soccer) as a Division II league since 2017, pl ...

. He has stated that he would like to become a Mexican citizen and represent Mexico in the

World Baseball Classic The World Baseball Classic (WBC) is an international baseball tournament sanctioned from 2006 to 2013 by the International Baseball Federation (IBAF) and after 2013 by World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) in partnership with Major Leagu ...

. On November 23, 2020, Arozarena was arrested in Mexico’s Yucatan state after allegedly trying to kidnap his two-year-old daughter from her mother and assaulted the woman’s father. He was released two days later as the mother of the child did not press charges. A film based on Arozarena's life is currently scheduled to be released between 2022 and 2023.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Arozarena, Randy 1995 births Living people American League Championship Series MVPs Cuban expatriate baseball players in Mexico Major League Baseball players from Cuba Cuban expatriate baseball players in the United States Major League Baseball outfielders Major League Baseball Rookie of the Year Award winners Mayos de Navojoa players Memphis Redbirds players Palm Beach Cardinals players Baseball players from Havana Springfield Cardinals players St. Louis Cardinals players Tampa Bay Rays players Toros de Tijuana players Vegueros de Pinar del Rio players Defecting Cuban baseball players

Career

Cuban and Mexican career

St. Louis Cardinals

Minor leagues

2019 season

Tampa Bay Rays

2020 season

2021 season

2022 season

Personal life

See also

References

External links