First Time All-Star Randy Arozarena Brings The Fiesta To Baseball

The dynamic Tampa Bay Rays’ outfielder has another opportunity to showcase his talents to a worldwide audience.

The Cuban Rocket (Cohete Cubano) Randy Arozarena is anything but a rocket off the field. The 28-year old Tampa Bay Rays left fielder, who became a proud Mexican citizen in April 2022, is usually found pre-game sitting in very quiet calm at his locker, relaxing and listening to music. But sometime before batting practice, he turns on the 1,000-watt smile, pulls on his now-iconic Mexican cowboy boots, and jogs out to the field to greet and sign for his adoring fans.

Although Arozarena was one of the very first players Team Mexico General Manager Rodrigo Lopez recruited for the 2023 Mexican World Baseball Classic team, he had reservations about the young star’s leadership potential.

“Of course, I knew what a good player he was, but I felt he was king of a quiet guy and I didn’t know if he was going to be a good fit on the team,” explains Lopez. “But the thing that surprised me the most is the personality he has, Once the lights are on, he becomes a totally different person on the field. And that carried into the clubhouse.”

WBC centerfield teammate, Arizona Diamondbacks’ Alek Thomas also noted his teammate’s reserved nature.

“On the field, he’s definitely a character, he’s got personality. But in the clubhouse, he’s super quiet, a pretty reserved guy who just smiles.”

“That’s true,” admits Arozarena. “When I’m not playing, I’m just chill. When I’m playing, that’s what really makes me happy.”

The big stage was made for the left fielder, who defected from Cuba in 2015. Already a star player in Cuba age 19, he landed in Mexico after a dangerous 8-hour raft voyage, and started life and baseball all over again. After stints honing his skills with several Mexican professional baseball teams, he was signed by the St. Louis Cardinals in 2016, and began his climb to the big leagues, making his Major League debut with the Cards in 2019.

A 5-tool player who does it with his glove and bat, he enjoyed success early, and was named 2019 Cards Minor League Organizational Player of the Year. After his trade to the Tampa Bay Rays in 2020, he was called up on August 30, and went on to earn ALCS MVP honors after setting a new record for postseason home runs (10) and hits (29). He followed that up with a 2021 Rookie of the Year honor.

But he doesn’t play for the hardware.

“What moves me most is the sacrifice, the process I’ve gone through since I started in baseball to now,” he insists. “Awards are a recognition of my process, that I train every day, and push myself every single day to get better, and the discipline I have on the field. This is my biggest win – sacrifice, dedication, discipline, and playing happy.”

A Super Star Emerges

Rays hitting coach Chad Mottola distinctly recalls his initial astonishment at Arozarena’s offensive prowess.

“It was the electricity off his bat and the easy power. The first couple of BPs we saw him, he’d make contact and the ball just kept going and going, and you’d think it would land in the gap, but it went out, really easy.”

At that time, Arozarena relied almost exclusively on natural talent and instinct. He even had two separate batting stances that varied depending on how he felt at a particular time. Mottola worked with him on better understanding his tinkering and put some reasoning behind it.

Explains Mottola, “That 2020 playoff got everybody’s attention. You want to replicate that and you want to find ways to get more consistent. And that’s what Randy’s building into this year, the preparation part. He spends a lot more time studying pitchers, studying approach, and understanding what the league’s trying to do to him.”

Now instead of doing things just because they feel right, there’s a method and knowledge behind his tinkering, allowing him to stay aggressive at the plate while making better pitch selection.

He also works on staying optimistic.

“I think that in baseball, numbers are always negative,” he says, “When you’re going bad, you have to try different things to get out of it. That’s why I never stay down. The season is long, you get tired, you can go through things, but you have to keep working through the rough patches and work on the mental game.”

He’s reaping the rewards of instinct + preparation, slashing .397 / .478 / .874, with 15 home runs, on pace to easily eclipse the 20 he hit in each of the past two seasons.

The Rays have created a clubhouse atmosphere that supports a diverse group of players.

“We allow people to be themselves,” says the veteran hitting coach. “That’s one thing our culture has always done. When you walk into the door we want you to be comfortable in your own skin, and actually, you get better with baseball because you’re allowed to express yourself. We try to encourage that.”

Mexico Lindo y Querido

He will always honor his Cuban heritage but for Randy Arozarena, Mexico is now truly home, a country he loves passionately. He is said to have a corazon Mexicano (Mexican heart), and consistently expresses gratitude to the country that opened its doors to a scared teenager. Mexico took him in, adopted him, gave him love and support, and provided the opportunity to develop his skills.

He was granted expedited Mexican citizenship in April, 2022, enabling him to participate in the WBC as a member of Team Mexico.

And he certainly made his adopted country proud. Not only was he the MVP of Pool C; he was also named to the All-Baseball Classic team, in recognition of going 9 for 20 (.450) with 6 doubles, 1 homer, 8 runs and 9 RBIs in 6 games.

His performance helped propel the underdog Mexican team to the semi-finals for the first time in five WBC tournaments.

Says Thomas, “There are pitches you just can’t throw to him. When I was on 2^nd or 3^rd base, I watched his approach and then the balls would fly. And whenever he stays within what he’s trying to do, I think that’s when he’s awesome. And we saw a lot of that in the WBC.”

And it wasn’t just offense he added to the team. He dazzled in the outfield, making memorable, acrobatic catches and robbing key home runs from Puerto Rico and Japan.

In centerfield, Thomas had a clear view of Arozarena’s defense.

“I knew that he was going to get everything to his right and he trusted me in the gap. He was definitely a cool teammate.”

How cool? In between pitching changes he signed autographs and took selfies with fans in the stands. And after a particularly spectacular catch, there was always The Stance – arms crossed, head tilted, the Arozarena stare. More than a meme, that stance and the home run sombrero became symbols of Mexico’s newfound WBC success.

Arozarena prides himself on making the spectacular look easy.

“I think I’m better on defense than at the plate,” says the player who has only made six fielding errors in six years, “because in defense I have control of the ball and at the plate, I don’t.”

“He was already a star in the big leagues, but with the WBC he became a superstar,” says Rodrigo Lopez. “Even when we played Japan, the other side of the world, I think he got a lot of Japanese fans because of the way he played. For Mexico, it was big exposure as a nation, but for Randy, it was something else.”

Mottola couldn’t be happier about the attention brought to Arozarena and the seven other Rays’ who played in the WBC.

“What’s fun for me is they’re finally getting the credit they deserve, whether it’s from the media or the fans. We’ve always had good players, but for me, they’re finally getting the respect they deserve.”

The Sombrero Goes to Seattle

That respect has earned Arozarena a position as an outfield starter in the upcoming 2023 All-Star Game to be held in Seattle, WA. He got an All-Star taste as a participant in the 2018 Futures Game, but the stage is much bigger now. No longer a prospect, he’s a first-time MLB All-Star who hopes to crush the Home Run Derby.

He will be there with cowboy boots and the home run sombrero, ready to enjoy himself and entertain the fans.

“He’s been fun from day one,” says Mottola. “I mean, the enjoyment he brings to every part of the game, from the fans to energy he plays with. I don’t think he’s lost that innocence. And that’s a compliment because I think sometimes this game kind of robs you of that.”

Adds fellow WBC and Rays’ Mexican teammate Isaac Paredes, “He’s the only one who can play like he does – loose, interacting with the fans – he’s a player of the people, they all love him.”