Once a highly touted international prospect, Randy Arozarena is looking to claim a roster spot with the Tampa Bay Rays this MLB.
HIALEAH,FL– New acquired by the Tampa Bay Rays, Randy Arozarena was touted as a five-tool talent when he signed with the St. Louis Cardinals for $1.25M in international free agency in 2016.
The native of Pinar del Río debuted in 2017 with the Palm Beach Cardinals of the Florida State League was named an all-star after hitting .266 with 11 homers, 49 runs batted in and 18 stolen bases.
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During the winter of 2017, he played in the Mexican Winter League with the Navojoa Mayans and lead the league in longballs with 14.
"“During the winter one learns many nuances that can be applied to game situations, I played with many experienced players and I applied what I learned to my game during the season. I saw a multitude of quality pitching that also helped me during the upcoming season.”"
His great season earned him a promotion to AA Springfield at the season’s end.
Another promising season
For Randy Arozarena, 2018 was another productive year between AA-AAA the power-hitting outfielder hit a whopping .274 and went yard 12 times. This earned him a spot in the futures game.
The young toolsy outfielder found himself on the cusp of the big leagues especially because of his versatility.
In the 2018 offseason, he returned to the Mayans in the Mexican Winter League but only appeared in 15 games. His incursion in the league was more to stay in shape and get a few quality reps in.
Making it to the Majors
Randy Arozarena started the 2019 season on the injured list, but his .358 average and 12 dongs earned him a trip to the show with the big club. In his 19 games with the Cardinals in the big leagues, Arozarena hit .300 and deposited one ball in the stands.
The future looked bright for the Cuban at the end of 2019.
New situation, big opportunity
During the off-season, Arozarena was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays and he has seized the moment At the time of this article,, Randy’s sitting on a .750 AVG and leads with four runs batted in.
As of right now, the young outfielder has an edge on Manuel Margot on the last roster spot if we base everything on how they have performed this spring.
Could the talented you man from Cuba make the ball club this year? That remains to be seen.