Randy Arozarena facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Randy Arozarena
Arozarena with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2020
Seattle Mariners – No. 56
Left fielder
Born: (1995-02-28) February 28, 1995 (age 30) Mantua, Cuba
Bats: Right Throws: Right
debut
August 14, 2019, for the St. Louis Cardinals
MLB statistics (through 2024 season)
Batting average	.254
Hits	583
Home runs	91
Runs batted in	314
Stolen bases	100
Teams
St. Louis Cardinals (2019) Tampa Bay Rays (2020–2024) Seattle Mariners (2024–present)
Career highlights and awards
MLB All-Star (2023) AL Rookie of the Year (2021) ALCS MVP (2020) International All-World Baseball Classic Team (2023)
Medals Men's baseball Representing CUB 18U Baseball World Cup Bronze 2013 Taichung Team Representing MEX World Baseball Classic Bronze 2023 Miami Team

Randy Lia Arozarena González (born February 28, 1995) is a Cuban-born Mexican professional baseball player. He plays as an outfielder for the Seattle Mariners in Major League Baseball (MLB). He has also played for the St. Louis Cardinals and Tampa Bay Rays. Randy has represented Mexico in international baseball games. Before that, he played for Cuban youth teams.

Arozarena moved from Cuba to Mexico in 2015. He then signed with the Cardinals in 2016. He played his first MLB game in 2019. He was traded to the Rays before the 2020 season. That year, Randy set an MLB record with 10 home runs in one postseason. Four of those home runs were against the Houston Astros. This earned him the series MVP award. The next year, he won the AL Rookie of the Year award. He was chosen for his first All-Star Game in 2023. He started the game playing in left field.

Randy's Baseball Journey

Playing in Cuba and Mexico

Randy Arozarena played for a team called Vegueros de Pinar del Río in Cuba. This was during the 2013–14 and 2014–15 seasons. In his last season there, he hit .291. He also had three home runs and 15 stolen bases.

In 2015, Arozarena moved from Cuba to Mexico. He played in a few different leagues in Mexico. These included the Mérida Winter League and the Norte de México League. He also played for the Toros de Tijuana in 2016. Later, he joined the Mayos de Navojoa in the Mexican Pacific League.

Time with the St. Louis Cardinals

Starting in the Minor Leagues

Randy Arozarena signed with the St. Louis Cardinals on August 1, 2016. He got $1.25 million to join the team. He first played in the United States in 2017. He played for the Palm Beach Cardinals. He was named an All-Star in that league. Then, he moved up to the Springfield Cardinals. He hit .266 with 11 home runs that year. After the season, he played for Mayos de Navojoa again. He hit 14 home runs in 65 games.

In 2018, Arozarena played for the Memphis Redbirds. He was chosen for the 2018 All-Star Futures Game. He helped Memphis win the Pacific Coast League (PCL) title. He was even named a co-MVP of the PCL playoffs. He hit .274 with 12 home runs and 26 stolen bases.

Making it to the Major Leagues

Arozarena started the 2019 season with a broken hand. He returned to play in May. He was promoted to the major leagues on August 12, 2019. He played his first MLB game on August 14. In 19 games with St. Louis, he hit .300. He also had one home run and two stolen bases.

Success with the Tampa Bay Rays

Record-Breaking 2020 Season

On January 9, 2020, Arozarena was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays. He joined the team on August 30. In 23 regular season games, he hit .281. He also had seven home runs.

Randy had an amazing postseason in 2020. He hit three home runs in the American League Division Series. This was against the New York Yankees. In Game 7 of the ALCS, he hit a two-run home run. This set a new record for rookies in the postseason. Arozarena was named the MVP of the ALCS. He was the first rookie to win this award. He then hit home runs in Games 3, 4, and 6 of the World Series. This broke the record for most home runs in a single postseason. He also set a record for most hits by a rookie in the postseason. Randy said his "power boots" helped him hit so well.

Winning Rookie of the Year in 2021

In the 2021 season, Arozarena hit .274. He had 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases. In Game 1 of the American League Division Series, he made history. He hit a home run and stole home in the same playoff game. Randy won the AL Rookie of the Year Award. He was the first Ray to win it since 2013.

More Great Seasons with the Rays

In 2022, Arozarena stole 32 bases. He hit .269 with 20 home runs. He was a very strong player for the team.

In 2023, the Rays created a "Randy Land" section for fans. Arozarena was voted to start in the MLB All-Star Game. This was his first time being an All-Star. He also competed in the Home Run Derby. He made it to the final round. On August 31, Randy made history again. He became the first MLB player to have three straight seasons with 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases. He finished the season with 23 home runs and 22 stolen bases.

In five seasons with the Tampa Bay Rays, Randy Arozarena hit .255. He had 85 home runs and 94 stolen bases. He holds many Rays postseason records. These include most hits, home runs, and total bases.

Joining the Seattle Mariners

On July 25, 2024, Arozarena was traded to the Seattle Mariners. He said goodbye to Rays fans in "Randy Land." On September 15, Randy hit his 20th home run. This completed his fourth straight season with 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases. In 2024, playing for both the Rays and Mariners, he hit .254. He had 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases.

Randy's International Career

Arozarena playing for Cuba in 2013

Before moving from Cuba, Arozarena played for Cuba's youth teams. He played in the 2011 U-16 Baseball World Cup. He also played in the 2013 U-18 Baseball World Cup. Cuba won the bronze medal in that tournament.

Arozarena announced in 2020 that he wanted to play for Mexico. He said, "I feel like I represent Mexico. I have a daughter in Mexico, and I’d do it in honor of her." In October 2022, it was announced that Randy would play for Mexico in the 2023 World Baseball Classic.

Randy was named the most valuable player of Pool C in the tournament. In the semifinal game against Japan, he hit a double. He also made some amazing catches. Mexico lost that game. Randy led Mexico in many hitting categories. He hit .450 with six doubles and one home run. He was named to the All-WBC team.

Randy's Life Outside Baseball

Randy Arozarena was born in Cuba. He grew up in a place called Arroyos de Mantua. As a child, he first played soccer. When he was 12, he started playing baseball. He knew he could earn money playing it. After his father passed away, he moved from Cuba in June 2015. He traveled by boat to Mexico.

Randy is married to Cenelia Pinedo Blanco. They have two daughters. One of his daughters was born in Mexico in 2018. His second daughter was born in 2021.

Another baseball player, Adolis García, is the godfather of one of Randy's daughters. They were teammates and roommates in the minor leagues. Randy said Garcia is "kind of like my brother." Both friends started in the outfield in the 2023 All-Star Game.

Randy's younger brother, Raiko Arozarena, is a soccer player. He is a goalkeeper for the Cuban national team. Randy also has a mother, Sandra, and another younger brother, Ronny.

In 2020, there were plans to make a movie about Randy's life. He confirmed in 2023 that the movie plans didn't work out. But he still wants to make a movie about his life someday.

Randy became a citizen of Mexico in 2022. This was before he played for Mexico in international baseball. Randy loves soccer. He is a big fan of Real Madrid and Cristiano Ronaldo.

See also

In Spanish: Randy Arozarena para niños

• List of baseball players who defected from Cuba
• List of Major League Baseball players from Cuba
• Tampa Bay Rays award winners and league leaders