Randy Arozarena

Randy Lia Arozarena González (born February 28, 1995) is a Cuban-born Mexican professional baseball outfielder for the Tampa Bay Rays of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the St. Louis Cardinals.

Arozarena defected from Cuba and signed with the Cardinals. He made his MLB debut in 2019 and was traded to the Rays before the 2020 season. That year, Arozarena set the MLB record for home runs in a single postseason with 10. Four of those came against the Houston Astros in the 2020 American League Championship Series, netting him series MVP honors. The following year, he won the AL Rookie of the Year award.

Since his defection from Cuba, Arozarena has represented the Mexican national team on the international level; he was named to the all-tournament team at the 2023 World Baseball Classic.

Cuban and Mexican career
During the 2013–14 and 2014–15 seasons, Arozarena played for Vegueros de Pinar del Río of the Cuban National Series. In his final season, he slashed .291/.412/.419 with three home runs, 24 runs batted in (RBIs), and 15 stolen bases over 74 games played.

In 2015, Arozarena defected from Cuba to Mexico on a raft. He had brief stints in the Mérida Winter League, in the Norte de México League, and with the Toros de Tijuana of the Mexican League in 2016, before playing for the Mayos de Navojoa of the Mexican Pacific League during the winter.

Minor leagues
Arozarena signed with St. Louis Cardinals 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, with whom he was named a Florida State League All-Star, and the Springfield Cardinals, 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 Mexican Pacific League to play for the Mayos de Navojoa 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. In July 2018, he was selected to represent the Cardinals in the 2018 All-Star Futures Game. Arozarena also spent time during the season with Springfield. With Memphis, he helped them win the Pacific Coast League title, and was named a co-MVP of the PCL playoffs alongside teammate Tommy 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 Mayos de Navojoa in 2018 for the third time, but appeared in only 15 games.

2019 season
Arozarena began the 2019 season on the injured list 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. Over 19 games with St. Louis, Arozarena hit .300 with one home run, two RBIs, and two stolen bases.

2020 season
On January 9, 2020, Arozarena was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays (along with José Martínez and the Cardinals’ Competitive Balance Round A Draft Pick) for Matthew Liberatore, 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 against the Houston Astros, Arozarena hit a two-run home run, surpassing Evan Longoria for most home runs by a rookie in the postseason. Arozarena was named the MVP 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, 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 for most hits by a rookie in the postseason. In Game 5, he recorded his 27th hit in the postseason, surpassing Pablo Sandoval for the most hits in a single postseason. Arozarena attributed his playoff power stroke to wearing a special pair of lucky cowboy boots, which he calls his "power boots".

2021 season
For the 2021 season, Arozarena batted .274/.356/.459 with 20 home runs, 69 RBIs, 20 stolen bases and 129 OPS+ in 141 games. During game one of the 2021 ALDS against the Boston Red Sox, Arozarena became the first player 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 in 2013.

2022 season
In 2022, while he stole 32 bases (tied for third in the majors), he also led the major leagues in times caught stealing, with 12; he batted .269/.344/.463 with a solid 124 OPS+.

2023 season
Arozarena was named to the 2023 MLB All-Star Game as an American League starting outfielder, his first selection of his career. Additionally, he accepted an invite to participate in the 2023 Major League Baseball Home Run Derby, where he lost to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in the final. On August 12, Arozarena hit a walk-off single against Emmanuel Clase. On August 31, Arozarena stole third base against the Miami Marlins and became the first MLB player to record three straight 20-20 seasons to begin his career.

International career
Before his defection, Arozarena represented his home country of Cuba at the youth level, playing in the 2011 U-16 Baseball World Cup and the 2013 U-18 Baseball World Cup in Taichung. In the 2013 tournament, Cuba finished with the bronze medal.

Arozarena announced his intention to play under the Mexican flag in 2020, saying "I feel like I represent Mexico. I have a daughter in Mexico, and I’d do it in honor of her and for the part of my career that I spent in Mexico, and for all the friends I’ve made in Mexico.” In October 2022, it was officially announced that Arozarena intended to represent Mexico in the 2023 World Baseball Classic.

For his performance in the pool stage of the tournament, he was named the most valuable player of Pool C, over Mike Trout. In the semifinal game against Japan, Arozarena hit a double to score the go-ahead run and made several timely catches, including a "home-run robbery" from Kazuma Okamoto; however, Mexico would go on to lose on a walk-off double in the bottom of the ninth. Arozarena led the Mexico lineup in most categories, batting .450/.607/.900 with six doubles and nine RBIs over the course of the tournament. Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador called Arozarena a "phenomenon" for his performance in the tournament. At the end of the tournament, he was named to the All-Classic Team, one of only two players (along with Trea Turner) to be selected unanimously. He was presented the award at a Rays home game on May 21, 2023, by Mexican Foreign Secretary Marcelo Ebrard.

Personal life
Arozarena was born in Cuba, and fled on a small boat to Mexico in 2015. Arozarena has a daughter who was born in Mexico in 2018. His younger brother is soccer player Raiko Arozarena, who currently plays as a goalkeeper for the Las Vegas Lights of the USL Championship. He became a Mexican citizen in 2022 and represented the country in the World Baseball Classic.

On November 23, 2020, Arozarena was arrested in Mexico’s Yucatán state after allegedly trying to kidnap his two-year-old daughter from her mother and assaulting the woman’s father. He was released two days later as the mother of the child did not press charges.

His daughter's godfather is fellow Cuban outfielder Adolis García. Arozarena, who played in the Cardinals minor league system with García, described him in July 2023 as "kind of like my brother."

In 2020, a film based on Arozarena's life was reportedly in the works with an estimated release between 2022 and 2023. Arozarena confirmed in 2023 the film had fallen through.