How Arozarena took his game to new level

This story was excerpted from Adam Berry’s Rays Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

OAKLAND -- In his first three seasons with the Rays, Randy Arozarena made postseason history in 2020, won the American League Rookie of the Year Award in ’21 and then put together a rare 20-homer, 32-steal, 41-double campaign last year.

This spring, Arozarena knew he needed to be even better.

Looking for ways to improve in every facet of the game and minimize the slumps that sometimes kept him quiet for extended stretches, Arozarena asked Tampa Bay’s staff for information. He wanted to know how pitchers would attack him. He wanted to know more about the pitchers he’d face. He wanted to make better, more informed decisions at the plate and on the bases.

“In past years, we saw the spurts come out in the playoffs, and he realized that, 'If I want to do this consistently, I have to pour a little more into the preparation,’” hitting coach Chad Mottola said. “The game usually dictates that, and when he was ready, he decided it was time and he's continued it throughout the year.”

What happens in Spring Training doesn’t always carry over into the regular season, but it has for Arozarena. The dynamic outfielder’s commitment is paying dividends and taking his game to another level this year.

“It helped me grow as a player. Really, that's the most important thing,” Arozarena said through interpreter Manny Navarro. “I know if I know that information, I'll be able to help the team. And I know, also, the business side of things; I know if I do well, and I know this information, that will help me.”

Among qualified hitters, Arozarena entered the weekend with the AL’s fourth-best OPS (.877) behind Shohei Ohtani, Yordan Alvarez and Rays teammate Yandy Díaz. His .402 on-base percentage ranked third in the AL, behind only Oakland’s Ryan Noda (.412) and Díaz (.404).

And perhaps most surprisingly, only two AL hitters have drawn more walks than Arozarena’s 41, which is five shy of his total from all of last season: Noda (48) and Orioles star Adley Rutschman (46).

“The home runs will always come, and I think when you want to get hits so bad, you waste an at-bat. You might give away an at-bat,” he said through Navarro. “My goal is to not want to give away those at-bats and go in with a better plan.”

Arozarena’s improvements are equally well-reflected in some of his underlying statistics. Entering Friday, Arozarena’s chase rate was down by 8.0% from last year, among the top 10 biggest changes this season. His hard-hit rate was up 9.3%, the Majors’ 13th-biggest year-to-year leap. His barrel rate improved by 8.1%, the third-highest jump.

All of that, Arozarena said, goes back to his newfound dedication to preparation.

“It's helped me out a lot. I think it helps me be a little bit more concentrated at the plate, have an idea at the plate and then to have a better plan,” Arozarena said through Navarro. “The information that they've given me, I've just started to take it in a little bit more, like the way the pitchers pitch me and things like that, whereas in the past I would just kind of go in there and just play without any of the information.”

Arozarena said he took it upon himself this offseason after hearing from other players how they processed scouting reports and prepared for games. He credited Rays process and analytics coach Jonathan Erlichman and assistant hitting coach Brady North for providing that information. And he said it’s led to higher-quality at-bats and a better understanding of when to be aggressive on the basepaths.

The Rays have noticed.

“We had talked to Randy in the past, but I give Randy all the credit. He's taken the initiative to be more mindful, be more aware of how pitchers are attacking him, and he's really selling out like he's going to do everything he can not to get out of the zone,” manager Kevin Cash said. “Randy can be as good of a bad-ball hitter as anybody in baseball, but we'll take the walks and the patience that he's shown, knowing that when the ball comes in the zone, he does a lot of damage.

“He's putting together a pretty good season, so I'm personally very impressed at how mature his at-bats have gotten over this season.”