Arozarena already at ease ahead of Mariners debut
Daniel Kramer
@DKramer_CHICAGO -- Randy Arozarena said that one of the first phone calls he received on Friday was from Julio Rodr¨ªguez, welcoming him to the Mariners after Seattle acquired the slugging left fielder in a big trade with Tampa Bay in the late hours the night prior.
Rodr¨ªguez, who is on the 10-day injured list with a high right ankle sprain, is not with the team on its road trip through Chicago and Boston. But he and Arozarena have ties from their time training together in the offseason at House of Athlete in Tampa, Fla.
So, the Mariners¡¯ prized new acquisition ahead of Tuesday¡¯s Trade Deadline had at least some sense of familiarity after leaving a Rays team for which he was easily the fan favorite and among its most productive players.
¡°We were talking about how happy Julio was that I was joining the team,¡± Arozarena said through Mariners third-base coach Manny Acta. ¡°Since we do some training in the offseason, obviously we talked about our teams a little bit, and then it happened that we¡¯re now together. Also, Julio was talking about how he was feeling much better and that he¡¯s going to be back when we get back home.¡±
Arozarena joined the Mariners ahead of Seattle¡¯s game against the White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field on Saturday and was immediately thrust into the lineup, batting second and playing left field. He wound up going 1-for-4 with an infield single, one walk and two strikeouts in a 6-3 Mariners win.
After meeting with his new teammates and Mariners manager Scott Servais, Arozarena put on a show during his first batting practice, hitting in the first group.
It was the type of power display that showed why the Mariners acquired him, with hopes of bringing a run-producing force to an offense whose .366 slugging percentage is MLB¡¯s third-lowest. Arozarena is slugging .394 with 15 homers this season, both of which put him second on the team behind Cal Raleigh. But he¡¯s slugging .507 since June 1, when he¡¯s looked much more like his old self after a tough start to the season.
¡°My work ethic and just working in the cages, having fun out there playing baseball,¡± Arozarena said. ¡°I can¡¯t control the numbers, because if I would¡¯ve controlled the numbers, they would always be positive. But it¡¯s been just the consistency.¡±
Seattle¡¯s acquisition of Arozarena speaks to the club¡¯s intention of going all-in for this year, even after a 9-20 stretch in which it tumbled from a 10-game lead atop the American League West to entering Saturday on the outside looking in for a playoff spot altogether.
In his first meeting with Servais, Arozarena reminded him that he¡¯s reached the postseason in each of his five seasons in the Majors (2019 with the Cardinals, then 2020-23 with the Rays).
¡°I¡¯m a confident guy,¡± Arozarena said. ¡°I¡¯ve always had that confidence, and I enjoy myself when I¡¯m in the middle of those moments because I feel like I¡¯m closer to the goal, which is winning the World Series.¡±
He hasn¡¯t just reached the game¡¯s biggest stages -- he¡¯s thrived in them.
Arozarena put together one of the most historic playoff runs in recent memory in 2020, when he homered 10 times in 20 games and was the MVP of the American League Championship Series while leading the Rays to the pennant. He also put on an electric showing in the 2023 World Baseball Classic for Team Mexico -- which is when he created his synonymous gesture of crossing his arms and exposing his biceps after big hits.
Arozarena was also the runner-up in the 2023 Home Run Derby -- in Seattle -- and, a day later in the All-Star Game, he made a remarkable catch at the wall in the first inning.
¡°I like the ballpark and the fact that there¡¯s always a good crowd,¡± Arozarena said. ¡°That¡¯s something that pushes me to do well, and that every time I¡¯ve played there, I¡¯ve had positive results. And I¡¯ll always have those good memories from the All-Star Game.¡±
On a grander level, Arozarena added that he¡¯s always enjoyed playing at T-Mobile Park, where he¡¯s slashed .289/.333/.511 (.844 OPS) with a double, three homers and eight RBIs in 11 games.
Yet before greeting his new fans when the Mariners return home next weekend, Arozarena also shared a touching goodbye with those in St. Petersburg. He spent Friday night at Tropicana Field in the left-field bleachers with his family and the Rays fans who coined that section ¡°Randy Land¡± in his honor.
¡°I felt like I needed to do that because the fans in Tampa were so good to me,¡± Arozarena said.