Arozarena And His Rays

If you somehow missed out on watching Game 4 of the 2020 World Series, I must tell you that you missed an all-time classic. There were a plethora of lead changes, momentum swings, and no shortage of heroes. Even though the hometown boy Brett Phillips delivered the game-winning hit in the bottom of the 9th, Randy Arozarena continues to be the backbone of this incredible Tampa Bay Rays baseball club.

So who is this phenom of a baseball player? I need to be upfront about how I haven't followed this baseball season as closely as normal because my Boston Red Sox's management decided to punt on the season by trotting out a rotation of minor league pitchers. This means that Randy Arozarena was unfamiliar to me until this postseason. Now I can decisively state that Arozarena is one remarkable hitter of the baseball!

Arozarena began his career with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2019. He only appeared in 19 games and so he's still considered a rookie in 2020. Even though the sample size was tiny, Arozarena batted .300 with 16 hits for the Red Birds. They decided to deal him, along with a first baseman and a draft pick to Tampa (on January 9th, 2020) for a pitcher, catcher, and draft pick. The Cuban native only played in 23 games for the Rays, posting a batting average of .281 with 7 dingers and 11 runs batted in. 

It's been Randy Arozarena's production this postseason that's been absolutely staggering. He's hitting .377, has a set rookie record with 9 home runs, and has tied the postseason record for hits with 26. If these Rays end up winning their first title in franchise history he'll be sure to win World Series MVP honours. Even though I will always have a soft spot in my fandom for Mookie Betts, after last night's epic win I find myself cheering for Arozarena's Rays. 

Before I go any further I need to lay out the payrolls of some significant MLB teams, and then you might see why these Rays are so intriguing.

1. New York Yankees ($113.9 mil)

2. Los Angeles Dodgers ($105.5 mil)

3. Chicago Cubs ($89.1 mil)

4. Boston Red Sox ($83.2 mil)

5. Houston Astros ($81.4 mil)

And where are the Rays in terms of payroll?

28. Tampa Bay Rays ($28.6 mil)

(*Payroll information from: https://slackiebrown.com/2020-mlb-team-salaries/)

That's a difference of roughly 77 million dollars between the World Series opponents. It should be pointed out that the Rays' front office is notorious for playing the analytics game as well as anyone since the tenure of Oakland A's General Manager Billy Beane began (1997-present), and maybe the Houston Astros' scouting team from 2013-2017. How else would sometime find such value in an outfielder that was originally 4th on the Rays depth chart in the field but showed good promise at the plate? The Rays somehow convinced the Cardinals that their Cuban rookie wasn't in their future plans. Arozarena is now solidified as Tampa Bay's left fielder and second to none in terms of hitting prowess. 

Baseball, just like many other sports, can easily give and then take away. Look no further than my previous article on the "yips" that has plagued a fair number of talented major leaguers. What is apparent as I write this on October 25, 2020 is that Randy Arozarena can really rake, and the Tampa Bay Rays have played some outstanding baseball. They've played in such a way that I find myself cheering for this team of outstanding pitchers, good defenders, and a batter who's instilling fear in opposing pitchers maybe not seen since David Ortiz in 2004, or Barry Bonds in 2002. Tampa Bay has knocked off the team with the largest payroll (NY Yankees) and are looking to do the same with the 2nd largest payroll (LA Dodgers).

Game 5 of the World Series goes tonight at 8:08pm EST. Tune in to see if Dave Roberts can finally exercise some of his decision making demons, and if Clayton Kershaw can pitch consecutive solid playoff starts while still posting a mind-boggling career postseason earned run average of 4.22. Kershaw will toe the rubber against Rays' youngster Tyler Glasnow.

(*Stats from https://www.baseball-reference.com/)