By Joohee Kim = Tampa Bay Rays’ Randy Arozarena, 28, will participate in his first Major League Baseball All-Star Game Home Run Derby.
“Arrozarenas announced his participation in the All-Star Game Home Run Derby on social media,” MLB.com reported on Tuesday (Feb. 2).
This will be the first time Arroyo has played in an All-Star Game since joining the major leagues in 2019. It’s also the first time he’s participated in a home run derby.
“I want to put on a great show in the Home Run Derby,” he said.
Arrozarenas had a hot fall in Tampa Bay in 2020. He had 29 hits and 10 home runs in fall ball alone, setting the single-season record for most hits and home runs in a single postseason. Tampa Bay finished as World Series runners-up behind Arozarenas’ performance.
In 2021, he joined the iconic 20-homer, 20-steal club with 20 home runs and 20 doubles. Last year, he hit 20 home runs and stole 32 bases.
In his fifth year in the majors, Arozarena is batting .288 with 15 home runs, 57 RBIs and nine stolen bases in 80 games.
“We knew how special he was, how talented he was, how much potential he had to be a star, and now the world of baseball is going to see it firsthand,” said Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash.
“He’s a guy who can hit the ball a long way. Once he gets into a rhythm, he can do it quite often,” he said, cheering on the Home Run Derby.온라인바카
This will be the third time in history that a Tampa Bay player has competed in the Home Run Derby, joining Evan Longoria in 2008 and Carlos Peña in 2009. However, neither Longoria nor Peña advanced past the first round.
Meanwhile, this year’s All-Star Game will be played on June 12 at T-Mobile Park in Seattle, Washington, USA.
Eight players will participate in the Home Run Derby on the 11th, the day before the All-Star Game. As of now, four participants have been revealed, including Arozarenas, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (Toronto Blue Jays), Mookie Betts (Los Angeles Dodgers), and Julio Rodriguez (Seattle Mariners).