Randy Arozarena rediscovers his love of baseball, timing at the plate

TRINITY — For Randy Arozarena, it was never like this when he was growing up. There weren’t buckets of balls, cones and bases placed around manicured baseball fields. There were no camps with parents sitting in the stands, cheering on children as they took part in throwing, hitting and catching drills.

Back in his native Cuba, the Rays slugger said he learned to play baseball without shoes or a glove and with just one baseball.

But Monday morning, as he walked around his Baseball ProCamp at Mitchell High School, Arozarena recognized the thing he had in common with the 100 or so kids (grades 1-8) on the fields: a love of the game.

“This brings me back to my childhood and how much fun I had,” Arozarena said, with friend Jack Levy translating. “It’s a good feeling.”

Monday, an off day for the Rays, was a good chance for Arozarena to step away from his team’s nearly month-long slump and reconnect with the fun of the game. The Rays lost three of four to the Orioles over the weekend to surrender first place in the American League East after leading since the second day of the season.

Things won’t get any easier from here on out.

The Rays have the toughest remaining schedule of any MLB team, their opponents combining for a .520 winning percentage.

“We are going through a tough time right now,” Arozarena said. “It’s a long season, but we will get back to playing like ourselves.”

The Rays currently are experiencing the roughest time in the American League. They are a league-worst 4-14 in the month of July.

And the offense is largely the reason why.

Through June 30, the Rays had scored the second-most runs in the majors, averaging 5.64 per game. Even just before the All-Star break, they were second in the big leagues in OPS (.783) and fourth in slugging percentage (.452). Their 137 home runs ranked third.

Arozarena was right in the middle of the lineup, helping drive that success.

He hit 15 of his 17 home runs before the calendar flipped to July. He was batting .287 and getting on base with a 13% walk rate.

The 61 runs the Rays have scored in their 18 games in July are fewest in the American League. That’s an average of just 3.4 per game. They also have the worst batting average (.208), slugging percentage (.342) and OPS (.637) in the AL for the month.

Arozarena is not the only Rays hitter struggling, but his numbers clearly show he is having a rough month.

He is hitting just .191 with two homers and five RBIs. He’s drawn only four walks in 73 plate appearances and struck out 21 times.

It has been a hectic month for him. He was not only an All-Star, but also a finalist in the Home Run Derby. Monday, Arozarena admitted the experience took a lot out of him. Since the break, he has gone 7-for-38 with a home run, double and triple. He’s driven in four runs, drawn two walks and struck out 10 times.

“After the All-Star break, I felt a little uncomfortable hitting,” Arozarena admitted. “But the last two games, I’ve started to feel better (with my timing).”

After striking out four times Friday, Arozarena’s timing seemed to be coming back around. He had two singles on Saturday and fouled off several balls on Sunday.

“I am thinking (Tuesday) will be even better. I am practicing to get out of this bad mode, but it happens,” Arozarena said. “I am working to get out of it and try to help the team.”

But first, Arozarena spent some time with the kids who gathered at his camp to meet and learn from him. They took pictures, and he played catch and showed off his skills. He advised them to take advantage of all they have, including the facilities, equipment and support of their families and friends.

“I didn’t have the gloves, the balls or even shoes,” Arozarena said. “But I loved the game. I had a very strong will to play the game. That is what this reminds me of, how much fun it is to play.”

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