In the seventh inning of the Rays’ 4–1 win over the Pirates last Tuesday, star Tampa Bay left fielder Randy Arozarena did something that surprised his coaches: homework.
Since he debuted in the majors in 2019 with the Cardinals—and especially since he starred for the Rays in ’20 after being traded to Tampa Bay—Arozarena has been famous among his peers for his indifference to his opponents. He had never heard of almost any of the pitchers he faced and he liked it that way. The only scouting report that interested him was not quite one word long: “Velo?” He wanted to know how hard the pitcher threw, not what his name or repertoire was.
So on Tuesday, when Arozarena darted from the plate into the dugout during a mound visit, the Rays’ coaching staff briefly wondered whether he thought there was a pitching change and wanted to sit down and relax. But no: Arozarena grabbed an iPad and called up video of the fastball of Pirates reliever Dauri Moreta.
