The St. Louis Cardinals announced today that Memphis Redbirds (AAA) outfielder Randy Arozarena (pronounced Ahh-ROW-sa-ray-na) and Palm Beach Cardinals (High-A) right-handed pitcher Alvaro Seijas (pronounced SAY-hoss) have been honored as the Cardinals Minor League Player and Pitcher of the Month for June for their accomplishments on the field.
Arozarena, 24, signed a minor league contract with the Cardinals in late July 2016 out of La Habana, Cuba. The 5-foot-11, 175 lb. outfielder batted .374/.456/.607 with five home runs, eight doubles, 20 RBI, and four stolen bases in 28 June games between Springfield (AA) and Memphis (AAA). The outfielder capped his month by going 9-for-14 (.643) with a pair of four-hit efforts over his final three games of the month.
Before promoted to Memphis on June 12, Arozarena hammered Texas League pitching at a .382 clip (13-34), with six of 13 hits going for extras bases for a .706 slugging percentage and 1.206 OPS. Overall this season, the 24-year-old is hitting .347/.437/.545 with six home runs, two triples, 13 doubles, and 26 RBI in 48 games between Springfield and Memphis. Despite his season not beginning until May 11 due to a fractured right hand suffered in Spring Training, Arozarena’s nine stolen bases rank T9th in the Cardinals organization.
Seijas, 20, who earned a promotion to Palm Beach yesterday, went 1-1 with a 2.20 ERA (8 ER/32.2 IP) and 26 strikeouts in five starts in June for the Peoria Chiefs (A). The 6-0, 175-pound right-hander allowed three runs or fewer in all five starts, which included a season-high 7.1 scoreless innings of three-hit ball on 6/1 at Wisconsin (A-Brewers). Seijas fanned 26 batters against nine walks while recording quality starts in four outings.
A 2019 Midwest League Mid-Season All-Star, Seijas ranks among Midwest League leaders in innings pitched (80.0, 2nd), starts (14, T9th) and ERA (2.93, 10th). The right-hander’s 71 strikeouts is the 4th-highest total in the Cardinals minor league organization, while his 2.93 ERA ranks as the 9th-best. The Tumero, Venezuela native was signed by the Cardinals as a non-drafted free agent on July 2, 2015, and has made starts in 61 of 65 professional appearances.
The minor league honor is the first for Seijas and second for Arozarena, who was recognized in June 2017 while playing for Palm Beach.
