George Arias
Encyclopedia
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George Alberto Arias (born May 12, 1972 in Tucson, Arizona
) is a former baseball
player in Major League Baseball
and Nippon Professional Baseball.
in the seventh round of the 1993 Major League Baseball Draft
after graduating from the University of Arizona
. He made his major league debut in , and played 84 games, hitting
.238 with seven home run
s and 28 RBI
. He went back and forth between the majors and minor leagues after that, and was traded to the San Diego Padres
during the season. He played with the Padres until , before joining the Orix BlueWave in Japan
.
Arias became the regular third baseman
in his first year with the BlueWave, and was the team's best power hitter, hitting 38 home runs in . He was a slow but solid fielder, and had a strong arm. Arias was a very streaky hitter, and had a very low batting average with runners in scoring position
. He signed with the Hanshin Tigers
in , and hit 38 home runs with 107 RBI in , contributing to the Tigers' league championship. He also won a Golden Glove award at first base, and the Best Nine award that year. He left the Tigers after , and signed a minor league deal with the Washington Nationals
in , but was cut at the start of the season. He played in the Mexican League for the rest of the year.
Arias was signed by the Yomiuri Giants
in June , and made his debut with the Giants in July as an outfielder
. He was unable to repeat his previous success, and was demoted to the minors after playing 17 games. He hit only .167 his last year, and was cut at the end of 2006.
In 639 games in NPB, Arias hit .259 with 169 home runs and 436 RBI.
George Alberto Arias (born May 12, 1972 in Tucson, Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
) is a former baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
player in Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
and Nippon Professional Baseball.
Career
Arias was drafted by the California AngelsLos Angeles Angels of Anaheim
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are a professional baseball team based in Anaheim, California, United States. The Angels are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The "Angels" name originates from the city in which the team started, Los Angeles...
in the seventh round of the 1993 Major League Baseball Draft
1993 Major League Baseball Draft
-First round selections:The following are the first round picks in the 1993 Major League Baseball draft.-Compensation picks:-Other notable players:*Scott Rolen was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 2nd round of the 1993 amateur draft....
after graduating from the University of Arizona
University of Arizona
The University of Arizona is a land-grant and space-grant public institution of higher education and research located in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The University of Arizona was the first university in the state of Arizona, founded in 1885...
. He made his major league debut in , and played 84 games, hitting
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
.238 with seven home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
s and 28 RBI
Run batted in
Runs batted in or RBIs is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.Common nicknames for an RBI...
. He went back and forth between the majors and minor leagues after that, and was traded to the San Diego Padres
San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are a Major League Baseball team based in San Diego, California. They play in the National League Western Division. Founded in 1969, the Padres have won the National League Pennant twice, in 1984 and 1998, losing in the World Series both times...
during the season. He played with the Padres until , before joining the Orix BlueWave in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
Arias became the regular third baseman
Third baseman
A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run...
in his first year with the BlueWave, and was the team's best power hitter, hitting 38 home runs in . He was a slow but solid fielder, and had a strong arm. Arias was a very streaky hitter, and had a very low batting average with runners in scoring position
Batting Average with Runners in Scoring Position
Batting Average with Runners in Scoring Position is a baseball statistic derived by dividing a players hits with runners in scoring positions by his at bats with runners in scoring position...
. He signed with the Hanshin Tigers
Hanshin Tigers
The are a Nippon Professional Baseball team based in Koshien, Nishinomiya, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, and are in the Central League. Hanshin Electric Railway Co., Ltd., the subsidiary of Hankyu Hanshin Holdings Inc., owns the Hanshin Tigers directly...
in , and hit 38 home runs with 107 RBI in , contributing to the Tigers' league championship. He also won a Golden Glove award at first base, and the Best Nine award that year. He left the Tigers after , and signed a minor league deal with the Washington Nationals
Washington Nationals
The Washington Nationals are a professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals are a member of the Eastern Division of the National League of Major League Baseball . The team moved into the newly built Nationals Park in 2008, after playing their first three seasons in RFK Stadium...
in , but was cut at the start of the season. He played in the Mexican League for the rest of the year.
Arias was signed by the Yomiuri Giants
Yomiuri Giants
The are a professional baseball team based in Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan. The team competes in the Central League in Nippon Professional Baseball, the top level of professional play in Japan. They play their home games in the Tokyo Dome, opened in 1988. The English-language press occasionally calls the...
in June , and made his debut with the Giants in July as an outfielder
Outfielder
Outfielder is a generic term applied to each of the people playing in the three defensive positions in baseball farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder...
. He was unable to repeat his previous success, and was demoted to the minors after playing 17 games. He hit only .167 his last year, and was cut at the end of 2006.
In 639 games in NPB, Arias hit .259 with 169 home runs and 436 RBI.