{{short description|American baseball player (born 1972)}} {{About|the American baseball player|the Brazilian boxer|George Arias (boxer)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}} {{Infobox baseball biography | name = George Arias | image = George Arias (180510-M-CG187-693) (cropped).jpg | caption = Arias at MCAS Miramar in 2018 | position = Third baseman | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1972|3|12}} | birth_place = Tucson, Arizona, U.S.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Major League Baseball players born in Arizona |url=https://www.azcentral.com/picture-gallery/sports/mlb/2014/05/19/major-league-baseball-players-born-in-arizona/9142843/ |access-date=2025-07-30 |website=The Arizona Republic |language=en-US}}</ref> | bats = Right | throws = Right | debutleague = MLB | debutdate = April 2 | debutyear = 1996 | debutteam = California Angels | finalleague = MLB | finaldate = July 28 | finalyear = 1999 | finalteam = San Diego Padres | debut2league = NPB | debut2date = April 1 | debut2year = 2000 | debut2team = Orix BlueWave | final2league = NPB | final2date = July 30 | final2year = 2006 | final2team = Yomiuri Giants | statleague = MLB | stat1label = Batting average | stat1value = .238 | stat2label = Home runs | stat2value = 14 | stat3label = Runs batted in | stat3value = 55 | stat2league = NPB | stat21label = Batting average | stat21value = .259 | stat22label = Home runs | stat22value = 161 | stat23label = Runs batted in | stat23value = 436 | teams = * California/Anaheim Angels ({{mlby|1996}}–{{mlby|1997}}) * San Diego Padres ({{mlby|1997}}–{{mlby|1999}}) * Orix BlueWave ({{npby|2000}}–{{npby|2001}}) * Hanshin Tigers ({{npby|2002}}–{{npby|2004}}) * Yomiuri Giants ({{npby|2006}}) }} '''George Alberto Arias''' (born March 12, 1972) is an American former baseball player in Major League Baseball and Nippon Professional Baseball.
==Career== Arias was drafted by the California Angels 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 {{mlby|1996}}, and played 84 games, hitting .238 with seven home runs and 28 RBI. He went back and forth between the majors and minor leagues after that.
In August 1997, the Angels traded Arias to the San Diego Padres as the player to be named later in the earlier trade that sent Ryan Hancock and Stevenson Agosto to the Padres for Rickey Henderson.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://lasvegassun.com/news/1998/apr/09/stars-arias-has-big-dreams/|title=Star's Arias has big dreams|first=Steve|last=Guiremand|work=Las Vegas Sun|date=April 9, 1998 | accessdate=April 7, 2024}}</ref> He played with the Padres until {{mlby|1999}}, 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 {{Baseball year|2001}}. 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 {{Baseball year|2002}}, and hit 38 home runs with 107 RBI in {{Baseball year|2003}}, 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 {{Baseball year|2004}}, as they dropped him as they were making a bid to sign Yokohama BayStars foreign star Tyrone Woods, before the Chunichi Dragons got him, and signed a minor league deal with the Washington Nationals in {{Baseball year|2005}}, 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 {{Baseball year|2006}}, 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.
==See also== *1993 College Baseball All-America Team
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== {{Baseballstats|br=a/ariasge01|fangraphs=1000299|brm=arias-001geo}} *[http://static.espn.go.com/mlb/s/2001/0703/1221823.html ESPN Article on Arias]
{{1993 College Baseball Consensus All-Americans}} {{Mexican Pacific League MVPs}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Arias, George}} Category:1972 births Category:Living people Category:Águilas de Mexicali players Category:American expatriate baseball players in Canada Category:American expatriate baseball players in Japan Category:American expatriate baseball players in Mexico Category:Anaheim Angels players Category:Arizona Wildcats baseball players Category:Baseball players from Tucson, Arizona Category:California Angels players Category:Cedar Rapids Kernels players Category:Hanshin Tigers players Category:Lake Elsinore Storm players Category:Las Vegas Stars (baseball) players Category:Major League Baseball third basemen Category:Mexican Baseball League first basemen Category:Mexican Baseball League left fielders Category:Mexican Baseball League third basemen Category:Midland Angels players Category:Nippon Professional Baseball first basemen Category:Nippon Professional Baseball third basemen Category:Orix BlueWave players Category:Pima Aztecs baseball players Category:Rancho Cucamonga Quakes players Category:San Diego Padres players Category:Vancouver Canadians players Category:Yomiuri Giants players Category:All-American college baseball players