The Blue Jays’ flipping of catcher Mike Napoli to the Texas Rangers for expected-to-be closer Frank Francisco, just four days after acquiring the slugging backstop from the Angels in the contract-shedding Vernon Wells trade, told us one thing:J.P. Arencibia is now the man behind the plate in Toronto.Many have kept tabs on his ascension through
Cheap Jerseys the Blue Jays’ farm system after being drafted in the first round (21st overall) of the 2007 amateur draft, the same draft that has already sent the likes of David Price (Rays), Matt Wieters (Orioles), Madison Bumgarner (Giants), Jason Heyward (Braves) and Rick Porcello (Tigers) on to promising Major League careers.
MLB jerseysArencibia’s rise has been rapid since turning pro at 21 with Auburn of the New York Penn. While making stops along the way in Dunedin and New Hampshire over the course of his first two minor league seasons, Arencibia showed that he could hit with 30 home runs and 130 RBI in his first 189 games.With the pressure on in Toronto and with the Ricciardi regime under fire from the fans and media to start delivering home-grown talent, Arencibia was fast-tracked to Triple-A Las Vegas where he encountered his first professional adversity.
Sure, he slammed 32 doubles, hit 21 homers and knocked in 75 runs, but his batting average suffered (.236 in 116 games) and he struck out once every 4.4 plate appearances.Was it a classic case of "too much, too soon?"Perhaps, but lessons were learned, and he returned to Las Vegas for a second go around in 2010 after first getting a taste of Major League camp in spring training. For many,
Cheap NHL Anaheim Ducks Jerseys, that is just what it takes to kick a player’s game up a notch. You can add Arencibia’s name to that list. He went down, worked hard at his game and finally realized his dream of playing in the Majors in early August after John Buck took a foul tip off the thumb on his throwing hand, landing Buck on the 15-day disabled list. Arencibia made one of the most memorable debuts in Major League history on Aug. 7th against Tampa Bay, homering on the first pitch, finishing the day 4-for-5 with a pair of home runs, a double and three RBI, while instantly endearing himself with every Jays’ fan that caught that game. wholesale
MLB jerseysAfter that dream debut, Arencibia would only get one hit over his next 30 big league at-bats while manager Cito Gaston gave Jose Molina and then Buck the bulk of the playing time upon his return from the infirmary. Arencibia was sent back to Triple-A to finish his minor league season before a recall after the rosters were expanded in September. Despite the Jays falling from contention, he watched from the bench most of the time, something that didn’t sit well with his new fan club in Toronto, leading to a lot of vitriol being sent the way of out-going Ctio Gaston.
But as we found out a couple of weeks ago at the Blue Jays State of the Franchise event at the Rogers Centre, it was general manager Alex Anthopoulos, not Cito, who had promised playing time, maximum playing time, to Buck after signing him to a one-year free agent contract the previous winter. His reasoning was that promises were made to Buck that he would be the No. 1 catcher and that the Blue Jays must be known to other potential free agents as men of their word. If they hadn’t’ stuck to their word, Anthopoulos reasoned, word would get out around the Majors and the Jays would have trouble convincing future free agents to relocate to Toronto.I can certainly go along with that reasoning.Which brings us to today; with the acquisition then subsequent dealing of Napoli,
cheap MLB jerseys the Jays are now left with the tandem of Arencibia and Molina to take this young pitching staff to the next level. With nothing left to prove at the Triple-A level, J.P. is now the No. 1 catcher with Molina there to spell him occasionally and acting as a mentor for the now 25-year-old as he enters his first full Major League season. He will also be under the watchful
Cheap Authentic NFL Jerseys eye all spring of new Jays’ bench coach Don Wakamatsu, who spent time as a catcher in the Majors with the White Sox and is viewed by many in the game as one of the top catching instructors.While still green as a pro, familiarity with the Blue Jays young pitchers shouldn’t be a problem, having come up through the minors with Ricky Romero, Brett Cecil, Marc Rzepczynski and David Purcey.The ball is clearly now in J.P. Arencibia’s court. Whether he can consistently hit at the Major League level despite t
hat mind-blowing debut last August remains to be seen. At least the fans will finally get their wish. Now, it’s all up to J.P. Arencibia to satiate those desires.
Carson on MLB Future now for Arencibia
Linear Mode
